(Lanka-e-News -16.March.2015, 9.30PM) It is with deep regret we reveal that the JHU and SLFP most disdainfully and damagingly repudiated the solemn assurance given to the people at the last presidential elections that the executive presidency will be abolished. At the party leaders’ meeting yesterday(15) held in connection with the constitutional amendments , the JHU with the SLFP took a firm stance that the amendments must be minimal, thereby contradicting the earlier promise made , and at the special cabinet meeting in the evening , Champika Ranawake of the JHU taking a stern stand and following a stubborn policy most contemptuously and unceremoniously kicked out the promises made to the people , and pulverized the hopes of 6.2 million people who voted in favor of the abolition of the executive presidency.
The president ought not function according to the advice of the parliament and the prime minister (PM) ; the cabinet should meet presided over by the president ; and the cabinet shall be appointed by the president , these two sinister parties after having changed colors like the chameleon insisted. In other words , it is reverting to the same old obnoxious executive presidency that was rejected by the people ,as well as throwing the parliamentary powers desired by the people out the window.
The JHU and SLFP have opposed the proposed amendment which reads , if there are differences when making appointments by the president on the advice of the PM , those shall be again tabled in parliament via the cabinet , which amendment is to eliminate the possibility of creating a leader with dictatorial powers.
The JHU and SLFP agreed to the amendments which introduce conditions that the president cannot dissolve parliament until 4 ½ years have elapsed ; filing of action against the president based on fundamental rights ;the appointment of the commissions ; and barring the president from going for a third term . However , the amendment to make the P.M. as the head of the government , was opposed , and it was held that the president shall be the head of the government . Though this is a most important amendment to abolish the executive Presidency powers, the JHU was again in favor of creating another dictator in the name of executive president . This is a most reprehensible and despicable move by the JHU.
In addition , the amendment that the president should act with the complete approval of the parliament headed by the P.M. , was also vehemently opposed by the the JHU and SLFP. At this stage , the president Maithripala said , a solution to this can be found within the next 3 days after discussing with ex president Chandrika Kumaratunge. The JHU and SLFP who frowned upon this suggestion said , in any case they are not bound to abide by that decision taken within three days.
The president of the party (SLFP) and the country Maithripala Sirisena who was in a most embarrassed situation making a special announcement disclosed , there are rumors afloat that he is behind the conspiracy designed not to abolish the executive presidency .This is untrue and his aim is to abolish the executive presidency in fulfillment of the promise made to the people , he noted , while adding that during his period , holding some executive powers will not be harmful , but thereafter the executive powers shall be abolished.
Of course during the last presidential elections , the group of Nimal Siripala De Silva of the SLFP stood in support of the executive presidency , and their stance now is understandable. But the JHU who did all the clowning and daredevil acrobatics then demanding the abolition of the executive presidency , cannot now say to the contrary after wearing a mask bought from the pavement to hide their sinister motives and double faced attitude .
Herein is a photograph of the main slogan of the JHU at their inaugural meeting chaired by Ven . Athureliya Rathane Thera held at Muthiah park on 12 th n November 2014 . It will do immense good to the JHU leaders if they read their slogans in the picture lest they have forgotten what they proclaimed and promised.
The slogans are ‘ rally to abolish dictatorial power and to curb corruption . ‘ That is to abolish the executive powers and not to
curtail it or soften it, was the promise made by the JHU to the people. Moreover Ven. Athureliya at that meeting categorically said , his ‘Pivithuru Hetak ‘ organization is not speaking about a total abolition of executive powers , yet if the other groups go for the abolition and even beyond , he is not opposed to that.
Even in their manifesto at the presidential election it was clearly stated as follows :
Introduce a system of governance by appointing an executive who would act conjointly with the parliament via the cabinet replacing the controversial executive presidency. Nevertheless what is going to be done now is only pruning the executive presidency power by trimming some controversial aspects of it .
This is clearly and obviously pulling the wool over the eyes of the people. These amendments are to be gazetted tonight. It is a crucial question now , how can the president face the people after making all the solemn promises? Is he incapable of turning around the members of his party of which he is the president, to concur in his views ?
It is well to recall that it is not the JHU alone that installed Maithripala in power to abolish the executive presidency, there were 48 other organizations too. None of them today are taking the double faced stance of the JHU opportunists who are stealthily and shamelessly aligning with the opinion of the SLFP. In the circumstances the time is ripe for all patriotic and progressive forces to awake again and rally together to hit back and hit hard at the sinister and diabolic moves of the JHU and defeated SLFP .
PS.
When we inquired as to why the JHU is so shamelessly acting in breach of the promises given to the people and is now promoting the continuation of the executive presidency , it came to light that some stray astrologer had predicted to Champika Ranawake that he will become the ruler in another five years . This stupid engineer laboring under that delusion is seeking to keep the executive presidency going by opposing the abolition of the executive presidency.
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by (2015-03-16 16:03:54)
We need to perhaps rethink the meaning of ‘sovereignty’ for small states like Sri Lanka in the context of increasing deterioration of the effectiveness of territorial state globally. In Sri Lanka, the existing borders have not been invincible to international interventions (think IPKF) in the face of the issue of Tamils’ struggle for autonomy. Therefore die-hard elitist Sinhalese perceptions towards Tamils’ way of perceiving state sovereignty has amply demonstrated the hollowness of ‘Sri Lankan’s idea of sovereignty’ without material power to guard it from external interventions. Today, the future of the survival of Sri Lankan state needs to be re-strategized with a mechanism for peaceful co-existence with Tamils and that kind of thinking requires a revolution in the way historically Sri Lanka has perceived sovereignty by excluding Tamils’ ideas on sovereignty. The supposedly contradictory Sri Lankan and Tamil ideas on sovereignty need to be pooled together and a prerequisite for this would be a fundamental change in the idea of sovereignty and the openness to accept the historical reality that Tamils had a sovereignty of their own in this country.
