Sobitha Must Switch To A Secular And Pluralist Ethos: An Action Plan To Abolish EP Takes Off
By Kumar David -August 3, 2014
Prof. Kumar David
Sobitha thero’s Movement for a Just Society (MJS) inaugurated its campaign to abolish the Executive Presidency (EP) at a meeting at the New Town Hall, Green Path, on 24 July. The event was a notable success and attracted professionals and opinion makers from numerous walks of life (academics and lawyers were prominent), an audience made up of every political party (except the SLFP cowering in trepidation of its shadow, that is its own declared principles), all faiths, and a pack of big shots. It was heartening to see Madam Chandrika, Opposition Leader Ranil, TNA leader Sampanthan, Gen. Fonseka and Chief Justice Shirani in the front row – if Anura Kumara was there, I did not see him. Apart from top leaders there were cohorts of other biggish shots; Aturaliye Ratana thero, Udaya Gamanpila, Ravi Karunanayake, Mangala; I am not sure if Siritunga was there. Bahu, infected by a bout of habitual congenital sectarianism, boycotted the event, but some NSSPers were present. The Dead Left was represented, of course not by the leaders who were cosseting their Cabinet sinecures, but by Polit Bureau members; I met the LSSP’s Wimal Rodrigo and CP’s Nagendra.
The speakers, in addition to Sobitha were Jayampathy Wickremaratne, Deepika Udagama and Victor Ivan.JW’s topic was the Road Map (which I outlined it in the Sunday Island and the Colombo Telegraph website on 13 July). The crucial Road Map (RM) was crafted by the MJS, that is Sobitha’s team, and it binds the president-elect to a step by step procedure. Point 1: The manifesto will contain the draft text of the constitutional amendment; point 2 will explain the new parliamentary system to the public and point 3 will seek a mandate to dissolve the sitting parliament if it shrinks from endorsing the approved constitutional amendment by a two-thirds majority. Therefore the next presidential election will, de facto, be a referendum on the wording of the text of the proposed abolish-EP constitutional amendment and an authorisation of a Road Map implementation procedure. A watertight mandate will therefore be obtained at this de facto referendum.
The star-studded assemblage at the inaugural meeting
Two other matters in the Road Map will be affixing dates to milestones and the constituency structure of the new parliament. The milestones, for example, will say: The constitutional amendment will be tabled X days after electoral victory, it will be promulgated in X+Y days, the old parliament will be dissolved on day X+Y+Z, elections for a new one will be held in say another month. Provisions such as these will be enshrined in the election manifesto as a Road Map whose remit will run for six months. If the draft constitutional text and Road Map are approved at this de facto referendum there is no need for delay. RM is procedural and precludes procrastination and cheating as Chandrika and Mahinda have done; twice each. Secondly, parliamentary electoral demarcations and related matters such as how many first past the post, how many PR, how many multi- member electorates, will be outlined in the manifesto. Read More
