Rejecting the Opposition call to reconvene Parliament, Government lawmakers said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has no intention to reconvene the dissolved Parliament and added that the Election Commission after discussions with all stakeholders has fixed June 20 for the general election. Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has also informed the Constitutional Council that he has no intention to reconvene Parliament and create another crisis. However, fixing a new election date has paved the way for a political debate between the Government and Opposition lawmakers, with the latter calling to reconvene Parliament.
The Constitutional Council (CC) of the eighth Parliament convened under the chairmanship of former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya at his official residence on Thursday. Former Speaker Jayasuriya said that only the Supreme Court can give an interpretation on such a constitutional concern and he is bound to act according to the decision by the Supreme Court. He urged all party leaders and political parties not to create a constitutional crisis at a time when a severe pandemic is affecting the world. The former Speaker stressed the importance of all political parties working together disregarding narrow political advantages to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, former Parliamentarians R.Sampanthan, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Bimal Ratnayake, Thalatha Atukorale, civil society representatives Javed Yusuf and Naganathan Selvakumaran, Secretary of the Constitutional Council and Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dassanayake and Deputy Secretary General of Parliament Neil Iddawala were present. Several members of the CC said that it is appropriate for the Executive to take the views of the Party Leaders of the former Parliament into account in combating the pandemic. Premier Rajapaksa explained the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, the steps taken by the Government to prevent the spread of the virus and to restore the livelihoods of the people. He also informed the CC that steps are being taken to look into the issues of Sri Lankan workers in the Middle East in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council also discussed possible measures to repatriate students who have gone abroad for study.
Meanwhile, in a recent interview with his Senior Advisor Lalith Weeratunga, which was telecast in all television channels, President Rajapaksa said that he had no intention to reconvene the old Parliament, adding that the ‘law does not expect to do the impossible’. However, the President said the Election Commission has the power to decide the day of the general election.
However, former TNA Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran has argued that the new election date of June 20, which is a date after three months of the dissolution of Parliament on March 2, 2020, renders the presidential proclamation dissolving Parliament invalid. He said that the President could dissolve Parliament by proclamation, but the same constitutional provision that gives him the power to do so, mandates or compels him to fix a date for the new Parliament to meet no later than three months after dissolution. He has told the media that the constitutionally mandated deadline expires on June 2. Sumanthiran said Article 70 of the Constitution imposes a strict condition on the President when he chooses to dissolve Parliament by proclamation after four and a half years of its term. He said according to the Parliamentary Elections Act, there was a constitutional imposition upon the President that he could no longer fulfil due to the polls being delayed beyond June 2 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sumanthiran said the new election date set by the Commission renders the President’s March 2 proclamation ineffective.
Other lawyers counter argued that the coronavirus battle is an extraordinary situation that the Constitution does not make a provision for. These lawyers are arguing for the adoption of the ‘doctrine of necessity’ to deal with the looming constitutional deadlock.
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) stalwart and General Election contestant Prof. Channa Jayasumana told the media in Anuradhapura recently that former TNA Parliamentarian Sumanthiran is attempting to seize power by creating a political instability in the country through adopting certain clauses of the Constitution and urged that an election should be held immediately to avoid the circumstance. Prof. Jayasumana said, “We can see certain parties are attempting to challenge the Election Commission’s declaration to hold Parliamentary Election on June 20. They have made use of coronavirus as a weapon in this regard. They are raising these issues with no concern for the patients or their pain. These are being uttered to grab power. We can see that the mastermind behind this political conspiracy is TNA Parliamentarian Sumanthiran. We agree that it is not suitable to talk of an election amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, we have to call for a parliamentary election whether we like it or not.”
Prof. Jayasumana said the group of conspirators led by Sumanthiran must be defeated as a whole. They are attempting to pose a challenge through the clause which states that Parliament should be convened after three months since dissolution. He is preparing the groundwork for it. Appearing in Court, Sumanthiran stood on behalf of politicians who developed grudges against security officials who are engaged in a praiseworthy task to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The Election Commission announced on April 20 that the General Election 2020 which was postponed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic will be held on June 20. This follows a discussion held at the Election Commission on April 20 with representatives from the health sector, Security Forces, political parties and other stakeholders. The Parliamentary election was originally scheduled to be held on April 25. Under the terms of the Constitution, once Parliament is dissolved, an election has to be held and a new Parliament must meet within three months of the date of such dissolution. Earlier, Secretary to the President Dr. P.B. Jayasundara wrote to Election Commission Chairman MahindaDeshapriya that the need to consult the Supreme Court on the issue does not arise and it was the sole responsibility of the Election Commission to fix a date for the next General Election and added that the President does not wish to interfere in this process.
Meanwhile, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) is of the view that a date for the parliamentary election must be announced only after the last COVID-19 patient has recovered. Writing to National Election Commission Chairman Deshapriya on Tuesday (21), SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara said the novel coronavirus must be eliminated from the country before going ahead with elections. Madduma Bandara said candidates will need at least five weeks for their campaign activities in the event of an election. They expressed their displeasure and opposition to the announcement of a date for the election. SJB Leader SajithPremadasa after meeting with the members of the Election Commission on Tuesday (21) told the media that the Director-General of Health Services must issue a public guarantee that it will be safe for the country to carry out an election campaign for his alliance to participate in an election planned for June 20. Premadasa said this certification of the public health situation must come from the Director General of Health Services, and added that as soon as it is made available to the public, they are willing to begin the election campaign.
After attending to the party representatives’ meeting with the Election Commission on April 21, UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam told the media that if a General Election cannot be held before June 2 in accordance with the gazette declaring Parliament’s dissolution issued by the President, the old Parliament should be convened. He said, “The way we understood by the explanation of the Election Commission Chairman, there are difficulties in conducting an election. Therefore, Parliament will have to be reconvened.
The nation observed the first anniversary of the Easter Sunday attacks on Tuesday (21) though no public events were held in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 270 people, including foreigners were killed on this day when suicide bombers carried out multiple attacks on three churches across the country and three high end hotels in Colombo. The country observed a two-minute silence at 8.45 am and all places of worship rang bells in remembrance of the victims of the bombings following a request by Archbishop of Colombo, Rev. Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his message on the first anniversary of the Easter Sunday attacks said even though the Catholics were targeted, this was a terrorist attack against all Sri Lankan citizens. This heinous crime against humanity needs to be condemned by all without any tolerance towards this extremist ideology. He said it is unfortunate that the mechanisms in place to ensure national security had been dismantled. When anarchy prevails, it is natural for extremism, terrorism and all kinds of violence to raise its despicable head.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in his message said the attacks could have been easily prevented since the intelligence service of a friendly country had provided detailed and accurate information in advance to the then Government regarding an impending attack. He requested all Sri Lankans to remember the victims of the April 21 attacks in accordance with their own faiths. Premier Rajapaksa said Sri Lankans are no strangers to suicide bombings. However, the Easter Sunday bombings differed from what Sri Lankans had experienced during the 30-year war against separatist terrorism. Rev.Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said, “We are grateful to those friendly nations that generously shared the intelligence information prior to the Easter Sunday attacks on several occasions, which our political leaders unfortunately did not take seriously.” Rev. Cardinal Ranjith at a recent media briefing thanked the Government for effectively conducting the investigations. He reiterated the need for a thorough search to find those behind the attacks and bring all perpetrators to book to prevent such attacks in the future.
President Rajapaksa has appointed a high-powered Presidential Task Force for the economic revival and poverty eradication impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The Task Force appointed on Wednesday (22) is headed by former Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa and comprises over 30 members, including top Government officials and business leaders. The Task Force is responsible for reviving the economy and eradication of poverty while paying special attention to the challenges posed and opportunities emerged in the wake of the COVID – 19 outbreak. Based on the vision of the ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour,’ the President’s policy statement, the Task Force would steer institutions to create a production economy through the formulation of a unique economic structure based on novel initiatives. Implementation of joint operations to establish a people-centric economy which will promote domestic industrialists and entrepreneurs is another objective of the Task Force.