Minister Weerawansa called for a referendum on abolishing the 13th amendment if the government could not be confident of securing the two-third parliamentary majority needed to repeal it.
Stating that the changes proposed by the government to the 13th Amendment were insufficient, Wwerawansa said that all provisions allowing separatism must be abolished.
Weerawansa, also leader of the National Freedom Front said:
“We promised the people at our May Day Rally that we will make sure to have land and police powers and all other provisions which support separatism be abolished before the Northern polls in September. We held a 10-day countrywide petition signing campaign calling for the abolishing of the 13th Amendment. More than one million people including UNP, SLFP and JVP provincial councillors and Pradeshiya Sabha Chairmen supported us in this worthy course,”
“We must protect the unitary state, for which thousands of our soldiers sacrificed their lives. We learn that the SLMC, TNA and some leftist parties will even vote against the two amendments being presented by the government. We urge the government to go for a referendum, if the two-thirds majority cannot be ensured,”
The government's media minister Rambukwella said today that the government was confident of securing the two-thirds majority needed.