ASIA/SRI LANKA - The Bishops: "The representation of minorities in Parliament has to be ensured"

Tuesday, 23 June 2015

Colombo (Agenzia Fides) - Every authentic and healthy democracy must ensure the representation of linguistic, ethnic and religious minorities in Parliament: with this belief the Catholic Bishops of Sri Lanka officially express concern regarding the reform of the electoral system in question in the country. The 20th amendment to the Constitution, in fact, would affect such representation. A note sent to Fides by the Secretariat of the Bishops' Conference said that "several civil society groups claim that the 20th amendment to the Constitution, presented by the Council of Ministers, is to be quickly approved in Parliament".
The purpose of the amendment is to ensure that "the elected members of Parliament become accountable to their constituents" and fight against "the use of unhealthy preference votes", which bring cronyism and corruption.
However, the Bishops are concerned because the reorganization of the system, according to observers, could have the effect of reducing or canceling minority representation in the assembly. "It is our belief that for true democracy, the participation of all people who live in Sri Lanka is required". The Bishops underline "excessive haste" of those pushing for the approval, without considering "the possible negative effects on the country as a whole". Therefore, "while accepting the need for a change in the way of electing the representatives of the people, before making changes to the Constitution the requests of all groups, especially minorities must be considered" emphasizes the Bishops' note, urging the government to address the issue "with due transparency and spirit of seriousness". (PA) (Agenzia Fides 23/06/2015)


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