The third reading of the 22nd Constitution Amendment Bill was passed in Parliament on Friday with amendments by a two-thirds majority. There were 174 votes in favour of the Bill during the third reading, none against and one abstained. In the second reading of the Bill, 178 votes were in favour and Parliamentarian Sarath Weerasekara voted against.
Political parties and groups which voted in favour of the Bill included Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Samagi Jana Balawegaya, Jathika Jana Balawegaya, MP Dullas Alahapperuma’s group independent from the Government and Uttar Lanka Sabhagaya led by MP Wimal Weerawansa and MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa. National People’s Power Parliamentarians Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Vijitha Herath and Dr. Harini Amarasuriya voted in favour of the constitutional amendment.
However, 44 MPs including former President and Member of Parliament Mahinda Rajapaksa, Chief Government Whip Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, Leader of the Tamil National Alliance R. Sampanthan, and Shanakyam Rasamanikkam were absent at the time of voting.
Twenty-six Parliamentarians had not voted at the vote on the Second Reading of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution while 11 Parliamentarians including two Ministers had gone abroad while two Parliamentarians did not turn up as they were receiving treatment at hospitals.
Two other Parliamentarians had not attended Parliament on Friday citing health issues. Three Parliamentarians including two former Ministers were also not in attendance as they had prior engagements. In addition, five Parliamentarians were not present in the Chamber when the vote on the Second Reading was taken.
Protesters deserve credit
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) supports the 22nd Amendment not because it is the best solution but because it is better than the 20th Amendment.
Joining day two of the debate on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution in Parliament on Friday, Premadasa said that the 22nd Amendment was brought in due to the pressure brought by the protesters against the prevailing political system.
“Thus, those involved in the protests deserve credit for the amendment,” Premadasa said. The Opposition Leader said, “We are voting in favour of this Amendment because we want to help get this country out of the economic crisis. The Government’s tax reform is an anti-people program. We are strongly against it.”
Privilege issue
Raising a Privilege Issue in Parliament on Friday, Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC said that certain media groups are trying to destroy the freedom of speech of Parliamentarians. The Minister said that a certain group is trying to disrupt the program he is carrying out as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Privileges Committee.
Minister Rajapakshe said that there is a Ethics and Privileges Committee of Parliamentarians and as its Chairman, several journalists were called before that Committee in the past few days. However, a few days ago, an electronic media journalist said that the newspaper advertisement made the MPs uncomfortable while presenting morning newspaper features. The Minister said that there are few MPs who misbehave in Parliament but it is unfair to label all the MPs in that category.
Credibility
National People’s Power Leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament on Friday that Parliamentarians have lost their credibility by supporting any and every Constitutional Amendment as long as it keeps them in power.
Dissanayake also said that after supporting any and every Amendment the same MPs speak about retaining the honour of the House.
He said, “The majority of the Parliamentarians supported the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. Then, they supported the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. The same majority is now ready to vote in favour of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution as well. This happened continuously. It was the same with the 17th and the 18th Amendments to the Constitution.”
“There are Ministers who have voted in favour of all these amendments for decades. This shows that even though the Constitution changes, the Ministers do not change. They just support every Amendment for the sake of supporting and retaining power. It is hilarious the way these Parliamentarians behave,” he said.
Pendulum
Joining the two-day debate on the 22nd Amendment, TNA Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran said, “Many members in this House voted for the 17 th Amendment to the Constitution. The same members voted for the 18 th Amendment to the Constitution.
Those very members voted for the 19th Amendment and 20th Amendment to the Constitution as well. Today they are all ready to vote for the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. They are like a pendulum. They swing from one end to the other for the turn of this millennium. Every time you say you have made a mistake and you want to change it. What type of Parliament is this?
No wonder that the country says to be done with these 225 MPs. Why is this 22nd Amendment coming today? It is coming because the people in the country want a system change not tinkering with the Constitution.
Some tinkering happened from the 17th Amendment onwards but this Bill before this House today doesn’t even tinker with the Constitution. If it is passed it will still retain all the powers of the Executive Presidency. This is an absolute fraud.
The 1994 Presidential Election manifesto pledged to abolish the Executive Presidency within six months but that six months has still not come. Every candidate at every Presidential Election comes before the people and says I will abolish the Executive Presidency. You are lying to the people saying this is a first step towards that when in fact none of the past of the Executive Presidents is taken away by this Bill.
The Supreme Court has also swung like a pendulum. In the 19th Amendment Bill, they permitted various changes and said this doesn’t need a referendum. But now the same Supreme Court says you require a referendum. Change that Supreme Court also if they can’t read and understand their own determination in the 19 th Amendment.”
People are suffering
State Minister of Mass Media Shantha Bandara told the Parliament on Tuesday that only fools request an election when an economic crisis prevails in the country. He also questioned who is crazy enough to request an election while the people are suffering on account of a food crisis.
He said that the foremost move of any political party should be to find solutions to the economic crisis in order to ease the sufferings of the people. He said “The people do not request an election. They want solid economic reforms and a developed economy. Nobody wants to see people suffering from economic hardship. So, the Government should strive towards an economy where there won’t be any more fuel or gas queues.”
No political answer
Cabinet Spokesman Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardane said that there is no political answer to the current economic crisis in this country, and only by working together to rebuild the economy, an answer can be found in this regard.
The minister said this in response to a question by a journalist regarding the payment of salaries to public servants and finding solutions to economic problems at the weekly Cabinet press briefing at the Department of Government Information premises.
A Ministerial Sub-Committee on Economic Revival and Growth was appointed under the chairmanship of President Ranil Wickremesinghe to assist in making quick decisions to help the country recover from the economic crisis it is currently in, as well as to restore the negative economy to a state of growth once again.
Minister Gunawardane said that due to the current fiscal management problem, the current Government does not have enough money to meet the expenses that need to be incurred this year, and due to the continued economic contraction, the revenue that can be collected by the Government is decreasing, and even if the income is reduced, some expenses cannot be cut.
Not a turning point
SLPP Parliamentarian Dullas Alahapperuma told Parliament on Friday that the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution is not a turning point in the country’s political history, but, it is an attempt to correct some wrong decisions taken in the past.
By saying that over the past 40 years, the Constitution has been amended on 22 occasions and questioned the reason for bringing this many amendments to the fundamental and supreme law of the country. He further questioned the reason for bringing three Constitutions within 74 years.
“If we could find the answers for these two questions, we can take a correct decision at least the next time,” the MP said. MP Alahapperuma said that most of the Constitutional amendments were brought by personally targeting the leader or the ruling party of the country or a family. “Electoral systems were also introduced in the same manner,” he said.
Democratic rule
Former President Maithripala Sirisena told Parliament on Thursday that the SLFP will support the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. Joining the two-days debate on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, Sirisena said that the SLFP is not supporting the Amendment to strengthen the Government.
He said that they will support the Amendments which strengthen democratic rule and people’s aspirations. Former President Sirisena said that most of the Amendments done to the Constitution were not focusing on people’s aspirations.
He said, “When I was the President, we were able to secure 215 votes from 225 for the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. The biggest problem we had with the 19th Amendment was that the Constitutional Council was highly politicised. Another factor was that the Speaker was able to control the independent commissions. When we passed the 19th Amendment in 2015, the Amendment itself said that independent commissions should be passed regulations by the House.
“However, no regulations were passed for any Commission after the 19th Amendment was passed. Thus, the Constitutional Council and the independent Commissions were controlled by others’ whims and fancies. I remember some qualified judges had to retire without being promoted due to this political nature of the Constitutional Council. We need to avoid shortcomings like these.”
Village power
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that village power should be made the country’s economic administration without political theories. The Prime Minister said this when the Kalutara District National Food Security Progress Review Meeting and the District Coordination Committee Meeting were held at the Kalutara District Secretariat Auditorium recently.
The Premier said that since we are now in a serious financial crisis as well as a major foreign exchange crisis, everyone should join hands regardless of political differences to overcome this crisis.
He said, “As a country, we must maintain a surplus in the agricultural sector. On the other hand, the plantation industry is a major sector that supports our exports. We have nothing to hide about the economy. We have to work together to get out of it.”
He said it is being implemented as a program where everyone can participate in the food security process, from village service divisions to the divisional secretariat, as well as at the district level and at the national level.
Premier Gunawardena said, “We consider the need to integrate the farmers in the production as a priority. In order to achieve these goals, attention should be paid to various agricultural machinery, fertiliser, insecticides and preservatives, bringing them to the market and giving good prices. This crisis is a national crisis. Everyone has to face this crisis.”
Positive traits
SJB Parliamentarian Eran Wickramaratne said the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution comes nowhere near the 19th Amendment which was done away with by the former Government.
Was Wickramaratne joining the debate on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.
He said, “The 22nd Amendment can be improved if the appointments to the Constitutional Council (CC) are done with the agreement of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. Based on that assumption that there will be an improvement, there are positive traits in the Amendment as well.
“The setting up of a Procurement Commission and an Audit Commission is a positive trait. Public officials will be appointed neutrally as the CC is not politicised. We have seen the appointment of the Central Bank Governor, which is a political appointment. It will be brought under the CC.”
“I admit if the Amendments are properly moved, there are some positive aspects in the 22nd Amendment. SJB brought the 21st Amendment to the Constitution. The key feature of that amendment is the abolition of some of the powers of the President.
We have looked at 44 years of a presidential system in this country. While there are positives and negatives, we have come to a conclusion that the Executive Presidency has been a liability as it has not been accountable to the legislature and there has been abuse of power,” he said.