President to ask SC to deliver dissolution verdict as soon as possible: Wimal

MP Wimal Weerawansa speaks to media along with MP Anura Priyadharshana Yapa

- Pic by Lasantha Kumara 

By Nuwan Senarathna 

In a bid to end the country’s current political deadlock, President Maithripala Sirisena will today make a special request to Chief Justice Nalin de Silva through Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya for the Supreme Court’s decision on the Gazette dissolving Parliament to be issued asearly as possible, MP Wimal Weerawansa revealed yesterday.

“The entire country is waiting for the Supreme Court’s decision on the Gazette dissolving Parliament issued by President Maithripala Sirisena. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court’s vacation starts from 14 December and ends in January next year, therefore we expect the Supreme Court to announce its decision prior to 14 December,” Weerawansa told reporters at the Western Province Aesthetic Resort (NADA).

He said that the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) expected that the Supreme Court would announce its decision at its earliest convenience to end the country’s current political turmoil. 

“We have faith in the Supreme Court. We believe the judges will announce a fair decision,” he added. 

Weerawansa also alleged that Ranil Wickremesinghe had agreed to let the United States occupy lands in Trincomalee “which was why certain international organisations were interested in the Supreme Court decision,” he charged.

Speaking to reporters, MP Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said certain representatives from diplomatic missions based in Colombo and members of international organisations had attended the Supreme Court hearings, which was cause for concern.

He claimed that some of the foreign nationalspresent at the Supreme Court’s hearings of petitions filed against President Sirisena’s decision to dissolve Parliament had issued a statement on the situation. Yapa notedthat “outsiders”did not have any right to comment on the country’s internal matters.

“They are commenting on a matteron which our Judiciary is going to announce a fair decision. Therefore I find this a dangerous situation,” he charged.

Yapa also raised concerns over a recent tweet by British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka James Dauris on the Supreme Court’s pending decision.

High Commissioner Dauris had tweeted: “As a former law student myself, I’m looking forward to reading this week’s Supreme Court judgement. It will be one of those rare decisions that shape history. Law students in Sri Lanka will be studying the conclusions it comes to and reasoning it sets out for generations to come.”

According to Yapa, the statement made by the British High Commissioner was unnecessary interference in Sri Lanka’s judiciary and sovereignty. 

“The international community and certain diplomatic missions want to gain access to local matters and certain parties are even trying to interfere with the Judiciary,” he alleged. 

Meanwhile, he noted that the Sri Lankan Constitution had mixed characteristics of the United States’ Constitution with France’s Constitution. He noted that the President was the Head of State in Sri Lanka, which everyone had to respect.  

“Sri Lanka has a unique Constitution; it is neither India’s Constitution nor any other country’s Constitution. Therefore no one can compare our Constitution with that of another country.” 

“According to our Constitution, the President is the Head of State and Head of the Cabinet and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces,” he added.