The 19A: Centrepiece Of Good Governance
Distinguished members of the Diplomatic Corps, Ladies & Gentlemen,
On behalf of His Excellency Maitripala Sirisena and my colleagues in the Presidential Secretariat, I have great pleasure in warmly welcoming you to this afternoon’s briefing on the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka. It is just over a month since this important Constitutional amendment was formally certified by the Speaker of our Parliament although it was passed on 28 April. In a 225-member legislature this revolutionary piece of reform was adopted with 212 voting in favor, one against, one abstaining and 10 being absent. We undertake this task out of a conviction that the significance of the amendment should be conveyed to you in the context of the revitalization of democracy in Sri Lanka since the Presidential Election of January 8th this year.
My colleagues and I will describe the Amendment from different perspectives all of which is intended to accomplish a task of transparency fulfilling the obligation to acquaint the international community – of which Sri Lanka is a responsible member – of a fundamental change in our system of governance and in our constitutional architecture. We are in our 60th year as a member of the United Nations Organization and a founder member of the Non-Aligned Movement apart from being a member of a number of international and regional organizations with their interlocking obligations to a shared set of universal values. The adoption of the 19th Amendment is thus symbolic of Sri Lanka’s re-integration with the mainstream of democratic countries reaffirming the sovereignty of Parliament and complying with the Latimer House Principles of the Commonwealth at a time when, appropriately, Sri Lanka holds the Chair of the Commonwealth. Read More