Sri Lanka's Parliament has unanimously approved a major reforms legislation aimed at freeing key democratic institutions from political influence, but Tamil MPs boycotted the voting and the marathon debate that preceded it. A last-minute climbdown by the People's Alliance government saved the 17th Constitution Amendment Bill that may have otherwise failed to garner the required two-thirds majority in the 225-member House on Monday night. Moderate Tamil parties, headed by the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) walked out of the debate, refusing to be a party to what it called piecemeal' efforts towards constitutional reform and lack of effective representation for minorities on a constitutional council created by the new law. However, the compromise created three posts in the 10-member council for the island nation's minority communities- one each for Tamils, Muslims and plantation Tamils of Indian origin. The council, which will make all appointments to four independent commissions to hold elections, make judicial and public service appointments and run the police, is considered central to the democratic functioning of all these institutions in future.
The Opposition United National Party (UNP) had threatened to vote against the bill, unless a clause providing for the President to nominate one member on the council was dropped.
Bureau Report