Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Sri Lanka has criticized a new draft constitution initiated by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, calling it an attempt to silence the government's critics.
The committee of experts appointed by Rajapaksa has drafted the constitution without consulting people and has handed it over to the incumbent president, Cardinal Ranjit said addressing a gathering to commemorate World Habitat Day in Negombo on Nov. 3.
“I also received a copy of the draft constitution, according to which anyone airing grievances against the government or a government agency shall be imprisoned for at least 20 years,” he said.
The cardinal also elaborated on how the new constitution would prohibit critics of the government from approaching international forums like the United Nations (UN) for the redressal of grievances.
Cardinal Ranjith, as the head of Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church, had in March met UN Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet in Geneva, and discussed, among other matters, the investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
The Church alleges that the slow progress of the investigation delays justice for the 269 victims and their families.
A harsh critic of both the previous and incumbent governments for what he calls their inability to find the masterminds of the Easter attack, the cardinal has on several occasions threatened to take the matter to the international community.
“Politicians who cannot solve people's problems should go home and people should not vote for them,” Cardinal Ranjith maintained.
Shirani Nirupama, a rights activist, appreciated Cardinal Ranjith's efforts to educate the public on the draft constitution.
"Through the constitution, some political families hope to maintain their power for a long time," she said.
She blamed the island nation’s current economic, political and social woes on the previous Rajapaksa regime.
"Many problems faced by the people today, from corruption, mismanagement, and wrong economic decisions, can be blamed on the concentration of powers in the hands of one person,” Nirupama said.
Sri Lanka's Cabinet has approved the draft bill on 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. It empowers parliament over the executive president amid the ongoing economic crisis in the country.
The nation is facing the worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948 which has led to an acute shortage of essential items like food, medicine, cooking gas and fuel, triggering street protests over the poor handling of the situation and the lack of accountability on part of the top leadership.