• Sajith blames Govt MPs ‘threats’ as spanner in the works
• Govt queries Parliamentary procedures constitutes threat 

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday (20) claimed that the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) had requested that a planned briefing for Parliamentarians on the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which seeks to extend the retirement age of Superior Court Judges, be postponed due to the conduct and ‘threatening’ statements made by Government MPs in Parliament on Wednesday (19).

The BASL had written to Premadasa on Wednesday, requesting that the proposed briefing for MPs on the extension of the retirement age of judges be postponed until the participation of both Government and Opposition MPs could be assured.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Premadasa said there had been a threatening tone from the Government side during parliamentary proceedings on Wednesday and claimed that the BASL was justified in expressing its concerns.

“The letter sent by the BASL is based on the discussion that took place in this Chamber on Wednesday. There was a threatening position from the Government side,” he said.

He said some Government MPs who spoke in Parliament had adopted a particularly threatening tone and questioned whether BASL President, attorney-at-law Rajeev Amarasuriya, had the right to express his concerns when such a situation arose.

“When there’s such a situation, does Amarasuriya not have the right to express what he feels?” he queried, adding that freedom of expression was a Fundamental Right guaranteed by the Constitution and could not be suppressed by any Executive authority or a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Premadasa said the BASL’s intervention should instead be viewed as an attempt to initiate a constructive discussion on the proposed 22nd Amendment concerning the retirement age of judges.

“We should start this discussion. This is a good thing. What shouldn’t happen is threatening statements. We should facilitate this discussion,” he said.

Chief Government Whip and Cabinet Spokesperson Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa also spoke in Parliament and said there could be different views among MPs on the proposed 22nd Amendment, adding that Premadasa was free to meet Amarasuriya or representatives of the BASL at the Opposition Leader’s Office or elsewhere.

He drew attention to Amarasuriya’s letter to Premadasa, saying that it described the Government side’s comments on parliamentary traditions and procedures as a threat.

“We have to decide how appropriate it’s within the parliamentary tradition for the House Leader’s (Bimal Rathnayake) comments to be described as a threat,” Dr. Jayatissa said.

In his letter, Amarasuriya said the briefing was an important and timely initiative given the national significance of the proposed Constitutional Amendment.

The BASL said it had hoped that the issue would attract bipartisan consensus and provide MPs with an opportunity to understand and objectively consider concerns raised by the legal profession. However, referring to parliamentary proceedings on Wednesday, he said the Government’s position appeared to indicate that there was currently no consensus on the matter and that there was no apparent interest in providing Government MPs with an opportunity to participate in the briefing.

The Opposition has already expressed opposition to the proposed Constitutional Amendment.

According to the BASL, the briefing would have been particularly useful for Government MPs, enabling them to objectively consider the proposed changes and the concerns raised by the private and unofficial Bar.

The BASL therefore requested Premadasa to take steps to postpone the briefing until the participation of both Government and Opposition MPs could be assured.

The BASL also thanked Premadasa for proposing and following up on the briefing, describing the initiative as a progressive step in the ongoing Constitutional debate.

According to Premadasa, the meeting to brief the MPs had been scheduled to be held yesterday at the Parliament Complex.