The report of the ad hoc sub-committee set up by the Steering Committee of the Constitutional Assembly (CA) to look into the Relationship between Parliament and the Provincial Councils has recommended that the powers and role of Parliament that exist under the current provisions of the Constitution should remain unchanged and only the subject allocation under the 13th Amendment to the constitution needed to be reviewed.
According to the report presented to the CA yesterday by the Head of the Steering Committee Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe “inclusion of subjects relation to the Closed List and Concurrent List into Provincial Council List and Local Government List according to their subject relevance and the fact that deciding on national policies relevant to whatever subject should be a subject assigned to Parliament.
The report presented yesterday had been prepared by its members, MPs Susil Premajayantha, Prasanna Ranatunga and Dr Thusitha Wijemanna.
Under the section dealing with the manner of transfer of powers from the Centre through the Provinces and to the Local Government, the Sub Committee said that under Article 42 and 43 of the Constitution, the Cabinet of Ministers and the Executive is bound to be responsible to Parliament.
However, the Sub Committee had given consideration to how the administrative powers maybe executed further under sub-national and local government level.
On the “Execution of Legislative powers under the PCs,” the Sub Committee said that that the powers vested in the Councils under the 8th Schedule to the 13th Amendment needs to be exercised by the PCs in a manner unchallengeable to Parliament.
The Committee says that self-revenue generation modes existing in PCs and at local government authority level should remain unchanged as maintaining financial stability of these institutions would be difficult otherwise while the powers exercised by the Governors regarding Provincial Public Service too should remain unchanged.
The Premier said that the CA has so far received seven Sub Committee reports. Members of the CA would have presented their positions with regard to the content of those reports when the CA meets again on January 9, 2017.
The Government would take the views of all main parties in formulating the new Constitution. Opinions of both majority and minority would be considered and added that the Steering Committee is scheduled to meet on January 5 and 6.
Opposition Leader R Sampanthan said that the new constitution should be formulated with the consent of all parties and it needed to be approved by people in a referendum.
UPFA Ratnapura District MP Vasudeva Nanyakkara said the opinions and views
presented by all parties should be included in the records. Minister of National Dialogue Mano Ganesan said that all should unite to find a solution for the national problem through the provisions of the new Constitution.