Zunar: Malaysian cartoonist charged with sedition over drawings criticising government

Zunar's lawyer has called the charges 'excessive'

KASHMIRA GANDER-Friday 03 April 2015

A Malaysian cartoonist known for his satirical take on the nation’s coalition government has been charged with nine counts of sedition today, for posting tweets criticising the judiciary.

Cartoonist Zunar, whose real name is Zulkiflee Anwar Alhaque, faces up to 43 years in prison if he is found guilty of all nine charges, under a sedition law established in the nation’s colonial era, his lawyer said.

Latheefa Koya, Zunar’s lawyer, said following Zunar's hearing at Duta Court in Kuala Lumpur: "This is a record, being charged nine times and using the sedition law. It is excessive and targeted at silencing vocal critics."

Zunar wears a fake prison suit and plays with handcuffs following his case at Duta Court, in Kuala Lumpur. (Image: EPA/FAZRY ISMAIL)
Sedition as defined by Malaysian law includes promoting hatred against the government, and the charges are symptomatic of the government’s widening crackdown on opposition politicians and the media. Critics say the heavy-handed use of the law has stifled freedom of expression in Malaysia.

On 10 February, Zunar posted nine tweets criticising the Malaysian justice system, after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim began serving a 5-year prison sentence after losing his final appeal over a sodomy conviction.

Anwars’s arrest has been widely regarded as a politically motivated attempt to eliminate threats to the government, after his three-party political alliance made unprecedented gains in 2008 elections and further inroads in polls in 2013.

The government’s popularity has been waning since 2008, after more than five decades of unquestioned dominance, and Anwar's alliance was seen as the most real political threat to Prime Minister Najib Razak's National Front coalition.

"The lackeys in black robes are proud of their sentencse. The rewards from the political masters must be plenty," Zunar wrote in one of the tweets.

"Today Malaysia is seen as a country without law," read another.

Zunar Cartoonist @zunarkartunis

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Cartoon Zunar: PM Najib is the judge!

1:30 AM - 10 Feb 2015

Zunar was released on bail last Friday, but was detained and questioned by police over a picture on Facebook showing Prime Minister Najib Razak in prison attire. Latheefa said the picture was posted on Zunar's fan club page and he had no knowledge of it. The cartoonist was released after a few hours.

In the face of the charges against him, Zunar tweeted a new cartoon before he was released on bail vowing to "draw until the last drop of ink." The cartoon showed Zunar being cuffed and with a metal chain on his neck, but still drawing with a brush in his mouth.

Zunar Cartoonist @zunarkartunis

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Cartoon Zunar: Until last drop!

8:13 PM - 2 Apr 2015

The Prime Minister said several years ago that the government would eventually abolish the Sedition Act, which was introduced in 1949 during British colonial rule, but backtracked after the 2013 elections.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said the move against Zunar showed the government has "a new-found tendency to equate repression with effective governance."

"Day by day, Malaysians are losing more and more of their rights and democracy at the hands of an increasingly oppressive government," it said in a statement.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press

Home Remedies for High Blood Pressure

Apr 03, 2015

High blood pressure is a common health problem seen in many people. It is also known as hypertension, a chronic medical condition that occurs when there is an elevated pressure of the blood in the arteries. Usually the blood pressure is measured by the systolic and diastolic movements. High blood pressure is reported if the reading is at or above 140/90 mmHg persistently.

There are many causes that may result in this health problem, some of them are stress, genetic factors, excessive intake of salt, obesity, high alcohol intake, lack of physical activity, pain killers, birth control pills, adrenal diseases, and kidney diseases etc.

Hypertension may lead to many chronic health conditions including heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, stroke, and chronic kidney failures. Though there are many medicines that are prescribed to control hypertension. But there are many simple home remedies that can help you prevent and control high blood pressure.

Here are some of the natural remedies for hypertension that are available in your kitchen

Banana:

Banana is the best natural remedy for blood pressure. Eat one or two bananas daily to keep your high blood pressure in control. The high potassium present in the banana will help you control the blood pressure level. It aids you to be free of cholesterol, with its low sodium levels. Apart from banana, you can also try eating spinach, dried apricots, orange juice, raisins, currants, baked sweet potatoes, winter squash, zucchini, and cantaloupe.

Garlic:

Garlic processes the great properties that help you get blood pressure in control. Either raw or cooked form garlic helps you in reducing cholesterol level. Whenever you have your blood pressure level high then try eating 1 – 2 slightly crushed cloves of garlic regularly. As crushed garlic cloves generate hydrogen sulfide, which helps in promoting good flow of blood, decreases the pressure on the heart and gets rid of gas. You can also take 5 to 6 drops of garlic juice mixed with 4 teaspoons of water two times a day for better results.

Celery:

Celery contains high levels of 3-N-butylphthalide, which is a ‘phytochemical’ that helps you to control high blood pressure level. Eat celery regularly to see improvement in your blood pressure level. It also helps you in stress hormones reduction that constricts the blood vessels, which may lead to high BP. If you like celery then you can munch on to lower your BP or you can consume one stalk of it along with one glass of water every day.

Lemon:

Lemon is one of the best remedies for hypertension. It makes the blood vessels soft and flexible removing their rigidness, making the blood pressure levels low. Lemon contains high amounts of Vitamin B, so regularly consuming lemon helps you prevent for heart failure. If you are having high blood pressure then you must drink fresh lemon juice as many times as possible. Drinking one glass lemon juice mixed with warm water every morning on empty stomach is good for health. Avoid adding salt or sugar for good results.

Honey:

Honey has a soothing effect on your blood vessels and helps in reducing the pressure from the heart, in turn lowers high blood pressure. Consuming 1 or 2 tbsps of honey daily will help you in controlling hypertension. Taking two teaspoons of honey early in the morning on empty stomach is a very good option. You can otherwise mix 1 tsp of honey, 1 tsp of ginger juice and 2 teaspoons of powered cumin seeds and eat it two times a day. You can also consume the mixture of honey and basil juice on empty stomach regularly for better results.

Onion Juice:

Onion is an effective remedy for lowering the high blood pressure level. You can eat one raw onion (medium sized) on a daily basis or consume the mixture of honey and onion juice. Taking 1/2 teaspoon of onion juice mixed with 1/2 teaspoon honey twice every day, will aid you in reducing the blood pressure level. You can notice a good improvement in your BP levels by taking onion juice twice a day for about 1 – 2 weeks.

Cayenne Pepper:

If you are suffering from mild hypertension then cayenne pepper is the best natural remedy you can take. It makes the blood flow smooth by preventing the blood platelets from forming clumps and prevents their accumulation in the blood. Cayenne pepper can be added to vegetable salad or fruit salad. You can even add a generous pinch of cayenne pepper powder into your soup and drink it. Use only a small pinch of cayenne pepper as it is very spicy.

Coconut Water:

It is always good to keep your body well hydrated and it is recommended if you’re suffering with high BP. Drink about 8 – 10 glasses of water every day. You can also drink tender coconut or coconut water, along with regular water for good results. Coconut water is tasty and processes nutritional values as well. They help in lowering and controlling the hypertension levels. You can improve blood pressure level by consuming coconut water regularly. You can also try using coconut oil instead of regular oil for cooking.

Fenugreek Seeds:

Fenugreek seeds are most effective remedy for lowering the high blood pressure level. Take one to two teaspoons of fenugreek seeds and boil them for about 2 minutes in water. Now strain out the water from the fenugreek seeds and bled them in a fine paste. Eat one tablespoon of this paste early in the morning on empty stomach and in the evening respectively. Continue for two or three months to control and lower your blood pressure level.

Watermelon Seeds:

A compound called ‘cucurbocitrin’ that is present in Watermelon seeds widens the blood capillaries. Apart for this it also improves the kidneys functionality. It also reduces blood pressure level in arthritis. Crush 2 table spoons of dried watermelon seeds and add them to one cup of boiled water. After leaving it for about an hour, strain the seeds and take 4 tbsps of this water at regular intervals.

Review: Sri Lanka ‘We Will Teach You a Lesson: Violence against Tamils by Sri Lankan Security Forces’, Human Rights Watch publication, 2013

Sri Lanka: Sexual Violence by Security ForcesFebruary 24, 2013

Guest Column by Prof. Charles Sarvan-02-Apr-2015

This is a difficult document to read. Speaking figuratively, Shakespeare’s Macbeth said that he had eaten too much of horrors. So it is with reading one testimony, one horror, after another: an emotional revulsion sets in; a wish to set a mental distance, if not escape.

What the ‘Report’ records is morally sick, and the sickening is to be avoided with repugnance, if not with aesthetic distaste. For example, when one reads that a sharp needle was inserted in the penis of men. “In one case, this was used to insert small metal balls into their urethra […] the metal balls were later surgically removed by doctors abroad” (p. 4). Yogalingam Vijitha, a 27-year-old Tamil woman from Jaffna was tortured and raped with a plantain-tree flower. These “flowers are hard and cone-shaped” (page 19). 

On the 17^th of May 1997, police officers raped Murugesupillai Koneswany of Batticoloa in her home and then detonated a grenade in her genitals, both to kill her and to hide evidence of gang-rape (ibid). “Subramaniam Kannan, a man from Vavuniya […] had barbed wire inserted into his rectum” (p. 21).

An understandable impulse is to stop reading, close the ‘Report’ and put it out of sight and mind. But what then of the victims, the human beings who experienced and must for ever live with this trauma? They can never put the experience aside, as we the ‘report’.. Those who have been tortured, or have undergone a similar extreme experience, never recover. They never regain their former self; they remain for ever tortured or raped. What was a single happening is, in fact, life-long damage.

Twenty-three old Jyoti Singh Pandey was gang-raped in a Delhi-bus on 16 December 2012, and subsequently died of her injuries. The case caused justified outrage nationally and internationally because, among other reasons, Ms Pandey became an individual to us with a life of her own, parents and home. She was a living and real human being, and we could relate to her tragedy. But the cases documented in this ‘Report’ are faceless and nameless as a precaution against reprisal violence wreaked on his or her family in Sri Lanka.. The ‘Report’ aims to be factual and objective, and so the facts are deliberately recorded dispassionately: the human cost is what the reader must perceive; the moral indignation, symapthy and protest are what s/he must add. The phrase, ‘Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder’ is clinical concealing rather than conveying lived experience.

In the introduction we are told the ‘Report’ is the result of in-depth interviews with Tamil detainees now abroad, conducted over a 12-month period in places as diverse as Australia, the UK, Germany, India, Malaysia and Indonesia. Its main focus is on the period 2006-2012. Seventy-five cases of rape were investigated, 31 of men, 41 of women and 3 of boys (page 2). In 67 of the cases, independent medical evidence was obtained with the consent of the victims.

Sexual violence usually begins with sexual humiliation, forced nakedness, verbal threats and mockery; with the deprivation of privacy for women when they use the toilet or have a bath. The intention is to degrade and humiliate: We will teach you a lesson. (The word “teach” implies transgression and punishment: the victims “deserve” the treatment meted out. Seeing themselves as instruments of retributive racial justice, crude and appallingly sadistic torturers and rapists can take pride in their action. 

The victims, not they, are to blame.) Sexual abuse was “frequently carried out by more than one person, often with multiple onlookers, including women members of the security forces” (p. 33). Under torture and rape, even the innocent confessed and went so far as to identify other supporters of the Tamil Tigers – even though they didn’t know them at all (p. 33). But confession did not stop rape and torture. In some cases, family members paid money and the victim was allowed to “escape”.

The police force has been militarized and the armed forces exercise police powers. Both act with complete impunity over a population that is defenceless and fears further harassment if complaints are lodged. It would be like sheep complaining to foxes and wolves about the behaviour of foxes and wolves. There is “no category of Tamil who, once taken into custody, is immune from rape and other sexual violence” (p. 36) – unless, one would add, s/he were wealthy or had influential Sinhalese contacts. The use of sexual violence is not “just a local occurrence or the action of rogue security personnel”, but despite the many cases reported, not one senior officer has been prosecuted for crimes of this nature. On the other hand, given the conservative nature of Tamil society, there is a reluctance to talk about sexual molestation and rape. “The issue of male rape and sexual violence against men has neither been raised nor addressed.” It is suppressed both by victims and perpetrators, and remains a taboo subject (p. 45).

Finally, given government restrictions and the impossibility of carrying out independent investigation, the cases recorded here are but the tip of the proverbial iceberg: the majority still within the confines of ‘the Paradise Isle’ suffer in silence. One shudders to think of the fate of the many still in custody. They are unknown; what is done to them, unseen; their cries unheeded by those present, unheard by others.  The few whose experience is recorded in the Report are both safely abroad, and willing to re-live the horror by giving testimony. Rape “in formal and informal detention centres continues (p. 29.Emphasis added) and the “Sri Lankan government’s response to allegations of sexual violence by the security forces has been crude and disdainful” (p. 43).

Human Rights Watch makes severe criticisms of the Tamil Tigers, for example: “During the first four months of 2009, more than 300,000 civilians were trapped in areas of fighting, effectively used as ‘human shields’ by the LTTE, with limited access to food, water, and medical care. The LTTE forcibly conscripted civilians and prevented others from fleeing LTTE-controlled areas by firing at them, killing many” (p. 13) Yet I anticipate that the ‘Report’ will lead some to question the impartiality of Human Rights Watch, and to dismiss their findings as the work of misguided Westerners sympathetic to the Tigers.

“After such knowledge, what forgiveness?” (T S Eliot, ‘Gerontion’)

(The views expressed are author’s own.  Professor Sarvan is located in Germany and takes a keen interest in Sri Lankan Affairs)

German ambassador discusses Tamil concerns with Jaffna bishop

Photograph Tamil Guardian

 01 April 2015
German's ambassador to Sri Lanka, Dr Jürgen Morhard, met with the bishop of Jaffna this week, and held discussions about the ongoing concerns of the Tamil people. 

Speaking to reporters about the meeting, the Bishop said that Dr Morhard had discussed a variety of issues.
 
"The ambassador asked whether the visit by the prime minster to the North happened in a way that led to distrust?", the bishop told reporters, stating that he had replied: “The visit by prime minister to North may have pleased the people. However, the lack of interest shown by the prime minister to meet with the Chief Minister of North would not have pleased the people."
 
The bishop said he had speculated that the reason for him not showing any interest to meet with the North chief minister "may have been a difference in their policies and personalities". 

Stating that the change in government had also been discussed, the bishop told reporters he had stressed to the ambassador that Tamils and Muslims, who played a role in bringing the new government, should also have a stake in it.  

The prime minister's pledge of releasing the 1000 acres of land in Palali previously confiscated by the Sri Lankan military raised hopes in the Tamil people, the bishop also added.

US seeks to eventually partition Sri Lanka - – Tamara Kunanayakam

2014-03-09

The United States has no genuine interest in accountability or reconciliation in Sri Lanka, but is seeking a strategic military base in Asia, says Tamara Manimekhalai Kunanayakam, onetime Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Holy See.

US seeks to eventually partition Sri Lanka - – Tamara Kunanayakam.odt by Thavam Ratna

Maithree Revolution is Not a Social Revolution but only a Democratic One

by Dr Vickramabahu Karunarathna.-02/04/2015 
The Maithree revolution has affected all sections of the society. It is not a social revolution but only a democratic one; demanding just a limited political democracy. However it affected women and children, in addition to other sections such as Tamils and Muslims, who participated in the Maithree mass uprising with much enthusiasm and hope. For many of them it had a social component with social and economic reforms coming behind democratic changes. On March 8 this year women came out in large numbers to show their commitment to change. Fascistic regime was wicked in the treatment of women and most of the domestic suffering came on the shoulders of women. Hence this time women came out spontaneously. One such activity was organized by the women leaders of Free Trade Zones & General services Employees Union. They organized special events and activities to commemorate the international women day. Such activities could be seen all over the country unlike in other years where fear repelled women to come out. In this year women’s day was observed in the whole country with slogans demanding the gender equality; specially increase of women participation in all governing bodies of the country including the parliament and provincial councils.

Women from many parts of the country joined the world community in celebrating the International Women’s Day, on Monday at a national event held at Anuradhapura .This year’s celebrations were held under the guidance of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs on the theme “‘A Better Country for Women “. Speaking at the event, Ranil said the violence and abuses against women should be eliminated and the government will take measures to bring and enact laws needed to protect women’s rights before the next Women’s Day. He said the Minister of Women’s Affairs Chandrani Bandara has been assigned the task to formulate such laws. Post modernist influence could be seen in the remarks made and we hope the liberal bourgeois leader will keep his promises. President Maithree closely followed the line of thinking of Ranil and stated “We should consider it our bounden duty to recognize and value the contributions of women in all professions and areas of work in this country, of those who work under harsh conditions abroad and remit funds to strengthen the economy, as well as their great role in raising of children who will be our citizens in the future. The policy of good governance brings with it a commitment to protect our women from social and domestic violence, harassment towards women, and the hazards they face from drug and alcohol related issues.”

Large number of female workers from Northern, Eastern, Southern, provinces and hill country plantation participated in Colombo and at Anuradhapura to commemorate this 105th International Women day.  Several large marches displayed the new liberal thinking with slogans that match the demands of unity with power sharing. One could see the new reconciliation mood because the Sinhala, Tamils, Muslims, shouted the slogans in their own language in the same march. The main theme of these international women day commemorations was “Give us more representation in the decision making bodies who decided the future of the country “.  In addition the women workers raised their voices against all kinds of repression as women as well as women workers including the sexual harassment in work places. They emphasize that they want a social dignity as women workers who contributed large share to the national economy.

One can compare the Maithree election with the election that gave rise to the dictatorial constitution in 1978.The latter was perhaps, the first time all the people of Lanka joined together and made a similar election outcome.  At the 1977 Parliamentary election JR Jayewardene was elected as the Prime Minister with more than a two third majority. However at first JR failed to usher unity among people, instead grabbed power for himself as the President of Sri Lanka by proclamation of a new Presidential constitution at the expense of Parliamentary democracy. Later in 1986 he took the bold step to create provincial council system, with a chief minister for a united NE province. Hence one could say the 1977 Elections helped to confirm the existence of Self-Governing Tamils in Lanka.  Similarly – the contribution by the Tamil Community to the 2015 Presidential Elections happened due to the self-governing Tamils within the Community.

The effect of Maithree revolution on the minds of Tamils could be seen in the following story. The Indian Prime Minister while in Colombo quoted Tamil poet Bharathiyar as follows: ‘I recall the lines of a famous song ‘Sindu Nadiyin Misai’ composed by the great nationalist poet Subramanian Bharati in the early 20th century: ‘Singalatheevukkinor paalam ameippom’(we shall construct a bridge to Sri Lanka)’. Promptly one Tamil leader said “This is an incorrect translation/interpretation.  To Tamil poet Bharathiyar that neighboring country was ‘Sinhala Island’. We, the Tamils of Sri Lanka need to appreciate this reality including in the minds of great Indian Poets like Bharathiyar.” Sinhala land, yes but not exclusively, there is a Tamil land within; that means power sharing is a must.

The Economy Mahinda Rajapaksa Left To His Successors

By R.M.B Senanayake -April 2, 2015

R.M.B Senanayake

In the last three years of MR’s regime economic growth was high and ranged from 7- 8.5%. The growth was driven by the government infrastructure investment program. Roads and expressways, ports and airports were built; funded by foreign borrowings mostly from China. The interest rates varied from 5-6%. But investments funded by foreign borrowing must provide a return both in local currency as well as earn or save the foreign exchange required for repaying the debt. The foreign debt was incurred largely by the government although during the last year the private sector banks and firms were encouraged to borrow in foreign currency and re-lend to the Government because the rate of interest was likely to rise for the government.

Foreign Funded Investments fail to produce returns

These government investments failed to produce returns. But every year the government is required to pay interest and repay the foreign debt. The government requires extra revenue in Rupees to buy the required foreign exchange required to repay the foreign debt. But the government revenue has not increased as a result of these investments. So it has to borrow. The Ceylon FT says the Government borrowed Rs 31.2 billion from the Central Bank. Similarly the foreign exchange by way of export revenue has not increased. So the authorities have to fall back on the Official Foreign Exchange Reserve to repay the maturing foreign debt. So the government has to borrow fresh foreign loans to repay the foreign loans falling due for repayment. The authorities have had to borrow the foreign exchange required even to pay the interest on the foreign debt.

Now, in the next few years about $ 5000-6000 million have to be repaid on foreign debt. The government requires both Rupees as well as dollars. The government revenue has not increased despite the large expenditure on infrastructure investments by the previous regime. The Rupees it is borrowing now from the Central Bank and the banking system since it exceeds the amount of savings by the public flowing into the money market. Economic journalists are saying that such money printing will cause runaway inflation. But such a result takes place only in a closed economy. In an open economy goods are imported and when the Aggregate Demand increases it spills over into an increase in imports. Since we are a highly trade dependent economy the excess demand caused by money creation leads to a worsening of the current account of the balance of payments. Our current account in the balance of payments already runs a huge deficit which is too high in relation to our capacity to repay it from our export earnings. The previous regime misled the people by ignoring the current account deficit and instead referring to the surplus in the over-all balance of payments. But that includes financing of the current account deficit from foreign fund inflows; either as foreign investments here or as foreign borrowings. But what it means is that we are borrowing foreign money or selling our assets to foreigners to fund the current account deficit. Any excess over the deficit goes to replenish our Official Foreign Exchange Reserve but it too is then built up by foreign capital inflows and not from our net earnings through the export of goods or services. In short we are rolling over foreign debt.Read More

SC examines provisions of 19A

Lawyers battle out on pros and cons

AG says "contentious" clauses amended

Provisions of 19A not inconsistent with Constitution - Sumanthiran

Nelka Medagedara-April 2, 2015 

The provisions of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution are not inconsistent with the Constitution or the legal framework, TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran,said yesterday.

Making submissions before the Supreme Court, he said that the proposed Amendment need not be subjected to a referendum. He also pointed out the prime objective of the proposed amendment to the Constitution is to transfer the powers vested in one person to the Cabinet of Ministers and to Parliament. Sumanthiran made these observations as an intervening petitioner when the petition filed by Attorney-at-Law

Gomin Dayasri in connection with the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was taken up before the Supreme Court yesterday. Altogether there were 101 intervning petitions filed in the Supreme Court in respect of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

The petitions were called before three judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice K. Sri Pavan, Justice Chandra Ekanayake and Justice Priyasath Dep. Several petitions and one intervening petition have prayed to Court to make a pronouncement declaring that the proposed amendments to the Constitution be passed by two a thirds majority in Parliament and also by the people at a referendum as some of the clauses in the proposed Amendment are contrary to the Sri Lankan Constitution. The other intervening petitions have stated that holding a referendum is unnecessary.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Yuwanjan Wijeyathilaka informed the Supreme Court that "contentious" clauses of the 19A have already been amended. He said Parliament, is expecting to pass an amended version of the 19th Amendment. He also presented copies of the 19A to the Supreme Court as well as to the lawyers appearing on behalf of petitioners.

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Referendum should be held for 19A - Gomin Dayasri

Attorney-at-Law Gomin Dayasri who filed the petition against the 19th Amendment to the Constitution made a lengthy submission in support of his petition stating a referendum should be held over provisions of the 19A.

Gomin Dayasri submitted that the section 14(a)1 of the proposed Amendment is inconsistent with the Constitution and affects the fundamental rights of the people. He added that this proposed Amendment guarantees the fundamental rights to the non-residents of this country in violation of the Constitution which guarantees those rights only to the residents of Sri Lanka. He submitted that this would be a threat to the national security.

Dayasri also objected guaranteeing the right to information to all by this Amendment as it also could become a threat to the national security. He pointed out that this section provides for any foreigner to have access to information that could be a threat to the national security.

He also said this could damage the image of the country and various parties can use such information with a malicious intention. He also pointed out that as the fundamental rights law is applicable only to the executive and administrative processes, the right to information should be confined to the officers under executive and the administration but to all.

He also objected the proposed term of the Parliament. He submitted that according to the Constitution, the Parliament could be dissolved after one year of its election. He added that before four and half years of its election that the proposed amendment has a clause saying parliament cannot be dissolved before four and half years of its election.

He also pointed out that although the English and Tamil Language translation of the 19th Amendment Bill refers to two third majority. It is questionable that the Sinhala Language Bill refers to a simple majority.

At this stage Chief Justice K. Sri Pavan observed that this proposed Amendment is for the existing Amendment to the Constitution. He also observed that the responsibility of the Judiciary is only to decide if a referendum is required to pass this Bill in addition to two thirds majority.

Attorney-at-Law Dayasri further stated that making the minimum term of Parliament before dissolving affects the right to vote of the voters.

Attorney-at-Law Suren Fernando appearing for the intervening petitioner M. Musthadeen submitted that the sections in the proposed amendment with regard to the right to information is not adequate.

He added that everybody should be guaranteed the right to information as it is important to the national security and good governance. He added that he was pleased as the proposed Amendment guarantees the right to information to all.

President's Counsel Manohara de Silva appearing for Udaya Gammanpila who filed the petition against the proposed 19th Amendment submitted that with this Amendment the President who is elected by the people's vote will be confined to a rubber seal. He added that this Amendment would change the basic frame of the Constitution and it would affect the executive powers and the people's sovereignty.

This situation, he said, is similar to the 1972 Constitution. "However according to the Section 31 A the executive powers of the President cannot be transferred to any. The transfer of the executive powers of the President who is elected with votes more than 51 percent is violation of the Constitution," he stated.

He added that the President can take only two ministries under him according to the proposed Amendment. 

- See more at: http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=local/sc-examines-provisions-19a#sthash.V0pZbx4I.dpuf