Thank you for having read the suggestions and coming out with some positive suggestions.

For your kind information these suggestions are “on the round” for the last many years- since JRJ’s All Party Conference when Mrs.Srimavo Bandaranayake was the Leader of the Opposition. Only two persons acknowledged receipt of the suggestions then. One, Mrs.Srimavo Bandaranayake who said that she has forwarded same to the All Party Conference for due consideration and the other was Mr.Vasudeva Nanayakara who said that he will take it up at the appropriate time.None others acknowledged.
Of the past few years I had been taking it around to political party Leaders and wherever I could table it.
No success of a serious consideration. Mr.Jayantha Danapala took some interest to study the proposals but later gave-up.

I am not that qualified as to prepare charts and diagrams. I can only answer specific questions on my suggestions.
Another suggestion is given below for your kind perusal.

Election and Composition: Every area would be a multi-member electorate electing a minimum of two members. Members of the various Councils would be elected from among those residing within that area on “first passed the post” basis subject to gender and age group conditions being fulfilled and where necessary and possible trade, political ideologies and ethnicity being considered. The number of members of any one gender or age group shall be a minimum of 20% of the total to be elected from an area to a Council and at least one member from other ethnic minorities if they form more than 10% of the eligible voters. The members so elected would be considered as independents. The number of elected members in a given Council – other than Groups 1, 2 & 4 – would vary from Region to Region depending on the number of sub-administrative areas in that region, governed by the principle of equal number of members to the same or similar councils from similar areas – irrespective of the size and population of the area concerned. (Similar to the principle applied in the election to the Senate in the US – two members per State and in the UN one member per country/administrative area).

There are some more suggestions ALL aimed at “good governance” and enabling the people to PARTICIPATE in the governance of the country.

The above are some suggestions that would help to create a UNIQUE SYSTEM OF GOVERNANCE that would ultimately bring in GOOD GOVERNANCE by showing the way out for injustice, discrimination, oppression and corruption born due to and bred by the present system of governance that is mistakenly or mischievously termed as “democratic” by persons who call themselves political scientists.

Mr. Sie.Kathieravealu,

It is a very good thing that you have come up with your valuable suggestions for promotion of the mechanism of governance in the country. The pragmatism, viability, efficiency and efficacy, the method problems of selection and integration to the existing mechanisms, the constitutionality and whether the expected outcome would be generated, the precedents and the experiences we have had etc. are all matters for serious deliberations by the serious, learned and wise people. I suggest if you think your proposal is worthy of being considered by responsible people under a future government you would prepare an organization chart of the government of Sri Lanka indicating where your suggested mechanism would fit in also elucidating merits, demerits of rejection, its contribution to the state etc. and submit it to the UNP leadership for consideration. In this moment of soul searching in the national psyche I hope your ideas would receive due recognition.

I hope Mr.Silva’s expectations are fulfilled.

I cannot compel him to give his views on the mode of “power-sharing” suggested by me. But I do hope that he and others concerned would seriously consider the suggestions. Basically the idea was to “Divide the powers of Parliament to enable the ordinary people to PARTICIPATE in the governance of the country and for uniting the people of the country”.
It also supports the slogan “One Country, One Voice”

In fact when I said Ranil will solve the problems I actually meant and envisioned him as a facilitator in the process of the governance by the people. He as an individual cannot solve these problems. It is the people who have to collectively do it and those of us in the society who are capable of contributing towards that end can participate here. The primary difference of a government under Ranil is that there will be democratic process where the former category can participate and play their part. First a legitimate government under a legitimate parliament and a judiciary and then the legitimate extensions of various arms of government including the various commissions which are now absent, down to the furthest point of government the Grama Seva Division. It is also necessary that we either abolish this problematic constitution altogether or amend its bones of contention parts. The goal, path and means is very clear-the chosen one is Ranil and Ranil alone, a man of principles, policies and visions which is how other countries in the world have become developed.

I have my reservations about Mr.Silva’s thinking that Mr.Ranil would solve all the problems IF HE COMES to power. It is the “people” who will have to empower him.

In my humble opinion “corruption” in various forms is the cause for nearly all the “ills” in the country.

“Transparency” in all matters is the key word in arresting “corruption”.

For this purpose it is essential that all activities connected with the “power to govern” be made transparent. To achieve this the “power to govern” must be “shared” among “the people” and not among the various communities/ethnic groups as is being promoted by some political parties.

This new system of representation and empowerment – different sets of representatives in different areas elected and empowered by different groups of people to implement different ‘distinct and defined’ functions of one and the same parliament – “corruption” in any form and at any level cannot easily arise. If there is no “corruption” then the Rule of Law will prevail making way for peace and good governance in the country, which is the need of the inhabitants of a country.
In my humble opinion this new concept of “power-sharing” would not only strengthen democracy but also deliver good governance and would preserve the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country and guarantee the due respect and dignity of all the people – both collectively and individually, who are, under the present system, treated as their “subjects” by the “ruling class”.

1. A group elected and empowered or entrusted to enact laws for good governance, taxation and connected affairs (One Group functioning at National level and elected on district basis).
2. A group elected and empowered or entrusted to generally manage the finances of the country including collection and disbursement of revenue on the basis of the laws enacted by group 1 above, national planning and connected affairs in consultation with other groups. (One Group functioning at National level and elected on regional basis).
3. Groups elected and empowered or entrusted to administer different regions of the country and approve project proposals submitted (Groups functioning at Regional level and elected on divisional basis).
4. Groups elected and empowered or entrusted with the functions to prepare and submit project proposals based on the needs of that village for confirmation (Groups functioning at Village level and elected on village basis).
5. Groups elected and empowered or entrusted to implement approved project proposals formulated by Group 4 and confirmed by Group 6 with funds provided by Group 2 through Group 3. (Groups functioning at District level and elected on sub-divisional basis).
6. Groups elected and empowered or entrusted to coordinate and confirm/priority of project proposals submitted by Group 4 (Groups functioning at Sub-divisional level and elected on village basis).
7. Groups elected and empowered or entrusted to monitor the functions of all groups for transparency, accountability and irregularities with an eye on the elimination of injustice, discrimination, corruption and oppression (Groups functioning at Divisional level and elected on village basis).
All the above groups and individuals in the Groups enjoy parity of status as they are part and parcel of one and the same institution – the Parliament.

Krishna, Not only Sri Lanka but many countries in Asia was blessed and affected by the teachings of Lord Buddha around the period Buddha lived. The profoundness majesty and depth of the religion the people of that era understood is personified by the time-honored massive doctrine impregnated religious monuments the people of that era built for posterity. Even a cursory glance at the teachings would reveal the signs of logicality, science, spirituality and universality of the doctrine. But the problem is unlike in the ancient days people do not in earnest live the religion in their lives. Buddhism is not a religion that can survive in holy books, temples, idols, statues or mere traditional gestures. For example, the non-violence-the determination, the commitment and scarifies a real religious man must make and hold-is explained and contained in these words from the words of Buddha as stated in the scriptures (the exact words I do not remember hence I approximate words with the concept): “Oh monks! Even if a powerful man ties you and cuts off your fingers limbs ears nose, removes your eyes with each move asking you if you hate him a true follower of my religion would never hate him even though he may finally take the disciple’s life away!” So it is a very good question what happened to a nation who practiced such a great religion and a noble heritage of the best religion ever to be preached on this earth! I think it is due to the fact that only a handful of people really understood and lived this religion and the rest merely pasted the label in their minds, rituals, traditions and birth certificates! I don’t think there are many real Buddhist people left in this country even among the monks. I think the ancient people including their kings/rulers were very wise and intelligent which is why Buddhism spread all over the countries where it existed like a wild fire being readily assimilated embodied and personified. But with the passage of time and the life style of people getting more complicated urbanized due to so called material development spawned by industrial revolution people were more occupied and busy with the existential and material issues rather than spiritual pursuits. The appalling increase in the population, increase in the intensity of the incessant fight for survival, complex and complicated lifestyles etc. may have distanced the search for religious fulfillment. Also people subsequently used to use the religion as a cause to wage wars and kill each other in the name of religion. I think this degeneration also has an element of “quest and tradition for greatness”. It is said that during Buddha’s era there was this great quest among contemporary religious people in India for understanding the “truth”. Is there such a pursuit today? This tradition in search of truth may have produced people of similar thought processes in considerable amounts which may have led to the establishment of a “real” religious environment in the region. It is logical that when people are seeking in earnest they will find it. Now consider the people in the present era. What is their pursuit? What is the pursuit of the Buddhist monks? Are they ordained for religious pursuit or because their parents cannot sustain them or their horoscope claim they are unfit to lead a layman life? What is the pursuit of the ruler of the country who must guide the people and set the first citizen’s example? When you have a ruler who holds up the country’s own museum, plunders the ancient treasure troves the ancient people have deposited with a noble hope, operates white van squads and citizens just disappear dissolved in acid baths, military training and therefore mindless subjugation to authority is superimposed on the minds of the future generation of this country, when Colombo Kachcheri is arsoned by the very government people have elected and established to destroy some documents to grab some valuable lands would such a country achieve religious heights or mess around in the maze and perish on the table at UN adding another country to the list? Isn’t this the answer to what happened to the religious culture once existed in this country?

Dayan is and was never an enterprising, creative person contributing his portion in evolving a solution for the politico-ethnic strife affecting this country for years. He never said “let us do this!”. What he has been doing is seeing crocodiles and alligators in the cup of tea whereby creating a fear and skepticism psychosis and a culture of irresponsibility and impunity on the part of his propped up regime. He has found an easy means of living out of the tax payers money at the expense of selling the suffering of humanity! He also harbors a great fear for Ranil as a hope for ending this dead-end culture of hopelessness and takes every opportunity to level unfounded criticisms and mudslinging at him. The Rajapaksha regime and Dayan are the merchants of death. They do not want to solve this problem. The only hope people have now is to get somehow Ranil to power and I reliably predict that by two years’ time after his taking over this ethnic problem and all the other myriads of problems created by Rajapaksha regime with the help of people like Dayan would be history!

Sorry. Should read ‘Dear Krishna’.

Dr.R.N

Dear Krishnamoorthy,

The answer to you query lies in what Middleton Murray concluded after exhaustively studying the Vatican. “There was only one Christian and he died on the cross”.

Lord Buddha was a great seeker of truth, reformer, philosopher and a very compassionate being. To expect that everyone who professes to be a Buddhist will become like him, is unreal. This applies to all the prophets, Avatars and religious savants. They come, preach and go. We the humans and our condition remains unscathed. We continue in the same old dcreading way. We can only be ppretenders to the throne!

Dr.Rajasingham Narendran

“My question is : Why did Buddhism fail to maintain peace and harmony in SL and is there a hope for the future if people go back to Buddha’s basic teachings ?”

I think you can have a glimpse at the answer looking at what happened to the Ashokan Empire in India aftermath of his death.

Buddhism is not about “good governance”, I think, though it could be helpful.

Thanks!