19th A

( President Sirisena has appointed Champika Ranawaka as his representative to the CC) In spite of heavy ‘confrontations’ both in and outside parliament over allegedly fraudulent Treasury bond issues, the UNP-led government and the Opposition have reached agreement on the formation of a 10-member Constitutional Council paving the way to the setting up of 11 […]

“Five years ago, on the 8th of September, 2010, the lot fell on me to open the Debate for the Opposition on the Eighteenth Amendment and I remember the words that I spoke then. I said, “Within six months of me coming into Parliament, I am confronted with this Bill, which was a final nail […]

by Rajan Philips. The transformative benefits of the 19th Amendment are arguably more in the experience of its passage – the whole business of its drafting, judicial preview, debate, enactment and adoption, than in the content of its provisions. First, the drafting itself was a very public and effectively contested process, easily without precedent, or […]

Jayampathy Wickramaratne, a constitutional lawyer who advises the Sri Lankan government, said he was largely satisfied with reforms approved by parliament this week which an opposition faction watered down at the last moment. The 19th amendment to the constitution passed on Tuesday succeeded in prunning the powers of the executive president and shifting them to […]

Stating that the passing of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution marked a major stride for democracy, Lawyers Collective urges all political parties to use the next general election to obtain a fresh mandate to abolish the Executive Presidency fully in an appropriate manner. Lawyers Collective expressed their disappointment at the attempt by few MPs […]

Reporting on Sri Lanka’s current political situation can be quite exciting. However, commenting on it is difficult and hazardous. The reason is simple. The current politics in our country is in flux. Events appear and disappear so rapidly and unexpectedly that identifying any patterns and regularities in the political process, which are so crucial for […]

by Rajan Philips. If there is ever a time for political leadership to act in disregard of consensus, it is now. There was a time in Sri Lankan politics when that master rhetorician Colvin R. de Silva presaged the governing style of the SLFP-LSSP-CP United Front as one that would be “characterized not by consensus […]

To: All Honourable Members of Parliament. An earnest request to the Sri Lankan Parliamentarians:Support the passage of the proposed 19th Amendment to the Constitution As you debate the above Constitutional Amendment in the Parliament under challenging circumstances, we thought that it is important to encourage you to see to its successful passage. One of the […]

Justice Minister Wijayadasa Rajapakshe yesterday said that Speaker had no powers to summon the officials of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption to Parliament just because MPs staged a protest. Addressing a press conference at the office of the Leader of the House in the Parliament Complex, the Minister said that summoning […]

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, in a statement yesterday, said it welcomed the recent constitutional reforms process initiated under the leadership of the President and the Government. It has also welcomed the proposed 19th Amendment to the Constitution, particularly those provisions addressing the 18th Amendment, the Constitutional Council, independent commissions, urgent Bills and the Right […]

If one were to make a fair and sober evaluation of the Ranil-Sirisena (R&S; the order is intentional) administration, the judgement of history would be that it was not a failure but it achieved less than it could and should have. The big achievement of course was that it happened at all – it was […]

It was no doubt disappointment for the UNP-dominated Government that provisions the UNP sought to include in the Constitution were dismissed by the Supreme Court on the grounds that they require a referendum. The SC held that “permitting the Prime Minister to exercise Executive power in relation to the six paragraphs” dealing with the Executive […]

If the present Parliament fails to bring in the 19th Amendment, President Maithripala Sirisena has a duty to dissolve it immediately and seek a mandate from the people to elect one which can change the Constitution, noted J.C. Weliamuna, leading human rights lawyer and former Director of Transparency International Sri Lanka. He pointed out that […]

A five-member committee was appointed at the SLFP group meeting chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday to help bring about electoral reforms as the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. The committee headed by parliamentarian Prof. G. L. Peiris comprises MPs Mahinda Samarasinghe, Dilan Perera, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva. UFPA […]

In this historical new era of a new political culture and good governance, a historic consensus and compromise was reached yesterday in relation to the controversial 19th Amendment to the Constitution. A major split in the new government headed by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had erupted last month after the draft […]

There have been some recent critical comments in public fora on delays in the government’s response to issues of concern raised at the Presidential elections of 8th January 2015. The Friday Forum appreciates the difficulties faced by the government in implementing within a short period of 100 days, the ambitious programme of work promised in […]

The state should not rigidly control private media institutions, especially during the time of a poll. All the broadcasting and telecasting stations will deliver the same message favourable to the regime of the time, Counsel Sanjeewa Jayawardena President’s Counsel told the Supreme Court yesterday. Counsel was referring to the proposed 19th Amendment to the Constitution. […]

1. to add immediately after Para. 41A. (1) (e) of the Gazetted Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution bill ” and out of the five persons appointed one person shall be a Tamil and another person a Muslim. “ 2. to delete the following sentence in Para. 41b. (3) of the Gazetted Nineteenth Amendment to the […]

[Dr Jayampathi Wickramarathne , architect  of the 19th A] AG says “contentious” clauses amended’ The provisions of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution are not inconsistent with the Constitution or the legal framework, TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran,said yesterday. Making submissions before the Supreme Court, he said that the proposed Amendment need not be subjected […]

Two important Constitutional Amendments, as promised by the Government as the Common Opposition during its election campaign, are now in the initial stages of formulation. The 19th and 20th Amendments will carry important reforms to prune executive presidency and bring in electoral reforms, both of which are expected to be fulfilled before the next general […]