The United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party enters and signs a Memorandum of Understanding

The United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party enters and signs a Memorandum of Understanding

The MOU was signed by the General Secretaries of the UNP and the SLFP Kabeer Hashim and Duminda Dissanayake respectively

The two main parties in Parliament, the UNP and the SLFP entered into a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) yesterday with the aim of working together in Parliament to resolve urgent problems of the people and developing the country on a Maithree administration of good governance through a strong and stable government.

The MoU effective for two years initially which could be extended by mutual agreement of the two parties.

The most salient point of the MoU is that members of both parties would not be allowed to defect over during the period of duration of the MoU. The 10 clauses of the MoU which have to be adhered strictly would be are as follows:

1. Economic Development

Providing  immense relief to the people through price control and consumer protection by maintaining a stable social market economy under  strict government supervision.

While creating a strong middle class society within the economy created by minimizing the huge gap between the rich and poor ensuring that fair social benefits accrued to all while paying attention towards the welfare of the marginalized and unemployed sections of the community, an economic democracy that would widen the basis of the social market economy should be maintained properly. Special attention to be drawn towards environmental protection which is needed in this regard.

Taking necessary steps to raise the economy to a competitive level to enable Sri Lanka to enter the global economy and occupy a  relative  fair share in it.

Creating one million jobs by a proper planning of a qualitative development  processes and formulating a perusal programme to increase income levels according outright ownership deeds in respect of government permits given in respect of small plots of land and houses to widen prevailing economic democracy.

Paving sufficient incentives to local small and medium scale entrepreneurs and taking necessary meaningful steps to transform them into a pilot force in the national economy.

2. Stabilizing Freedom

Bringing to form stipulated principles of good governance into the state mechanism in order to strengthen the existing and proposed true democracy, ensure the existence of a fair disciplined and civilized government and equality and rule of law establishing of related commissions without delay according to the 19th amendment to the constitution which was unanimously resolved.

Formulating a new constitution which would strengthen to regard representations and eliminate regional disparities, safeguard equal rights of all communities, eate communal and religious harmony in a large scale magnitude, ensure inequalities of various communal groups in certain areas to be monitored and further strengthen democracy in accordance with the phenomenon of human rights. Parliament to act as a Constitutional Council for implementation for these proposals.

Establishing a consensual state machinery which would enable all parties in parliament to participate in governance by including parliamentary surveillance committees and DDCs to the Constitution in addition to the prevailing Ministerial portfolios and the Parliamentary Sub Committee system.

Accordingly necessary funds without party differences to be made available to all MPs, and chairmen of sub committees ,oversight committees and DDCs.

Further strengthening the parliament after reviewing the executive Presidential system set up by the 1978 Constitutional powers of which were limited by the 19th amendment to the constitution.

Introducing a new election system consisting a mixture of the electoral seats and proportional preferential representation systems which will totally abolish the present preferential vote system and provide a Member of Parliament to each electorate for appropriate representation for various political views.

3. Eradicating Corruption

Formulating long term and firm strategies to suppress and eliminate total corruption by joining hands with civil society, private sector organisations and International organizations,drawing up a rigid legal and administrative framework in keeping with the UN anti corruption ordinance. Establishing an independent commission to combat corruption in keeping with International accepted anti corruption norms and policies by adopting of the National Auditing Act and the Right to Information Act.

Reviewing the existing laws relating to financial crimes bribery and corruption, money laundering and assets and liabilities for combating various acts of corruption and legalizing and strongly strengthening them.

4. Uplifting Education and Health

Systematically increasing the allocations for Education to 6 percent of the GNP and Health to 3 percent of the GNP to safeguard and strengthen free education and health.

Ensure 13 years of continuous school education, job oriented Technical and Higher Education,skilled and other necessary infrastructure facilities and staff equipped with new knowledge and innovative technology for it.

To ensure to accomplish fully equipped rural and urban hospitals, mobile services, drug supplies, disease prevention programmes and medical and nursing staff equipped with immense knowledge and technological skills for patients taking urgent steps to combat the fast spreading kidney disease and provide necessary facilities to kidney patients and encourage study and research on traditional systems of medicine to prevent occurrence and cure existing illnesses.

5. Foreign Relations

Maintaining a friendly,cordial and strong relationship with all nations in the world by following a non-aligned foreign policy which will safeguard the true Sri Lankan identity.

6. Women's and Children's Rights

To take necessary steps to ensure economic, social and cultural rights of women and empower them by eliminating wrong attitudes about women and the undue pressures and inequalities directed at them.

Framing laws in keeping with the UN charter "on the elimination of all ill-treatment for women."

To take very stern action against sexual crimes ,hindrance and violence against women and children and provision of special relief to victims.

Formulating Constitutional provisions to set apart 25 percent women representation in local government institutions and 15 percent women representation in Provincial Councils and Parliament.

7. Nurturing Arts and Culture

Provision of freedom and state patronage needed for Artistes for independent creations, government intervention to uplift the appreciation of Arts, providing facilities needed to safeguard traditional cultural forms and to uplift the living standards of all traditional artistes.

Provision of facilities to creative youth to enable them uplift their talents and skills to unprecedented heights  to reach those of International counterparts..

8. Cabinet of Ministers will decide main development policies and activities.

9. Providing all necessary facilities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the UNP set up by late Rt Hon D S Senanayake and 60th anniversary of the SLFP set up in 1956 by late S W R D Bandaranaike which falls in year 2016.

10. After an initial agreement on the above mentioned factors achieving a consensus after further discussion and debate.

This MoU will be in force for a period of two years and can be further extended on the mutual agreement of both parties. Both parties agreed not to allow cross overs among members of the two parties during the period of duration of this agreement of MoU signed in Colombo on 21st August 2015.

Kabir Hashim, General Secretary, UNP

Duminda Dissanayake, General Secretary, SLFP