By Tharumalee Silva
The race to be Sri Lanka's next president is at the starting line with new faces announcing their intention to contest while the big guns remain non-committal.
Among the new faces, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced his intention to contest the next election. Rajapaksa has said that he will definitely contest the election although the party under which he will contest is still unclear.
President Maithripala Sirisena’s term will end on 9 January 2020, before which he must announce and hold a presidential election.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said that President Sirisena will need to call for nominations by latest 12 November this year.
“The presidential election must be held between 9 November and 9 December. The earliest date the election could be held is 7 November, which falls on a Saturday. The nominations should be called on 20 October,” he said.
President Sirisena won the 2015 presidential election against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and 17 other candidates.
In the wake of continuous political corruption by almost all the political leaders of the country, People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi said: “If the present President is willing to contest, he can call for early elections. In the second judicial framework, according to the Presidential Elections Act, the new president has to be elected one month before the present President’s term expires.”
Due to allegations brought about by various parties with regard to postponing presidential elections, Hettiarachchi further clarified that the President must ensure a president-elect is prepared when his term in office expires.
“The Election Commission has full authority to convene an election, making sure that there are no barriers for an election,” he stated.
Informed voters
PAFFEREL considers it their prime responsibility to ensure the citizens of the country are well informed about procedures relating to the elections and the candidates, and prevent citizens from making short-sighted decisions by blindly casting their vote in exchange for a morsel of food, Hettiarachchi said.
“We have initiated a project named ‘Our Dream President’, which is a campaign to educate the citizens of this country on the qualities the president-elect should possess,” he explained.
The discussions were initiated two months prior at the Independence Square. “With the Easter Sunday attacks, the discussions were temporarily put on hold. However, we have recommenced our discussions as of late,” he said.
Hettiarachchi further stated that PAFFEREL hoped to conduct discussions and lectures with the public in the presence of intellectuals and civil society, targeting influential communities.
“Holding public discussions with the objective of creating ideologies and instilling the idea of the type of president best suited for our country during this time remains our responsibility,” he said.
Hettiarachchi further said: “Ideally, the president should embody far-thinking ideologies and must be a forward-thinking realist in envisioning where Sri Lanka would be in another 50 years,” he said.
Identifying fraudulent candidates
Speaking on this matter, Hettiarachchi stated that the general public is not in favour of all politicians within Parliament.
“The public does not salute any politician in this country; even the term ‘politician’ in itself has become a somewhat derogatory term. In this context, during the upcoming presidential elections, we as civil society will educate the civilians to make wise decisions when it comes to the presidential election,” he said.
He further mentioned that interacting with university students during these public discussions is of vital importance as they are the future of the country.
Changes in the Constitution
Constitutional law reforms activist, civil activist, and future presidential candidate for the 2019 presidential election Nagananda Kodituwakku stated that there is a thriving need for a change in the country’s Constitution.
He stated that “the only way to save this country from a group of criminals is to introduce new laws which do not leave room for corruption”.
Kodituwakku further expressed the importance of sovereignty, which the legal system of a country is based on.
“I wish to reform the Constitution, highlighting the importance of sovereignty within the civilians, and maintain this stance by making sure no government authority can abuse this power,” he said.
A new draft constitution presented by Kodituwakku before the presidential election will include the necessary changes he spoke of, while accentuating the powers of the prime ministerial position rather than the post of president.
He further stated that members of Parliament, under this new constitution, will require a minimum qualification of being a degree holder, and must be well educated.
“Parliamentarians should have the knowledge to amend, reform, and introduce new laws. Lawmaking and ensuring law and order prevails within the country is of utmost importance, even though it is not an easy task,” the activist said.
He further stated that all customary laws – Kandyan, Thesavalamai, and Muslim Law – should be abolished, and the country should be united under one law which serves every citizen.
These customary laws, which are currently in Sri Lanka, are a combination of Roman-Dutch law and English common law. These laws are pertinent to several communities within the country; the Kandyan Sinhalese, Tamils of Jaffna, and the Muslims.
After President Sirisena was elected in 2015, the 19th Amendment was brought forward by Parliament to curtail the powers of the office of the president, even though abolishing the executive presidency was one of President Sirisena’s election promises.
Political parties for sale
Furthermore, Kodituwakku spoke of the “party market”, where potential presidential candidates could purchase political parties.
“There are political parties on sale for candidates who are running for the presidential election at a price of Rs. 10 million. There are 70 registered political parties, and only 12 actively participate in the political arena.
“Other parties have just registered and then they sell themselves to other recognised political parties, or when a presidential election is around the corner, potential presidential candidates,” he claimed.
Kodituwakku also mentioned that he was in the process of initiating his own political movement under the name “Vinivida”.
Leading political parties such as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) are yet to announce their party candidates for the election.
The potential candidates who have confirmed their candidacy in the 2019 presidential election are former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and civil activist Nagananda Kodituwakku.
Businessman Dhammika Perera remains non-committal on the claims surfacing on social media pertaining to whether he will be competing in the 2019 presidential election in affiliation with the United National Party (UNP).
The race to be Sri Lanka's next president is at the starting line with new faces announcing their intention to contest while the big guns remain non-committal.
Among the new faces, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced his intention to contest the next election. Rajapaksa has said that he will definitely contest the election although the party under which he will contest is still unclear.
President Maithripala Sirisena’s term will end on 9 January 2020, before which he must announce and hold a presidential election.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said that President Sirisena will need to call for nominations by latest 12 November this year.
“The presidential election must be held between 9 November and 9 December. The earliest date the election could be held is 7 November, which falls on a Saturday. The nominations should be called on 20 October,” he said.
President Sirisena won the 2015 presidential election against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and 17 other candidates.
In the wake of continuous political corruption by almost all the political leaders of the country, People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi said: “If the present President is willing to contest, he can call for early elections. In the second judicial framework, according to the Presidential Elections Act, the new president has to be elected one month before the present President’s term expires.”
Due to allegations brought about by various parties with regard to postponing presidential elections, Hettiarachchi further clarified that the President must ensure a president-elect is prepared when his term in office expires.
“The Election Commission has full authority to convene an election, making sure that there are no barriers for an election,” he stated.
Informed voters
PAFFEREL considers it their prime responsibility to ensure the citizens of the country are well informed about procedures relating to the elections and the candidates, and prevent citizens from making short-sighted decisions by blindly casting their vote in exchange for a morsel of food, Hettiarachchi said.
“We have initiated a project named ‘Our Dream President’, which is a campaign to educate the citizens of this country on the qualities the president-elect should possess,” he explained.
The discussions were initiated two months prior at the Independence Square. “With the Easter Sunday attacks, the discussions were temporarily put on hold. However, we have recommenced our discussions as of late,” he said.
Hettiarachchi further stated that PAFFEREL hoped to conduct discussions and lectures with the public in the presence of intellectuals and civil society, targeting influential communities.
“Holding public discussions with the objective of creating ideologies and instilling the idea of the type of president best suited for our country during this time remains our responsibility,” he said.
Hettiarachchi further said: “Ideally, the president should embody far-thinking ideologies and must be a forward-thinking realist in envisioning where Sri Lanka would be in another 50 years,” he said.
Identifying fraudulent candidates
Speaking on this matter, Hettiarachchi stated that the general public is not in favour of all politicians within Parliament.
“The public does not salute any politician in this country; even the term ‘politician’ in itself has become a somewhat derogatory term. In this context, during the upcoming presidential elections, we as civil society will educate the civilians to make wise decisions when it comes to the presidential election,” he said.
He further mentioned that interacting with university students during these public discussions is of vital importance as they are the future of the country.
Changes in the Constitution
Constitutional law reforms activist, civil activist, and future presidential candidate for the 2019 presidential election Nagananda Kodituwakku stated that there is a thriving need for a change in the country’s Constitution.
He stated that “the only way to save this country from a group of criminals is to introduce new laws which do not leave room for corruption”.
Kodituwakku further expressed the importance of sovereignty, which the legal system of a country is based on.
“I wish to reform the Constitution, highlighting the importance of sovereignty within the civilians, and maintain this stance by making sure no government authority can abuse this power,” he said.
A new draft constitution presented by Kodituwakku before the presidential election will include the necessary changes he spoke of, while accentuating the powers of the prime ministerial position rather than the post of president.
He further stated that members of Parliament, under this new constitution, will require a minimum qualification of being a degree holder, and must be well educated.
“Parliamentarians should have the knowledge to amend, reform, and introduce new laws. Lawmaking and ensuring law and order prevails within the country is of utmost importance, even though it is not an easy task,” the activist said.
He further stated that all customary laws – Kandyan, Thesavalamai, and Muslim Law – should be abolished, and the country should be united under one law which serves every citizen.
These customary laws, which are currently in Sri Lanka, are a combination of Roman-Dutch law and English common law. These laws are pertinent to several communities within the country; the Kandyan Sinhalese, Tamils of Jaffna, and the Muslims.
After President Sirisena was elected in 2015, the 19th Amendment was brought forward by Parliament to curtail the powers of the office of the president, even though abolishing the executive presidency was one of President Sirisena’s election promises.
Political parties for sale
Furthermore, Kodituwakku spoke of the “party market”, where potential presidential candidates could purchase political parties.
“There are political parties on sale for candidates who are running for the presidential election at a price of Rs. 10 million. There are 70 registered political parties, and only 12 actively participate in the political arena.
“Other parties have just registered and then they sell themselves to other recognised political parties, or when a presidential election is around the corner, potential presidential candidates,” he claimed.
Kodituwakku also mentioned that he was in the process of initiating his own political movement under the name “Vinivida”.
Leading political parties such as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) are yet to announce their party candidates for the election.
The potential candidates who have confirmed their candidacy in the 2019 presidential election are former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and civil activist Nagananda Kodituwakku.
Businessman Dhammika Perera remains non-committal on the claims surfacing on social media pertaining to whether he will be competing in the 2019 presidential election in affiliation with the United National Party (UNP).