Read Editorial with D2G ep – XXXXVIII

In Read Editorial With D2G
January 12, 2016

OOD MORNING FOLKS! IT’S A TEA TIME AND WE ARE HERE WITH OUR NEW ENDEAVOR – “READ EDITORIAL WITH D2G”. SO FRESHEN YOUR EYES, PUT YOUR PILLOWS BACK AND TAKE A SIP OF YOUR TEA WHILE ENJOYING THIS SHORT PIECE OF A NOTE.

EPISODE – XXXXVIII
TOPIC: Sri Lanka’s historic opportunity
BLOG: The Hindu
WRITER: Editorial
GENRE: Opinion

editorial

READ BEFORE YOU PROCEED:
D2G wears no responsibility of the views published here by the respective Author. This Editorial is used here for Study Purpose. Students are advised to learn the word-meaning, The Art of Writing Skills and understand the crux of this Editorial.

MEANINGS are given in BOLD and ITALIC

It is a moment of great hope and some fear in Sri Lanka. As it takes the first step towards drafting a new Constitution, there is renewed hope that the island nation will be able to reinvent itself as a modern state, one that brings economic prosperity and national unity. At the same time, it is also difficult to ignore the fear that yet another opportunity presented by history may fail owing to political opposition, ethnic extremism (Extremism is the behaviour or beliefs of extremists) and an entrenched (If something such as power, a custom, or an idea is entrenched, it is firmly established, so that it would be difficult to change it), if not systemic, resistance to change. President Maithripala Sirisena’s address to Parliament on the occasion of the tabling of a motion to create a Constitutional Assembly was bold in its invocation (An invocation is a request for help or forgiveness made to a god) of past failures. His candid reference to the failure to implement past agreements as the origin of the protracted (Something, usually something unpleasant, that is protracted lasts a long time, especially longer than usual or longer than you hoped) civil war showed deep understanding of his country’s situation. Laced with justified apprehensions about the likely impediments (obstacles), Mr. Sirisena has warned his countrymen against attempts to raise the bogey (A bogey is something or someone that people are worried about, perhaps without much cause or reason) of external pressure and an alleged threat to the special status of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. He is aware of the presence of extremists on both sides of the ethnic divide. He has asserted that a constitutional solution will be indigenous. The process of constituting the entire membership of the current Parliament as a Constitutional Assembly has begun. A steering committee will be tasked with drafting a new Constitution while inputs from outside the parliamentary structure will be in the form of a ‘Public Representation Commission’.

For those familiar with the peace and reform processes of the last quarter century, it may appear that all talk of national unity and a non-discriminatory system is not new. It is a measure of how much the events of the recent years had turned the clock back on the discourse (A discourse is a serious talk or piece of writing which is intended to teach or explain something) to resolve the national question that each time an incumbent (An incumbent is someone who holds an official post at a particular time) President or Prime Minister spells out a new vision, it is accompanied by new hopes and fears. The broad contours of an alternative constitutional framework are known. To many, it lies in abolishing the executive presidency and reforming the electoral system. In recent years, promoting good governance by strengthening democratic institutions, a comprehensive rights regime and substantive (An incumbent is someone who holds an official post at a particular) power-sharing arrangements involving all ethnic minorities have been understood to be necessary elements. The path is clear, and the pitfalls are known. The process may be long and the effort to secure a two-thirds majority in the Assembly, followed by a similar special majority in Parliament and approval in a referendum, will require political will and hard work. The emergence of a new order since 2015 under President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe provides a setting conducive for positive change, after the first few years in the post-conflict phase were lost in triumphalist (Triumphalist behaviour is behaviour in which politicians or organizations celebrate a victory or a great success, especially when this is intended to upset the people they have defeated) and nationalistic rhetoric (Rhetoric is the skill or art of using language effectively). It is a historic opportunity for all stake-holders, including Tamils, Muslims and plantation Tamils, to participate in the process. It is time all sides left their nationalist rhetoric of the past behind.

********************