Dr A.C.Visvalingam, President of the Citizens’ Movement for Good Governance
July 4, 2015, 5:54 pm Wide presidential powers, with immunity provisions, were built into the 1978 Constitution, which introduced the concept of an Executive Presidency. The misuse of these powers and provisions by incumbents has been strongly and unceasingly deplored by the Citizens’ Movement for Good Governance (CIMOGG) as well as many others. However, almost all protests, even those of the most bona fide provenance, were ignored by those who came to occupy the presidential office from time to time. Most unfortunately for Sri Lanka, President Mahinda Rajapaksa took several longer steps into the darkness than any of the others, culminating in his forcing the disastrous 18th Amendment (18A) through Parliament in September 2010 as an urgent bill whereas there was no pressing problem whatever that required an Amendment of this nature. The undesirable features of the 1978 Constitution were thus made much worse, making virtual slaves of all Sri Lankans solely for the benefit of the President, his relatives, friends, supporters and collaborators.
