Hundreds march to call for checks on Sri Lankan presidency
Demonstrators urge lawmakers to pass long-awaited 19th Amendment.
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| Protesters in Colombo call for passage of the 19th Ammendment |
Hundreds of religious leaders, university lecturers, artists, lawyers, trade unions and politicians marched on Colombo while singing slogans and holding posters of support.
The government needs a two-third majority to pass the bill in parliament. It will restore a two-term limit for presidents and ensure the independence of the police and the judiciary, undoing moves by the country's former strongman to consolidate power.
The presidential term limit was removed by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa as he gave himself more control over the administration after winning a second term in 2010.
Outspoken Buddhist monk Venerable Mduluwawe Sobitha Thero urged lawmakers to remove powers of the executive presidency and establish the independent commissions pledged on the election campaign.
“People elected a new president, defeating a corrupt regime in January to demolish the executive presidency system,” said the monk, addressing demonstrators on a vehicle near parliament.
“We appeal to the 225 lawmakers in the Parliament to vote for the 19th constitutional amendment tomorrow to establish good governance in the country.”
“If not you will be rejected by people. Hundreds of people marched because they all suffered during the last 37 years under the executive presidential powers,” the Buddhist monk said.
The demonstrators urged the establishment of a range of independent institutions including a Constitutional Council, Bribery Commission, Election Commission, Public Service commission, and National Police Commission.
“Because of the amendment, the president is more accountable to the Parliament and the judiciary,” said JC Weliamuna, a human rights lawyer and the former executive director of the Sri Lankan branch of the anti-corruption organization Transparency International.
“Establishing the independent commissions to set up de-politicized institutions will promote good governance,” he told ucanews.com while walking with demonstrators.
“If the bill does not pass, we urge the president to dissolve the parliament.”
President Sirisena told Parliament on Monday he doesn’t want executive powers, and urged passage of the 19th amendment, saying the executive presidency has rarely been used for the good of the country.
“There are many disagreements among former presidents’ supporting parliamentarians [who will] try to defeat the amendments,” said Christian Priest M Sakthivel, Convener of the Christian Solidarity Movement, who marched alongside other religious leaders on Monday.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference urged the immediate curtailment of dictatorial features in the constitution by enacting the 19th amendment to the constitution.
The bill, however, falls short of Sirisena's election pledge to scrap the presidency and transfer most of the executive powers to Parliament, re-establishing a Westminster-style democracy such as Sri Lanka had before 1978.
The Supreme Court earlier this month held that such a transfer of power required approval at a national referendum, which the government says is too costly.
Sirisena announced last week he will dissolve Parliament soon after putting the constitutional reforms to a vote, and call a snap election.
The president had originally pledged to dissolve Parliament last week, but delayed to give the opposition more time to support the reforms.
Sirisena's government does not enjoy a majority in the Parliament he inherited from Rajapaksa, who called his own re-election bid two years ahead of schedule.
Source: UCAN
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