New Delhi: Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday appointed a 13-member Presidential Task Force to prepare the draft act and monitor the implementation of the “One Country, One Law” concept, reflecting the predominantly Buddhist country’s national and international values.
It will be chaired by a top Buddhist organization, Bodu Bala Sena’s Secretary-General, Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero. Assistant Presidential Secretary, Mrs. Jeewanthi Senanayake, will be the Secretary of the panel. Though the team includes 4 Muslim scholars, there is no minority Tamil representative.
The panel will prepare a draft act to monitor the implementation of the concept and study the previous draft acts and amendments passed by the Ministry of Justice. The Task Force will check the appropriateness of the Act and make necessary amendments, the media reported.
The panel will submit a monthly report to Rajapaksa, showcasing the advancements in the implementation, before submitting a final report on February 28, 2022.
The concept of “One Country, One Law” was Rajapaksa’s political propaganda as a presidential candidate in 2019. He won the elections with the support of an overwhelming Buddhist majority.
The concept was promoted as a manifesto by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Party to counter Islamic extremism after 9 suicide bombers of radical Muslim body National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ)’s triggered bomb blasts at Christian churches on Easter Day, killing 270 and wounding 500 people on April 21, 2019.
(Avya Mathur)