Delaying the 21st is a betrayal of the people

Respect public opinion

Abolish 20th and bring 21st immediately

(Sujith Mangala De Silva and Rumi Speelberg)

President of the National Movement for a Just Society Deshabandu Karu Jayasuriya emphasized that delaying the introduction of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution is a betrayal of the people.

Mr. Karu Jayasuria who emphasized this issue at a press conference organized by the National Movement for a Just Society in Colombo, further stressed that …………………………………...

The majority of the people who have become prisoners due to the 20th Amendment to the Constitution keep high hopes that the Cabinet would approve the repeal of that amendment on Monday (06). We see it as a betrayal of the people since one party of the government is obstructing the passage of the Act for various reasons.

We in the National Movement for a Just Society say that the President has promised to establish democracy to the world community and the people of this country. As a head of state, those promises cannot be broken. If so the dignity of the President would be severely damaged. The dual citizenship proposal was submitted for a period of one year. This proposal was promise given to the Maha Sangha and other religious leaders. Breaking that promise is an insult to religious leaders.

The President sought 2/3 mandate in the parliament to make the country a paradise. The country was destroyed due to the 20th amendment. That amendment became a curse to the country. Internationally we became isolated. As a dictatorial country, investors did not come here. Due to this the country fell into a great abyss. The legislature and the judiciary came under subordination of the power of the executive. Parliament became powerless. The executive acted above the judiciary.

Despite its unlimited powers, the government became unable to save the lives of the people. Foreign resources were lost. Power cuts, fuel shortages, rising cost of living, unemployment and the collapse of the building industry all came about because of the unlimited powers given to one person by the 20th Amendment. Even if the President admitted that he has made wrong decisions, he cannot escape from his responsibility. Therefore, what the President should do is to correct these mistakes and not ask for time.

As we can see here, the first thing that needs to happen is to repeal the 20th Amendment. The 19th Amendment which was effective in the past should be enacted. The government must accept that the majority opinion in this country is to abolish the executive presidency. The Samagi Jana Balawegaya has proposed a very important new Constitution.The Bar Association of Sri Lanka, Direction Sri Lanka, the Friday Forum as well as the battlefield have made valuable proposals. These proposals should be studied.

The government's constitutional proposals, which were promised to be tabled in within a year, have not yet been tabled. Our view is that the constitutional proposals can only be furnished by the people and Parliament but not by a pro-government bar association. This should be kindly pointed out.

It must be understood that at a time when the country is facing a major economic crisis and famine, a strong legislative background is needed to address those issues. We must understand that key issues such as the economy and food shortages will be difficult to solve until a stable government and a democratic legislative environment are created.

Therefore, we request with a patriotism feeling to save the country, the people and the unborn generation by acting wisely without greed for power and to bring about the necessary democratic reforms in this Dark Age. We would like to mention that It is our national duty to point out that not doing so is a great crime.