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Ranil calls for 20A repeal

10 Oct 2021

  • Claims Prez admitted it has failed
  • Wimal urges Prez to be more consultative
By Buddhika Samaraweera United National Party (UNP) Leader and MP Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that the 20th Amendment to the Constitution is a failure and should be repealed, claiming that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa himself has admitted it is a failure through his recent statement to the Cabinet of Ministers. Wickremesinghe was referring to the statement reported to have been made by the President that he has limited political experience, and therefore Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa should play a bigger role than at present in the governance of the country. “When the Cabinet of Ministers met recently, the President acknowledged that he has limited political experience. He has also said that the Prime Minister should come forward and experienced Ministers should also contribute,” Wickremesinghe said, speaking to the media yesterday (10). He further claimed that due to the 20th Amendment, the Cabinet-based governance that was active in the country was lost. “There was a Government within the Government when it came to the economy and the Covid-19 situation. In addition, there was another Government outside the Government when it came to rice prices. As a result, the national economy and expectations collapsed,” he added. Therefore, he said, the current governing system has no effect and should be returned to a traditional Cabinet-led system, adding that the 20th Amendment should be replaced with the 19th Amendment. He also said that the Cabinet of Ministers would be held accountable to Parliament through this. “The current President and Parliament were elected under the 19th Amendment. When the 19th Amendment is implemented, the Cabinet is accountable to Parliament. If that amendment is reinstated, the next step is for Parliament to win the confidence of the people,” he said. Speaking further, Wickremesinghe pointed out that the Government should hold discussions with the Opposition to resolve the current economic problems and the problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, he said that the GSP tax concession should be protected and through this it would be possible to solve the problems of the minorities, thereby building a strong Sri Lankan identity.  “I commend him for declaring the 20th Amendment a failure, and we shall work together to repeal the 20th Amendment and create a conducive environment by reinstating the 19th Amendment. The whole Parliament should come together to discuss and resolve these issues,” he said. Meanwhile, Minister of Industries Wimal Weerawansa stated last Saturday (9) that instead of rushing Cabinet papers that are important to the country and having them passed in one day, it would be more appropriate to hold adequate discussions in the Cabinet of Ministers and get them passed.  He said that this would enable the Government to take decisions that would not have to be changed later. “The President should also be actively involved in politics as soon as possible. It is important for him to attend meetings such as party leaders’ meetings for collective decision-making. The President’s active involvement in politics will solve many problems,” he said. The 20th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka was passed in the Parliament with 156 voting in favour, 65 against, and four abstaining on 22 October 2020. It became a subject of political controversy as political activists, civil societies, and the international community expressed concerns that it was deemed to be in violation to the Constitution of the country. The 20th Amendment reversed most of the reforms and amendments which were introduced in the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 2015. Accordingly, the 20th Amendment brought back most of the constitutional powers to the Executive President, which was previously abolished in the 19th Amendment. The 19th Amendment was the first instance in Sri Lanka where the executive powers were nearly equally shared by the President along with the Cabinet of Ministers.


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