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SLPP pushing for new Constitution in place of 22A

12 Oct 2022

  • SLPP says Romesh de Silva PC’s report should be used for new draft Constitution
  • Party stance on 22A to be decided early next week
  • NPP votes predicated on inclusion of their amendments
BY Mirudhula Thambiah A majority of the members from the ruling Government party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), are of the view that a new Constitution should be adopted in Sri Lanka instead of introducing amendments to the existing Constitution, The Morning learnt, and the party has suggested that the new draft Constitution – recommended by the nine-member committee of experts headed by Romesh de Silva (PC) – be considered for this purpose. An SLPP source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “The best thing is to bring a new Constitution. An experts’ panel chaired by de Silva was previously appointed and drew up a draft Constitution that is suitable for Sri Lanka.” The source noted that a majority of the party members were of the view that the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill is not the need of the hour.  “There should not be another Amendment to the Constitution, because it has been amended 20 times now. The last four amendments were made during the last six years, signifying that this Constitution is not suitable for Sri Lanka.” The two-day debate and the vote on the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill are scheduled for next week, following its postponement last week.  It is learnt that the SLPP has scheduled an official meeting early next week to decide on their stance on the said Bill. The party source also said that they have provided a draft Constitution and that the majority of the party is in favour of requesting the President to consider appointing a select committee if necessary and thereby introducing a new Constitution, rather than going ahead with this proposed amendment.  “The same position was confirmed by the President the day before yesterday, when he expressed sentiments regarding the electoral system, stating that he wants to change it, and also that if Parliament does not give him approval, he would go before the people. We can have both – a new Constitution and a new electoral system introduced together –  and present the people with one referendum rather than holding several referendums,” the source said. Meanwhile, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) National List MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya shared her views with The Morning yesterday regarding the party’s stance on matters concerning the Constitution, saying: “We proposed three amendments, so it depends on whether those amendments can be accommodated or not. One of the amendments is regarding MPs crossing over to various parties, where if there is a crossover, the MP in question needs to resign from his or her seat. Another is regarding the current President, who was appointed without the people’s mandate through Parliament and essentially allowed to serve for two and a half years. This is, in our view, a violation of the idea of sovereignty. We think that there needs to be some way in which the Constitution addresses that.” When queried as to whether the JVP/NPP would vote in favour of the said 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill or would vote against it or abstain from voting, she said: “It is hard to say right now, as there is some doubt as to whether the Bill is going to be presented for a vote, so let us see.”


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