Government Abuses Power, JO Acts As Spoilers Of The Nation: Friday Forum
“While the government is accountable to the people for acts of nepotism, abuse of power and improper interference with public administration, the Joint Opposition (JO) is acting consistently as the ‘spoilers of the nation’ for short term political gain, politicising negatively every effort to reach a consensus on key citizens’ concerns on constitutional reform and transitional justice,” say the Friday Forum.
Issuing a statement today the Friday Forum said: “this government has been in office for two years, and its agenda seems increasingly disconnected from the hopes and expectations of those who elected it to office on the promise of good governance.”
“Similarly trade unions must exercise the democratic right of protest peacefully, without causing destruction to life or property. Negotiating with a sense of responsibility to settle a trade union dispute is at the heart of the right to establish and function as unions,” the statement signed by Prof. Savitri Goonesekere and Dr. A.C. Visvalingam on behalf of the Friday Forum said.
We publish below the statement full:
Speaking ‘Truth to Power’
This government has been in office for two years, and its agenda seems increasingly disconnected from the hopes and expectations of those who elected it to office on the promise of good governance – ‘yahapalanaya.’
The Friday Forum has, in several statements over the last two years, both commended the government for its positive initiatives and offered constructive criticism of some current policies and actions. We reiterate below some priority areas in which the government must act immediately, if the President and Prime Minister are to retain the confidence of the majority of citizens who elected them to office, and expand that constituency to support its agenda of reform.
A – The Government
(1) Constitutional Reform
For several years all political parties campaigned to repeal or reform the constitution of 1978. This was the one issue on which there appeared to be consensus in 2014 and 2015. Yet today we are receiving conflicting messages from both within the government and the Joint Opposition (JO) on constitutional reform. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his 2009 support for the APC, publicly proposed ‘maximum devolution’ both verbally and in written documents Yet today he leads groups who stridently object to changing the presidential system of government, suggesting that it will weaken the centre and create an environment for separatism. This cynical exploitation of identity politics must be rejected by the people. We call upon the President and Prime Minister to give consistent leadership in this divisive context, acting without further delay to complete the discussions, so that a draft constitution can be placed before the country at a referendum. The often repeated public statements by some holding office in support of constitutional reform are contradicted by others in government who question the process. The public is further confused when the need for constitutional reform is used as an excuse for the undemocratic postponement of local government and provincial council elections and delays in transitional justice reforms.
