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The Hindu
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Sri Lanka's 13th Amendment at a Crossroads: Can the NPP Deliver on Minority Rights and Devolution?
Published : Jun 11, 2025 14:42 IST - 5 MINS READ Until a new, inclusive constitution is developed, Sri Lanka should implement the provisions of the 13th Amendment to its Constitution and hold elections to the provincial councils in the island nation, an academic study has said. The study, titled 'Divided and weakened: the collapse of minority politics in Sri Lanka', has been authored by Sri Lankan-British scholar Farah Mihlar and was released on June 11 by the Minority Rights Group, an international human rights organisation, and Oxford Brookes University. According to the study, the need of the hour was 'constitutional reforms that strengthen minority rights and non-discrimination'. The study also wanted the Sri Lankan government to find 'a political solution to the ethnic conflict acceptable to all communities that involves devolving power to minorities beyond the Thirteenth Amendment.' Also Read | Anura Dissanayake: The outsider with a difference The report acknowledged the fact that the Anura Kumara Dissanayake-led National People's Power (NPP) government, with its two-thirds majority, has a unique opportunity to transform the national narrative. Historic opportunity for NPP It said: 'The NPP historic opportunity to produce a constitution that represents all communities in Sri Lanka. Considering the many rights and justice claims that have a long history and were causes of the conflict, earnestly resolving them should be a priority for all political parties, mainstream national and ethnic minority ones alike, to ensure a just and lasting peace in Sri Lanka.' The 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution devolves powers to the Tamil-dominated Northern and Eastern provinces, and was part of an accord signed by Sri Lankan President J.R. Jayawardene and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1987. That accord still remains the only hope for some autonomy for the Tamils of Sri Lanka. Rajiv Gandhi's defeat in the 1989 general election and the subsequent instability in India's polity for the next few years gave Sri Lanka the escape route it was looking for. The killing of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 and the lack of interest in the Sri Lankan solution during Narasimha Rao's tenure as Prime Minister (1991-96) ensured that India did not push forward the implementation of the accord. However, many Sri Lankan politicians, across the ethnic divide, find the 13th Amendment unacceptable. Sinhala politicians consider it Indian interference in Sri Lankan affairs, while Tamil politicians say that the amendment will be of no effective consequence because power will only be transferred from the Sinhala majoritarian government in Colombo to the Governors appointed by the same federal government to the provinces. The NPP government, which was propelled to power because of people's disenchantment with the established political parties, has held elections to the local bodies. But so far, it has not announced a firm date for elections to the provincial councils. In the local body elections, NPP won a huge majority, winning over 250 of the 339 local body councils, but its vote share dropped by an alarming 34 per cent compared to the 2024 parliamentary election. In April 2025, when Dissanayake met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Modi urged him to hold provincial elections. Collapse of minority politics The Farah Mihlar study noted that 'ethnic minority parties from all three minority communities [Tamils, Muslims and plantation Tamils] have splintered into several factions, and the larger, more popular ones are internally deeply divided. These divides have been caused in part as a consequence of majoritarian nationalism, but also due to weak leadership and allegations of corruption within parties.' The study concluded that minorities in the country have 'lost almost all space in the big political parties in Sri Lanka'. These parties cater to Sinhala nationalism and view this as the one and only route to political power. Minority politics in the nation is collapsing because of a host of factors ranging from corruption to minority political parties taking extreme positions. Since the end of the civil war in 2009, prominent minority parties, including the largest party, the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), have struggled to define their political path, given the prevalence of Tamil ultranationalism in the areas formerly affected by the civil war. The study said: 'Ethnic minority parties from among the second largest minority, Muslims, and the smaller Malaiyaga Tamil community (of recent Indian origin), present a story of disarray, division and lost credibility. These parties have erratically switched allegiances with nationalist mainstream parties trying to capitalise on shifting alliances and coalition formation, which eventually damaged them deeply. Their own lack of openness to new leadership and progressive reforms, amidst allegations of corruption, has not helped their cause.' Change in strategy At the national level, the study noted that there has been a change in strategy on minority representation: instead of fielding minority candidates, these parties are forming alliances and coalitions with ethnic minority parties while offering less space inside their own parties for both minority representatives and minority issues. Also Read | Is Sri Lanka witnessing a shift in its ethnic politics? It added: 'Minority representatives who have been elected from the former two major parties, the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), and their various fronts have felt isolated, with little opportunity to take up minority issues in national party agendas.' It is in this context that recent NPP actions in many councils need to be seen. In Batticaloa, for instance, ITAK joined hands with the main opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. to win the post of Mayor. The NPP, which stands for clean politics, joined hands with Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal, whose leader, Pillayan, is in jail on a kidnapping and killing charge. He is also accused of aiding and abetting those behind the April 2019 Easter attacks. Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, MP and ITAK leader, said: 'Given that Pillayan remains in custody over multiple serious allegations, the NPP's willingness to align with such a figure in pursuit of power has raised serious concerns.' As of today, with 159 MPs NPP's dominance in parliament is absolute. But it is increasingly under attack for its policies and what is seen as a lack of competence in governance. Despite the setbacks in governance, NPP has the unique opportunity to go beyond what other ruling combines have attempted on the political reconciliation front so far.
Shafaq News
18-04-2025
- General
- Shafaq News
Resilience served: Iraq's Kakai celebrate Masti Qalati
Shafaq News/ Iraq's Kakai community in Halabja province marked Masti Qalati, a centuries-old tradition that has evolved into a powerful annual ritual celebrating generosity, unity, and cultural resilience. Held each spring, the occasion blends spiritual rituals with communal generosity. Preparations begin in late April, with families preparing milk-based goods for distribution. The celebration includes traditional Kakai religious music, notably performed on the tanbour—a spiritual instrument central to Kakai rituals. Community members described to Shafaq News that the day as a 'reaffirmation of their values,' adding that tradition reinforces messages of peace, coexistence, and compassion beyond the Kakai community itself. Women also play a key role in the event, preparing food and overseeing its distribution. The female contribution is essential, not supplementary, and passing down the values of generosity to children is a core aspect of the tradition, social activist Shukriya Hawari noted to Shafaq News. Despite economic hardships in the region, citizens expressed their commitment to the ritual remains unwavering, viewing the act of giving amid adversity as a powerful expression of resilience. For many, Masti Qalati has become a symbol of cultural endurance and a renewed call to embrace compassion and solidarity in the face of ongoing challenges. The Kakai faith, which belongs to the broader Yazdani religious tradition, has historical ties to the Yazidi and Yarsani communities. According to the Minority Rights Group, Iraq is home to an estimated 110,000 to 200,000 Kakais, with most living in areas southeast of Kirkuk, the Nineveh Plains, and provinces such as Diyala, Erbil, and al-Sulaymaniyah.
Shafaq News
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraqi President: Time to abolish unfair laws against Feyli Kurds
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid called for the repeal of Baath-era laws that continue to discriminate against Feyli Kurds. During a memorial marking Feyli Martyrs Day, Rashid emphasized the need for broader justice measures. 'The presidency continues to stand with the Feyli Kurdish community in defending their rights,' he said. The statement follows Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani's decision to designate April 2 as the official date to commemorate Feyli Martyrs Day and allocate land for a cemetery honoring victims. However, some members of the Feyli community objected to the date, arguing that April 4 is more historically significant, marking the beginning of their forced displacement and persecution under Saddam Hussein's regime. Feyli Kurds suffered mass displacement, executions, and citizenship revocations during the Baathist era. According to Tareq Al-Mandalawi, the prime minister's advisor on Feyli affairs, 16,350 victims are documented in the Martyrs Foundation's records—part of an estimated 60,000 Feylis executed during Saddam's rule. Feyli Kurds are an ethnic minority with historical roots on both sides of the Zagros Mountains along the Iraq-Iran border. Today, Iraq's estimated 1.5 million Feylis reside mainly in Baghdad, the eastern provinces of Diyala, Wasit, Maysan, and Basra, as well as in the Kurdistan Region, according to the Minority Rights Group.
