That regime change took place aligning a bevy of political parties, personages, over 50 civil society groups in an effortless coup against the previous government was evidenced in January 2015 and the string of actions & decisions taken thereafter put into context has spelt doom & destabilization for Sri Lanka. How many people have now realized whether the gameplan was to put their man in power tweaking the puppet President’s powers by introducing the 19^th amendment booby trap?

The 19a Bill was passed in Parliament on 28^th April 2015 with a 2/3 majority after 174 amendments. 212 voted in favor, 1 abstained, 10 were absent and 1 voted against. We mention with admiration the sole person who voted against it – Admiral Sarath Weerasekera. With so many amendments we would like to know whether the 19a Bill passed was the same as what was debated in Parliament on 16^th March 2015 or was it a different version? Who will answer?

The only thing against the 18^th amendment giving three or more term limits to the Presidency was the fact the former President could have nullified the 13a or diluted its powers before doing further amendments. What voters need to realize is that while a President had the right to contest for 2 or more terms, the voters had every right to reject him and this is exactly what happened to the former President seeking a third term in office. Therefore, there was nothing detrimental for the state or voters in the 18^thamendment. (Clause 4 of the 19th Amendment, Article 31(2) of the Constitution)

However, 19a was assured to answer all problems. Needless to say it has created more problems than even the politicians can handle and the President who has warmed his presidential seat is beginning to find that he has been taken for a right royal ride and there is absolutely nothing he can do about it constitutionally.

We have a President who only in his third year has realized that six years Presidential term was cut down to 5 through the 19a (Clause 3 of the 19th Amendment, Article 30(2) of the Constitution)! Obviously a clue that he was brought in clueless about what his job role was. It was only in his third year did the same President realize he could not remove the Prime Minister because of 19a. There are more surprises for the President – he cannot even change the Prime Minister, a possibility that a President had without even having to notify parliament, the public or even the Prime Minister for that matter. Clause 9 of the 19th Amendment, Article 46(2) of the Constitution prevents the President removing the PM at his discretion – why was this clause inserted? for whose benefit?

It is a known secret that the PM is a poodle of the West. Until 1993 he was virtually a nobody, then Premadasa was assassinated & he became the PM. It is also curious that LTTE attacked and killed virtually all of UNP’s best of leaders including military heads who had aligned to UNP & were tipped to be presidential candidates. Gamini Dissanayake, Lalith Athulathmudali, Gen. Algama, Gen Janaka Perera. Thus, the present PM has remained head of the UNP since 1994 with no alternative leader insight.

In the event the post of President falls vacant before the term of office ends as per 19a any parliamentarian with the most support can become President and with the manner the PM managed to buy over PMs, the previous obstacle before the 19a has also been removed!

The President should by now have realized that he cannot even dissolve Parliament because of 19a. Not only that he cannot even remove the PM at his discretion (Clause 9 of the 19th Amendment, Article 46(2) of the Constitution)

So you have to wonder were all these insertions in the 19a pre-planned to ensure their man the present PM could not be removed while also clipping the President’s powers? Something everyone needs to now seriously think about.

Another puzzling question is why would 19a drafters wish to include clause (19) after repealing Article 85(2) that removes President’s power to put to a referendum any Bill (not a constitutional amendment) which is rejected by Parliament.

The Supreme Court opined that Clause 11 and 26 required referendum plus 2/3 majority for below items.

Quite a few confusing clauses prevail

Article 42(3) proposed PM to be head of Cabinet

Article 43(1) proposed PM to determine number of Ministers & Ministries & assignment of its subject & functions

Article 43(3) proposed PM to change assignment of subjects & recommend to the President changes in composition of the Cabinet

Article 44(2) proposed the PM to determine subjects & functions of non-cabinet Ministers

Article 44(3) proposed the PM to change subjects assigned to non-cabinet Ministers

Article 44(5) proposed that any cabinet minister at the request of the PM could by gazette delegate power, functions to any minister by cabinet minister.

However, Clause 9 of the 19th Amendment, Article 43(2), 44(1), 45(1) and 46(3)(a) of the Constitution demands the President to act on advice of the PM when appointing or removing cabinet, non-cabinet or even deputy ministers.

Yet, Clause 9 of the 19th Amendment, Article 43(1), 44(2) of the Constitution says the President can consult the PM ONLY IF S/HE considers it NECESSARY to determine number of cabinet ministers/non-cabinet ministers & subjects assigned to them. Note number of Deputy Ministers, their functions are not included.

So one may ask, exactly what powers the President is left with! All he was left with was some bizarre foreign PR slogans – ensure constitution was respected, promote national reconciliation & integration, ensure functioning of the constitutional council, advice the election commission – and the hilarious part is that none of these entities are even bound to listen to him after appointment Clause 5 of the 19th Amendment, Article 33(1) of the Constitution

Clause 26 proposed through Article 104B (5)(c)

Gave powers to the Election Commission to appoint a competent authority to take over State or Private broadcaster/telecaster which violated regulations issued by the Election Commission. All political broadcasts were to come under them.

Now connect this to the manner the present election commissioner has been functioning where he failed to even release the total election results officially and has been openly functioning with bias as seen by the statements he is making against the majority populace.

Let’s all recall that the present government came into power claiming that they would save the nation from the corrupt former government.

We would like to pose an open question to the 50 civil society organizations who went out of their way to campaign 24×7 to bring yahapalana government to power, why they are so silent now? They decried about lack of good governance of the previous government but are deaf, blind & dumb to the illegalities & irregularities being committed by the very people they brought to power. How can any citizen rely on these 50 civil society organizations?

The voters were promised yahapalana or good governance & citizens were painted a picture of a dreamland dawning for Sri Lanka with a coalition of non-corrupt rulers taking over. However, that the people were being fooled by fancy slogans & well-oiled statements was seen by the manner that the Presidential election that elected a President resulted in the appointment of a PM (sans a General Election) without removing the sitting PM and the establishment of a fake government that came to be called a ‘national unity government’. In so creating this bogus ‘national government’ it justified the denial of Opposition to the SLFP & paved way to appoint a 16 member TNA which has LTTE links to be appointed as the country’s Opposition & the TNA head as the Opposition Leader who is using his position to speak on behalf of the LTTE cadres & Tamils for political reasons only.

The drafters of the 19a were so cunning and their intentions to maintain a jumbo government at the cost of the citizens did not matter which is why they put wool over the citizens by promising a 30-member government but included the national unity clause into the 19a to use as a carrot & bribe to dish out appointments to selfish MPs & shut them up from joining the opposition. Thus the national unity government by virtue of the 19a allowed 45 Cabinet Ministers and 55 Non-Cabinet & Deputy Ministers. It would be good for someone to check if they have violated these figures in lavishly giving away portfolios for any Member pretending to jump ship!

The obvious task of this fake national government is to be used to pass Bills & a new constitution that the people of Sri Lanka have not asked for, want or need but aligns to the bigger agendas of those drawing the strings of the traitors put into power and the treacheries that are now taking place.

With all its alleged ‘corruptions’ against the previous government, Sri Lanka was 79^th in the Global Corruption Index in 2014 by 2018 Sri Lanka has been placed 91! The Sri Lankan rupee against the dollar was Rs.133 in 2014 it is now Rs.156. Forbes Magazine declared Sri Lanka as one of the 10 coolest places to visit in 2014. Those screaming murders & disappearances against the previous government are silent on the shocking crime statistics of late – in just 4 months there have been 17 murders while kidnappings, daylight gun violence, robberies have increased as well.

All these added up and every action that has taken since 2015 have destabilized Sri Lanka and caused not only tensions among communities but have made the entire country vulnerable and economically volatile to end up with not even a begging bowl to now beg with.

Shenali D Waduge