Abolishing executive presidency:UNP, UPFA red allies agree on amending Constitution

DEW, Vasu and Tissa

Communist Party General Secretary and Senior Minister Dew Gunasekera yesterday said that the UNP, too, was willing to either do away with executive presidency or dilute presidential powers through a constitutional amendment, though it had earlier pledged to scrap the presidency in the event of winning the next presidential election.

Will Maduluwawe Sohitha Thero be able to topple the regime?

Is he the man?

"I am not here to rule the country or to resolve the ethnic conflict. I am here to change the system. There are political parties to rule the country. You can have agreements with them at the general election. You cannot resolve your problems due to this system. You could market your minority votes during the period 1978 to 2005. The Sinhala Buddhist community was helpless. After 2005, under the present system, you became helpless. The Sinhala Buddhists also did not have any success although they elected their President. We all are helpless under this system," the Thera said.

Will Sobhitha Thera become another Khomeini?  by Upul Joseph Fernando

Sri Lanka: 70% of ministers, MPs favour abolishing Executive Presidency - Vasu

Against 70%?

Leader of the Democratic Left Front and Minister of National Languages and Social Integration, Vasudewa Nanayakkara, said more than 70% of the government ministers and MPs in Parliament were in favour of abolishing the Executive Presidency.What the country requires is a major constitutional amendment which will do away with the Executive Presidency system, he said.

Almost always, the major community, at least initially, refuses to share state power; there are no benevolent majorities

S.J.V. Chelvanayakam

S.J.V. Chelvanayakam Memorial Oration -''The National Question: All about State Power'' 

Dr Jayampathy Wickramaratne -President’s Counsel

I am thankful to the S.J.V. Chelvanayakam Commemoration Committee for inviting me to deliver this memorial oration on the occasion of the 37th death anniversary of S.J.V. Chelvanayakam, Q.C., a revered leader of the Sri Lankan Tamils. I am told that I am only the second Sinhalese, after Comrade Bernard Soysa whose birth centenary we celebrated last month, to be invited to speak at a Chelvanayakam memorial event. While I am happy to follow Comrade Bernard, I am sad that it is indicative of the divide between the two communities, a divide that we must endeavour to bridge.

SRI LANKA: The abuse of Presidential Pardon is an abdication of the state responsibility to control crime

Rukantha and Chandraleka

 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission

The Panadura High Court judge, Kusala Sarojani Weerawardana, found ten Presidential Security Division (PSD) officers who were accused of assaulting two famous songsters Rookantha Gunathilike and Chanta Chandraleka Perera to be guilty of the charges and sentenced them to four and a half years of rigorous imprisonment. The PSD officers entered the living premises of the two famous singers, shaved their heads and assaulted them in the year 2000. The PSD officers did this due to the two singers participating publically at an opposition UNP political rally.

Sri Lanka: Five-judge SC bench says President’s actions cannot be challegned in court

Rajapaksha: Abocve the Law

Petition against CJ’s appointment

A five judge bench of the Supreme Court yesterday declared that the President had legal immunity under article 35 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka and that his actions could not be challenged in Court.

The Supreme Court declared the judgment in respect of the fundamental rights violation application filed by the Centre for Policy Alternatives and its Director P. Saravanamuttu, who had complained of the appointment of Mohan Pieris as the Chief Justice subsequent to the impeachment of Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake.

Religious leaders & civil society back Ven. Sobhitha’s reforms : Abolition of executive presidency, 17th Amendment priorities

Ven. Sobhitha: emerging force

Religious leaders including the Mahanayaka’s of all the Nikayas and other Mahanayakas, the Cardinal and other religious dignitaries who had been consulted have unanimously agreed that the present Constitution which is detrimental to the country should be repealed.

This was said in a statement issued by the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) seeking a righteous country, rule of law and a just society formed with the participation of Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thero whose outspoken views on national, religious and social issues have found wide resonance.

UNP initial draft for constitutional change: Ex. Presidency to go, Unitary State to remain

This is the full text of draft New Constitution proposed by United National Party. This draft constitution will be submitted for the approval of the people from tomorrow for suitable amendments.

Does Ven. Sobhitha’s proposal have legs?

Vishnuguptha
 In my last week’s column I wrote about the Executive Presidency and how its powers have been used and abused by almost all holders of that office leading up to the present President. I also expressed my reservations about the traces of ‘affirmative action’ that the proposed amendment to the Constitution that intends to replace the Executive Presidency is suggesting. I do not wish to dwell on it any further, but wish to state that if no other compromising formula is spelt out and available,

NMSJ Constitutional Reform Proposals : welcome initiative but lacks a committment to 13 A /devolution

Laksiri Fernando
It is undoubtedly a welcome initiative by the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) to come up with a set of proposals to reform the constitutional framework highlighting the need to abolish the much hated executive presidential system as a key change. The relevance of the proposal/s and the initiative is underscored by the constitutional crisis that the country had to traumatically undergo during the impeachment saga, which is also not yet over, and by the fact that the present initiative has come from a credible civil society organization led by Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero, unlike in the past.

Cronology of the Crisis: An unprecedented Constitutional crisis and the very real prospect of a chaotic situation are imminent

''In these present circumstances this ominous, accelerating race towards absolute anarchy and destruction can only be effectively reversed by a display of exemplary statesmanship by the President and therefore the OPA earnestly urges the President, in the long term interests of our motherland, to take timely steps to avoid a catastrophe by suspending the process of impeachment already in place, and permitting saner counsel to prevail.''
Elmore Perera

President Reveals True Nature of His Governance! :The whole system of democracy, dissent and criticism appeared a joke to him

That is how we do it for our man, no. - Rajapaksha

Laksiri Fernando
It was shocking, outrageous and deplorable, but not necessarily surprising. It was shocking since he didn’t have any qualms to reveal it openly. It was outrageous and deplorable because it came from the country’s Head of State more than the Executive President! It was not surprising however since many people had come to doubt or know about it for a long time.

There are two other statements which are quite alarming in the President’s speech. One is about how misdeeds of people should be handled in the country or in the judiciary in general. Second is about why he has come to the conclusion of appointing another committee. The two are not necessarily one after the other but all mixed up as usual.

War - losers using Judiciary ( hulftsdorp);Some representing NGOs, foreign govts - President Rajapaksha

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said some elements with vested interests, who could not achieve what they wanted through 30 years of conflict, are trying to achieve their sinister moves through Hulftsdorp.
President Rajapaksa said he as a lawyer, has the highest respect towards the Judiciary and is committed to protect and promote its dignity.
The President said members of the judiciary should protect the dignity of their profession.

Tentative Suggestions for Further Constitutional Reform

Prof.Rajiva Wijesinha M.P.
I have now served two and a half years in Parliament. This would have been half the term in the old days before the United Front government of 1970 extended its own term by two years, and added one year to all future terms. This began the rot of Parliament expanding its own powers and privileges, which the Jayewardene government of 1977 took even further, extending its term to over 11 long and woeful years.
These terms, it should be noted, are not fixed, and the government in power has the right to have an election when it wants. Naturally it does this when it thinks conditions are most favourable. And in Sri Lanka the situation is made worse by the fact that we have two sets of elections to decide on who is going to govern us, namely a presidential election as well as a parliamentary one. Naturally both are fixed in terms of advantages to the incumbent, with the added benefit of having one or other of the executive authorities continuing in power during the election.

Single-Issue challenge gains momentum; Many are striving but only one will be chosen

Kumar David
About two months ago I mooted the concept of a Single-Issue (SI) challenge and the need for a SI candidate committed to abolishing the Executive Presidency (EP) forthwith upon winning the next presidential elections. The idea has gained momentum, won the attention of a diversity of political formations and stirred some individual ambitions. Every opposition party, even the UNP, has been smoked out into the open and been compelled to pronounce opposition to EP. Even within the UPFA some make no secret of their aversion to the Executive Presidency. Socialist Alliance leader DEW, though a Cabinet Minister, does not conceal that he detests the EP. Senior SLFP Ministers agree that EP is a curse but are silenced by the dangling carrot of a Prime Ministerial appointment when DM takes his trip to the land from which no traveller returns.

Executive Presidency the root of all evil; Are they preparing to lynch the CJ?

Kumar David
A fortnight ago several senior ministers were told to hold a press conference and con the public that the government was not after the blood of the CJ. In Lanka, in these times, people know this means they are planning to do exactly the opposite of what they say! They told us they would abolish the Executive Presidency, but they enacted the 18th Amendment which aims to impose it in perpetuity; they told us they would not privatise state assets, but they alienated every inch of prime property in Colombo and the best along the seafront to foreign capital; they promised reconciliation, but they won’t let the Tamils have the Northern Provincial Council. For these reasons I think an e-mail that is doing the rounds saying the President has decided to impeach the CJ and install Mohan Peries in her place is very believable.

Executive Presidency must go: Venerable Sobitha thera

Venerable Sobitha thera n

Q: What role will you play in today’s common opposition rally at Hyde park?

The National Movement for Social Justice (Sadarana Samajayak Sadaha Wu Jathika Wiyaparaya) does not support any political party. We started this movement as citizens of this country who have a right to protest, while demanding a justifiable society, a law abiding rule and a country to live in, without bribery and corruption, where good governance is practised. We invite all political parties including the government and the opposition, nationalities and religions to join us, as no one should be against a justifiable society.