BY EDWARD THEOPHILUS

Minority governments can exist for a short period in a democratic system. Minority governments for a short period were in USA, UK, Australia, Canada, India, Japan and many other countries. In many instances, there were minority governments as caretakers in the history. In Sri Lanka, Mr Dudley Senanayake’s government in March, 1960 was a minority government until held a general election in July 1960.  Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa clearly stated that the government appointed by Mr Sirisena is a caretaker government until hold an election and later the president issued a gazette notification to dissolve the parliament.

Under the parliament democracy Mr Rajapaksa’s government is a caretaker government for a short period and it doesn’t need a majority or show a majority support in the parliament as it is a temporary government to deal with possible problems during election period.  Why UNP and JVP want a majority for a short period, if a majority government will be established after the general election. The behaviour of UNP and JVP clearly indicates that they are against the confirmation of peoples’ sovereignty by an election and why they are so scare to an election, if they feel that people will re-elect them or people are with them at the next general election.

It clearly seems that they have no knowledge of political science or parliament democracy or even how to behave in a democratic society. They try to turn the democracy and parliament procedures the way they want with the support of the speaker. JVP is a tiny political group of Sri Lanka, which cannot change a democratic administration in the way they want as they have attempted in 1971 and 1987-88.  If they have come to democratic path, they should act according to democratic traditions.

Why is JVP and UNP so scare to an election, if they follow democracy? They clearly know what have been happen since 2015.  The local government election in 2018 showed that the majority of people of the country are not with them.  Especially, JVP has lost its credibility because the behaviour of JVP after 2015 has created a suspicion in the mind of common people as Mr Simians Amerasignhe stated. The objectives of JVP and UNP to achieve what they politically want to do using the speaker as he is a member of the UNP and behaving like a child.

The Sunday Newspapers in Sri Lanka clearly indicate the procedure to follow presenting a no confidence motion.  People know very well that JVP has not followed the procedure and hurried to pass the motion undemocratic way, the speaker has acted like a dictator or like person who has not understanding or experience about parliament tradition and democracy and it is not democracy.  In such a background it quite possible to create troubles in the parliament.

In the history we can trace that when a speaker was elected, he or she resigned the political party he or she was belong to.  This tradition changed in 1970 as Mr Stanley Tillakaratne opted not to resign as his predecessor, Mr Shirly Korea was engaged in politics while performing speakers’ duty.  Since then speakers while acting in the position stayed in the party. The Yahapalanaya did not attempted to change it but worsen the good governance.

People in Sri Lanka has lost the faith on good governance, political system in the country and the behaviour of politicians.  It seems that people of Sri Lanka need an alternative after the next general election.  The economy is the priority of people.