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Joint Chambers want 20th Amendment repealed 

20 Apr 2022

  • Believe 20A contributed to present situation
  • Repealment would be ‘historic positive development’
  • Say political deadlock, public unrest could derail measures to resolve crisis
The Joint Chambers of Commerce, in a letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday (19), urged the repeal of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, which, according to the Joint Chambers, contributed to the present situation. The letter stated that the Joint Chambers are concerned that the current political deadlock, coupled with growing public unrest, could potentially derail the actions being taken to resolve the serious economic crisis faced by the country, and that the absence of political stability could significantly disrupt the successful and speedy completion of initiatives taken thus far. “This will be viewed as a historic positive development for this country, both from a political and economic perspective. We are confident this will ensure a better balance of power between the Executive and the Legislature, along with the reintroduction of the Constitutional Council and other independent Commissions that will lead to a more acceptable political framework that could help resolve the current impasse,” the letter stated.  They noted that the private sector, as represented by the Joint Chambers, welcomes the commencement of negotiations with the IMF, the process of selecting legal and financial advisors to guide the debt restructuring process, and the suspension of external debt repayments as the first step in this process.   “We also hope that these actions together with bridge financing arrangements can be translated to reduce the power interruptions that continue to disrupt daily lives of people and business activities.” The Joint Chamber also recommended, once the 20th Amendment is repealed through a consensual approach, that a bi-partisan national Government is established with the ability to support the economic management team to steer the country out of the current economic crisis, and resolve the continuing issues relating to fuel, electricity, gas, and other critical elements of the supply chain.


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