Sri Lanka’s new Constitution-making is not a secret process and open to all ideas, a senior minister said on Monday as government set up a special office for public to express their views on the Constitutional framework.
“This is not a secret process. Anybody can make their views known on the process,” said Lakshman Kiriella, leader of the House and minister of Highways and Higher Education.
Kiriella’s remarks came two days after Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe moved a resolution at a special session to set up a Constitutional Assembly to formulate a new Constitution.
The opposition backing former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has protested the move to form a Constitutional Assembly, saying it violated the parliament’s standing orders.
Several Buddhist monks have raised concerns that the new Constitution seeks to dilute the foremost position given to the majority religion Buddhism and the unitary character of the country will be replaced with a federal set up.