The appointment of Saman Rathnapriya, a civil society activist to fill the National List position held by Dr Jayampathy Wickremarathne has come under heavy criticism.
Speaking to the Sunday Observer Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) National Coordinator Manjula Gajanayake said the move stifles the space to appoint professionals and intellectuals to Parliament, the purpose of introducing the National List system.
“We have been working and promoting a cultural difference in politics especially in the case of the National List to bring in professionals. There is no argument about nominating Dr Jayampathy Wickramaratne considering his expertise. So if this appointment is in place of him it should be substituted not with someone who has been involved in political activities. He may be someone who will be able to fill up constituencies politically, but will not have the capacity to fill that void. Therefore we have an objection to this appointment,” Gajanayake said.
Following the United National Party (UNP) officially communicating Rathnapriya’s name for the national list position, last Thursday (23) the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) issued a statement criticising the decision.
“CPA notes that Rathnapriya’s name was not included in the list of persons qualified to be elected as Members of Parliament, in terms of Article 99A of the Constitution (the “National List”) submitted by the UNP for the
Parliamentary Election held on August 17, 2015. CPA’s position is that in terms of the Constitution only a person whose name was included in one of the district nomination papers or national list submitted by the relevant political party is entitled to be nominated to fill such a vacancy,” the statement read.
Explaining that such arbitrary practice of appointing “any member” of a political party, who was not nominated at the relevant election, violates the franchise of the people which is part of the sovereignty of the people. CPA further pointed out that if as the Constitution suggests the people are indeed the sovereign of the Republic, then the people should know before an election who the political party intends to appoint to Parliament.
CMEV further pointed out that it sets a bad precedent.