20A at this point may cause major problems: Wijeyadasa
Posted on June 11th, 2018
Lahiru Pothmulla Courtesy The Daily Mirror
Higher Education and Cultural Affairs Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe today said the presenting of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution on abolishing the executive presidency at a time such as this could pose a major problem.
After a visit to the Colombo Arts Gallery, he told the media that if the executive presidency was abolished at a time when even the local government bodies were unstable, the country would end up in anarchy.
There is a major issue with the 20A. This is not a personal or a party political issue, but an issue which effects the country. The executive presidency the Proportional Representation (PR) system were introduced together. There would not be major repercussions if the executive presidency was abolished while the PR system remained unchanged. However, the electoral system has been changed today resulting in ‘hung’ local government bodies. The provincial council electoral system had also been amended,” he said.
The minister said when all three levels of governance in the country including the Parliamentary system was changed resulting in ‘hung’ governing bodies, the country would become a ‘Somalia’ in the absence of an executive presidency.
Before making amendments, the repercussions should be properly evaluated,” he said.
June 11th, 2018 at 6:01 pm
The country is already on the path to a place far worse than Somalia. There is no “hung” local goverment bodies. Almost all were won by SLPP. No “hung” provincial councils either. In fact, no “hung” parliament either. The dispute is caused by the president.
The president appointed the leader of the party with just 47 seats as PM and the leader of the party with just 14 seats as opposition leader. There were far more suitable candidates. Don’t forget it was the president who appointed and retained Arjun Mahendran (not even a Sri Lankan citizen) to the Central Bank! Guess who prevents the exposure and prosecution of all those involved in the bond scams including 164 MPs.
So it is the EP who brings political instablity.
If 20A is defeated in parliament this time, JVP must bring it again just before the 2019 presidential election and after the election as well (if it fails again). Parliament cannot be dissolved by the next president for over 4 months (at least). During this time the EP can be abolished by parliamentary majority. They will be more than willing then!
June 11th, 2018 at 10:43 pm
Dilrook, supported the ELECTION of the Yamapalana candidate SIRISENA in collaboration with the now-discredited EELAMIST AGITATOR Lorenzo.
Now Dilrook PERSISTS in ADVOCATING the REMOVAL of the EXECUTIVE Presidency supporting those quintesssential “Democ-RATS” of the JVP in a frenzy to PREVENT the RE-EMERGENCE of a STRONG EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT in Sri Lanka who could FRUSTRATE the JVP’s quest to EXPLOIT the ENSUING INSTABILITY themselves and their COMMUNIST PROLETARIAT into power!
That would be FALLING from the Yamapalana Frying Pan into the JVP’s Communist Dictatorship by a PROLETARIAT JUNTA!
No way Jose’, my Dear Dilrook!
The Sinhala people throughout our history have been QUITE COMFORTABLE supporting STRONG LEADERS who ESPOUSE and CONFORM to our CULTURAL TRAIT of a DHARMISHTA RAJYAYA!
The EXECUTIVE PRESIDENCY MUST BE RETAINED ….. just as the MOST POWERFUL NATIONS in the WORLD TODAY DO to PROTECT THEMSELVES from ENEMIES WITHIN and WITHOUT, and to assure LONG-TERM STABILITY essential for RAPID National Development and Progress!
Let us not cut-off our noses to spite our faces!
June 11th, 2018 at 11:21 pm
No; I didn’t support Sirisena’s election but I correctly predicted his victory. Between Ranil and Sirisena, the latter was a better choice of president than the former (despite both being below par).
If EP is retained, Sinhala people are the obvious losers in the post war era. At the last presidential election despite 60% of Sinhala voters rejecting Sirisena, he still won thanks to minority votes and vote rigging in the north and east (the latter extended his victory margin).
If a nationalist candidate (defined as someone who has the courage to promise abolishing 13A, punishing separatists, resettling Sinhalese in the north, giving Buddhism its due place and removing Arabic and South Indian laws in banking and property, etc. at election time) contests against a SLPP candidate, chances are that the SLPP candidate may lose. It is certainly not the fault of the nationalist candidate!
Another problem with presidential elections is that it sends the wrong signal to the world. The Tamil Eelam map is created every time a presidential election is held. This is like a referendum on Tamil Eelam or the new constitution.