The archbishop participated in a meeting in favor of the homeless. The Negombo United Peoples Organization delivered a document in which it requests the help of the Church for some 2,000 people who are homeless. The cardinal criticized the new draft Constitution presented by the government.
Colombo (Asia News) – “When there is the possibility of obtaining funds from foreign countries and building at least small single-family houses to give them to the poorest, the authorities build roads that can bring millions into their pockets in commissions. That is why the poor should use their valuable votes not to elect these people. Otherwise, our country will sink further and further into the abyss,” Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said yesterday.
The Archbishop of Colombo was the guest of honor at a conference organized by the Negombo United Peoples Organization at the Rukmani Devi Theater in Negombo. The meeting, entitled “Where will we pitch our tent for dinner?”, was attended by more than 500 homeless people from the Negombo area.
The Negombo Peoples United Organization provided Cardinal Ranjith with a “public memorandum” containing 7 petitions requesting the Archbishop’s help in resolving its members’ housing crisis. “The number of homeless people who are part of our organization is approximately 2,000. Without a permanent home, how hard and limited is this life?
The memorandum also states that for almost 40 years, homeless citizens living in Negombo city have faced many social problems and after enormous efforts, only 64 housing schemes have been awarded.
Thinking of the entire homeless community in Sri Lanka, the first thing the Negombo Peoples United Organization has called for is that the right to housing be guaranteed as a “fundamental right in the Constitution”.
When commenting on the draft Constitution presented by the government, however, Cardinal Ranjith stated: “If the Constitution presented by this project, which was made without asking for anyone’s opinion, is approved, it will be a shame for the country.” The government’s proposal, the cardinal went on to say, “has no kind of decency. This Constitution will not solve the country’s problems. What he suggests is to further strengthen the presidency and reduce human rights.”
