Abolish Executive Presidency: JVP to meet President and PM………
Posted on May 7th, 2017
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
News Item …….. The Nation
Quote by Lee Kwan Yew
Lee was unapologetic in the face of criticism that Singapore interfered too much in individuals’ lives, telling the Straits Times in 1987 “had I not done that, we wouldn’t be here today. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think.” Lee was critical of what he saw as the overly liberal approach of the US and the West in general, saying it had “come at the expense of orderly society.”
We have a democratically elected government .
Statements made by the Ex-president that he can topple the government even today ,tantamount to grabbing power with un democratic means ?
Whether people regret or not , a new President has been selected by the people Ex-President may have been a charismatic leader, due to his courageous act to beat terrorism. Even President Premadasa was a charismatic leader who has eradicated JVP terrorism at that time .
Instigating a strikes demanding punishment to some people who may have been involved in obvious corruption during the past few years could have been more democratic .Supporting island-wide strike action by doctors Indirectly or directly and make the ordinary citizens duffer .gives the impression to an outsider that people are punished for voting the current regime to power.
Idea behind the demand by JVP to abolish the presidency is not for the good of the people but for their own benefit .It will enable then to freely instigate such strikes and protests without any fear of being harmed and persecuted by an autocratic regime .Doctors ,Buddhist priests ,drivers will fear any strike action if there is an absolute president running the country who will put the people in forefront
In communist or quasi socialist countries you never hear of any strike because there is autocracy in the form of Dictatorship of Proletariat ,who will imprison any striker in the pretext of being Imperialist instigators .
I find this regime quite democratic to satisfy the demands of foreign powers who keep blackmailing us citing human right violations .If the regime becomes aggressive, they tend to threaten us and deprive us from giving much needed grants /aid.
Lately government tend to get court orders to prevent such strike action ,but no one abbeys the law.
My honest opinion is Yahaplanaya cannot provide meals for the poor .Just like in Singapore ,we need to have Executive President who thinks about the country and take any meaningful action to stop unfair strike
It can be a dictator backed by Imperialists or Socialist background, but we need a firm Executive to govern the country .JVP can say anything but they losing ground.
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
May 7th, 2017 at 4:56 pm
Sarath,
I agree with you wholeheartedly that the EXECUTIVE PRESIDENCY should not only be preserved intact, but also STRENGTHENED.
Most advanced countries in the world facing external and internal threats have an EXECUTIVE PRESIDENTIAL form of government.
Only those who want to weaken the National Government either to grab power for themselves at the National Level, or SEPARATISTS who want a portion of the country to SECEDE beyond National control OPPOSE the EXECUTIVE PRESIDENCY.
Even Britain, the PRIME EXAMPLE of a nation with a Parliamentary form of government, has a MONARCH as the Supreme Leader of the nation.
The JVP, in particular wants to remove the Executive Presidency because it is the EXECUTIVE President that has proven a barrier to its designs to grab power.
The UNP, on the other hand, is controlled by a PARA-GATHI AGA-MATHI who can never get elected President, and sees his only salvation in ELIMINATING the Executie President and transferring those powers to himself as the EXECUTIVE PRIME MINISTER. He is aided in this effort by ALL of the MINORITY COMMUNITIES who want to SUPPRESS the power if the Sinhala Buddhist majority. So, Ranil Wikunanasinghe is TRYING HIS LEVEL BEST to undermine that PANA-NATHI JANA-PATHI driven by greed for pomp and power to UNDERMINE and ENSLAVE his own Motherland!
ALL of this will SOON COME CRASHING DOWN when the RISING TIDE OF PATRIOTISM sweeps away ALL of these CRIMINAL TRAITORS!
May 7th, 2017 at 6:31 pm
Sarath
JVP says so.
India will soon divide the country and JVP will be Lee Kwan of Sinhalese.
May 7th, 2017 at 6:33 pm
Sarath before Lee took over Singapore it was run by Indians. Most of the Chinese were drug addicts.
May 7th, 2017 at 7:54 pm
Singapore does not have an executive president; never had one. This is why Singapore never had presidential elections. The leader of the largest party in parliament is appointed (not elected) as CEO.
Executive power by an individual (without EP) in Singapore is justified given massive economic development. It is not justified for Sri Lanka.
There is nothing the executive president can do to stop industrial action. You are mixing it with Emergency Regulations. Under ERs, strikes can be put down using violence. ERs need no executive president. In fact, the EP can impose ERs for a month only. Then the parliament has to extend it. Attempted quelling of the 1980 July strike resulted in a number of deaths and injury to unarmed civilians. If repeated, it amount to a crime equal to a war crime, losing GSP (not just GSP plus) and ILO reprimand severely affecting our exports. Almost all our exports are to the US and the EU where human rights concerns (particularly of workers) are paramount. State terrorism against strikers in 1980 resulted in billions of rupees in compensation to victims over their lifetime. Certainly not worth it.
EP must go. It was promised by Chandrika, Mahinda and Sirisena (3 out of all 5 elected presidents) to win elections.
EP has curtailed economic growth, not helped it. From 1960 to 1977, our real annual GDP growth was on average was 6.5%. It reduced to 5.8% with EP from 1978 to 2001. From 1978 to 1982 it was a hopeless 3.1% so war was not the reason. Based on 2000 GDP figures, Sri Lanka was classified a middle income country in 2001. As a middle-income country, GDP growth rate was higher since 2002 but that cannot be compared to before when the nation was a low-income country. If not for the EP, our GDP would be much larger.
JVP must be supported to rid the country of the EP curse. JO’s official position is to abolish EP. The official position of most JO constituent parties (MEP, NFF, LSSP, NSSP) and even the SLFP is to abolish EP. Only the UNP, CWC, SLMC and ACMC have an official position to keep EP.
Now the EP powers are used to violate the Constitution and ruin the economy further. Limitless borrowings without any asset construction is sanctioned by the EP. Otherwise they need parliamentary approval and stricter and independent monetary board approval. Destroying local petroleum industry is also sanctioned by EP. With the India deal, the remaining part will be destroyed. Chandrika used her executive powers to bring back Shell to takeover LankaGas which was extremely unpopular. Now Ranil is using Sirisena’s EP powers to totally reverse what the prime minister in 1963 did.
Truth to be told as it is, no executive president overall (emphasized) ever had the boldness (not brashness) of even the weakest prime minister of this country. We had a prime minister who nationalised petroleum assets of world’s most powerful corporates. She needed no executive presidency to do it. Sadly, executive presidents have been unable to even abrogate 13A fully knowing it to be a white elephant. The EP behind Vadamarachchi Operation surrendered to 13A a few months later and the EP behind the war victory surrendered to 13A just 4 days later. 13A itself is the product of EP and 13A continues solely because of repeated EP commitments made to India, UN and the UNHRC.
1971 insurrection was put down in days by the PM but it took two executive presidents three years (1987-89), a massive defence budget, a battle hardened army and six paramilitary groups to put it down. If not for the EP, the war would not have lasted 26 years.
Sirisena broke all his promises; at least he must keep this one and abolish EP without mixing it with other matters.