The Opposition Party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) yesterday (9) called for broad stakeholder consultation before the enactment of the proposed Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) Bill.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday (9), SJB Parliamentarian Imthiaz Bakeer Markar said that such important legislation must not be brought about in a hurry since it requires an extensive social dialogue regarding the matters attached to the subject of the said Bill. He made these remarks when the ONUR Bill was tabled in the Parliament yesterday. He highlighted that in a context where many civil society organisations have already expressed their hopelessness regarding the Bill, the authorities must be committed to protect national harmony and reconciliation sincerely.
“The establishment of institutions will not be sufficient to achieve the objectives of the particular move. For example, the establishment of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption will not stop bribery in the country. The commitment is the most important thing,” he said.
He also noted that the members of the institution should not be political appointees, and that the objectives of the institution must not be superseded by political agendas. He added that the power of appointing members for the ONUR must be given to the Constitutional Council instead of the President in order to avoid the politicisation of the institution since a wide range of powers has been bestowed upon the institution.
Bakeer Markar also said that even though the ONUR was established during the United National Front for Good Governance Government led by then-President and incumbent Opposition MP Maithripala Sirisena, the functions of the Office were completely hampered due to the maltreatment it experienced during the Government of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
“When we took over the Government in 2015, our reputation had been tarnished due to certain reasons, such as ethnic issues. Therefore, the Government established this institution under the leadership of former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. The team did an exemplary job during the first five years. But, following the change in Governments, successive Governments did not allocate the required funds. It completely hampered the functions of the ONUR,” he claimed.