Will go to SC against 20-A: MR
Posted on August 10th, 2017
Courtesy The Daily Mirror
While urging all SLFP and UPFA MPs to oppose the proposed 20th Amendment on the provincial council (PC) elections, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa said today they would take this matter up in the Supreme Court.
In a statement, Mr. Rajapaksa said all members of the SLFP in the government were elected to Parliament through an election campaign led by him.
I wish to remind them that they were not elected to Parliament to help the UNP to dismantle democracy in this country. The SLFP and UPFA MPs should oppose any law brought to postpone the PC elections and to extend the terms of the existing provincial councils without an election,” he said and added that the SLFP/UPFA group in Parliament can deprive the government of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the latest Amendment because it impinges on the people’s sovereignty and their franchise.
We will be petitioning the Supreme Court in this regard. But the SLFP/UPFA parliamentarians acting together can block this in the legislature. They are duty bound to do so to safeguard the rights of the people. If the need is to hold all the PC elections on the same day, the government can bring forward the elections to all Provincial Councils to 2017, instead of postponing the elections till 2019,” Mr. Rajapaksa said.
August 11th, 2017 at 11:42 am
REPEAL the 13th Amendment, and DISSOLVE the Provincial Councils to PREVENT separatist regional tendencies,
STRENGTHEN and RETAIN the EXECUTIVE Presidency for GREATER stability and effectiveness of the Government. ELIMINATE TERM LIMITATIONS on the President and make the Cabinet answerable to the Chief Executive the President.
INTRODUCE a District Level Administrative System answerabke to the President with APPOINTED and NOT ELECTED DISTRICT Governors to run each District,
APPOINT a Vice-President who will preside over the Senate, and ELIMINATE the post of PRIME MINISTER while Retaining the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives,
CREATE a Senate, in addition to the First Chamber the House of Representatives, as the Second Chamber of Parliament with ONE Senator per District to give Districts with low populations more power in Parliament.
Make the the System of National Law the ONLY LAW within the Nation, ELIMINATING regional/palath sabha laws and community specific laws (Thesawalamai, Kandyan and Mulim/Sharia laws).
Make SINHALA the ONLY OFFICIAL NATIONAL Language of Sri Lanka with Tamil as a permitted community lan gauge and ENGLISH as a COMPULSORY international LINK and COMMERCIAL language.
Make BUDDHISM the NATIONAL RELIGION of Sri Lanka with STATE SPONSORSHIP while freedom of worship is guaranteed to all other religions.
BAN all FOREIGN MISSIONARIES and Religious Non-Governmental Organizations from operating in Sri Lanka.
ENACT a CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT to DECLARE AS ILLEGAL the ALIENATION of Sri Lanka’s land and national assets through sale or long-term leases to Foreign Nations and Foreign Companies. Make majority ownership by Sri Lankan CITIZENS of real estate and financial and commercial institutions COMPULSORY in Sri Lanka.
DECLARE it ILLEGAL for FOREIGN CITIZENS to become heads of National Government Institutions, or for FOREIGN CITIZENS to become a MEMBER of ANY LEGISLATIVE BODY including the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of Government, including the Security Forces.
BROADEN, STRENGTHEN and STRICTLY ENFORCE TREASON LAWS of the country, making it HIGH TREASON PUNISHABLE BY DEATH to collaborate with foreign powers against the nation and to invite foreign powers to meddle and intervene in any internal political, financial, administrative, religious, judicial and law enforcement matters of Sri Lanka. No citizen of Sri Lanka may engage in such activity without the expressed written permission of the government.