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By Ashwin Hemmathagama Our Lobby Correspondent
The Government presented the adjournment motion on electoral reforms in Parliament yesterday, opening the floor for political parties to voice their views on the 20th Amendment,
During the discussion, UNP national list MP R. Yogarajan confirmed that the total number of seats in Parliament would remain at 225, with 125 selected through the first-past-the-post system, 75 through the preferential system and 25 from the national list.
“125 are elected on an electorate basis and 100 through proportional representation, which makes up the 225. This is 55% on first-past-the-post and 45% through the preferential system, which is closer to what the minority parties requested; 50% from each. However, the 125 electorates will cause an issue for the minorities where minority representation will get diluted,” said Yogarajan.
“The UNP, which supported the President, said in the [President’s] manifesto that it would amend the election system, eliminating the preferential voting system and creating members of Parliament for each constituency. However, the President didn’t approve any system which would increase the number of members in this House.
“We understand that a gazette has been issued proposing that 237 members be elected to a new Parliament. I do not think that the people have given a mandate to increase the number of members. We felt that the people were against such an increase. We already have 225 members in Parliament, 460 in Provincial Councils and over 4,000 in Pradeshiya Sabhas. Based on the new electoral system built on the proposal of Dinesh Gunawardena, the number of members in Pradeshiya Sabhas will increase further,” he added.
“A gazette has been issued enabling the public to know what legislation is intended to be brought up prior to the bill entering Parliament. The purpose is for people to know what will happen in order to create a debate within society. I am sure our Government does not want to pass any bill without a proper discussion in the country,” Yogarajan said.
Seconding the motion, UNP legislator Ajith Mannapperuma chided the Opposition for not supporting the 20th Amendment.
“The Opposition doesn’t know what democracy is. They are used to passing laws under dictatorship. We, being a democratic Government, listen to all and adjust our system accordingly. The Opposition is trying to make this a political circus and does not really wish to change the existing political system. We were able to defeat the 18th Amendment and bring in the 19th Amendment. It is clearly visible that the Opposition is afraid of a new political system. People were promised a change in the electoral system 10 years ago and it is pending. The UNP is a political party which is committed and responsible. We will deliver what is pledged in the 100-day program,” he said.
However, Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva was doubtful over the Cabinet’s unanimous approval of the 20th Amendment Bill.
“This adjournment debate is about nothing more than passing the blame to the Opposition. All this time the UNP tricked us by highlighting the 19th Amendment but neglecting the 20th Amendment. All that is found here in this bill was discussed for three days during the Cabinet meetings held from time to time. This shows that the UNP is unable to bring out a new law at least by holding discussions within the Cabinet and including minorities,” he said.
Voicing suggestions
Explaining the rationale behind the 20th Amendment gazette notification, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe asked lawmakers to voice their suggestions. “During the last presidential elections we came out to abolish the executive presidency and continue the 17th Amendment. The people were also not in favour of the electoral system. As promised, we brought in the 19th Amendment. Secondly, the 20th Amendment was there, which was discussed in Cabinet. We allowed the President to hold discussions with the SLFP separately. The bill was gazetted to allow more discussions to take place in different forums.
“There is nothing wrong with people discussing this beyond the Cabinet. Now at least we have a document with us to discuss. We have to understand that there are different opinions within the Cabinet. We want to go forward by considering public opinion. The problems of Minister Rauff Hakeem are different from the issues another Minister has. But the Opposition is looking at bringing in a no-confidence motion and putting in its own Prime Minister to bring this bill under his leadership. This shows that the Opposition does not trust their leader, Maithripala Sirisena. You have made Sirisena your leader and are now working discreetly to remove him,” the Prime Minister stated.
JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake accused the Prime Minister and the UNP of having a hidden agenda.
“We have a system of representative politics. The process of selecting these representatives is a matter to discuss. People elect members to represent them and to govern with sovereignty. We need to prepare a system which is agreeable to all. The 20th Amendment is unclear and has gained no unanimous agreement within the Cabinet. The Prime Minister is involved with it on different levels. We too have sent our suggestions, which were not even acknowledged. This is nothing more than an election system prepared inside the President’s office,” he said.
Joining the debate, UNP General Secretary Kabir Hashim revealed that the party’s position on the 20th Amendment by listing eight key points used for the preparation of the bill.
“The total number of members will be limited to 225, the electoral system should be easy to understand for ordinary Sri Lankans, it should be a mixed electoral system, there has to be a member who is responsible for each electorate, we need to put an end to the preferential vote war, despite the cultural differences the system has to be able to represent the minorities and their interests, a common system should be used across all levels, from local governments to Parliament, and controls should exist on the costs of election campaigns,” he said.
