Power Sharing Must Go Beyond the 13th Amendment, Says Prof. Tissa Vitharana

21-Dec-2025

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Professor Tissa Vitarana, General Secretary of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), stated that a power-sharing system must be developed beyond the 13th Amendment to allow all ethnic communities to live with dignity and equal rights.

Speaking at a special conference in Colombo on Dec 20 to mark the party’s 90th anniversary, he recalled the success of the “Vidatha” program, which created over 50,000 small entrepreneurs and brought modern technology to rural areas.

He said such production-oriented economic initiatives are key to resolving the foreign exchange crisis and unemployment.

He noted that the power-sharing proposals he led as chair of the All-Party Representatives Committee remain relevant today. He reiterated the LSSP’s long-standing position advocating power sharing beyond the 13th Amendment and reminded that the party resolved in the 1950s to grant equal status to Sinhala and Tamils.

He emphasized the need for unity among leftist forces to face current political challenges and affirmed that the LSSP will continue to be the voice of the oppressed.