Tuesday, 28 April 2015 00:01
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History is waiting with its sharpened pen to record the fate of the 19th Amendment. Presented to Parliament for the second time on Monday it will be debated on Tuesday with a vote that will be the most crucial test faced by the Government. If it gains 150 or more votes in the 225-seat, Parliament democracy will have won the day. If not members will likely find themselves facing an election earlier than expected.
Getting the crucial amendment through the House will be a litmus test of the Maithripala Sirisena administration, after constitutional reform formed the bedrock of his election platform for change in the January presidential poll. For weeks open contests have been staged for votes with sharply-divided factions coming to the forefront.
In a major relief to the Government many of the main parties took a cordial view during the first day of the debate, with many praising President Maithripala Sirisena for his liberal stance. Even Opposition leader Nimal Siripala de Silva had a rare word of praise comparing the Head of State to King Wessanthara who famously donated his own head to save his kingdom from suffering. It can only be hoped the same conciliatory tone is maintained and translated into votes on Tuesday.
President Sirisena opening the floor for the second reading of the 19th Amendment expressed hope the bill could get passed when the vote is taken. With the enactment of the Amendment, the people of Sri Lanka will experience the true meaning of democracy and peace, noted the President, insisting the Amendment is an important piece of legislation that would historically abolish the executive presidency.
In an effort to unite Parliamentarians opposed to the 19th Amendment that also include pro-Rajapaksa members Sirisena recalled that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in 1999 opposed the enormous powers of the president and successive governments have since then tried to abolish the executive presidency. He reminded that abolishing the executive presidency was a pledge included in former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Mahinda Chinthana policy in 2005, 2010 and 2015.
Clearly the proposed legislation with its good governance policies is critical to bring Sri Lanka’s international reputation out of the shadows. It will even have a deep economical impact since following UN conventions is the main criteria for regaining GSP+. The President thanked the people for placing trust in him at the presidential elections this year and said the present leaders should ensure good governance and freedom as the leaders in the past did. In an insightful move, he also emphasised the credit for passing the 19th Amendment will be shared by everyone who votes for it.
Given the present composition of Parliament, 103 members of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) remain technically outside the net of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe National Government. Of this number, 90 MPs belong to the SLFP, which has decided in principle to back the amendment. If 45 among them vote with the Government on 19A, the amendment should be adopted, barring unforeseen issues. The remaining 13 are comprised of small constituent parties within the UPFA, including the EPDP, CWC, Communist Party, LSSP and NFF. Some of these have already stated they will not back the Amendment. As the hours count down, the numbers game will become even more intense.
