JHU challenges SLMC to debate on 20A

Saturday, 30 May 2015 01:44 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

JHU Western Provincial Councillor Niashantha Sri Warnasinghe addressing a press conference – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara

By Jayashika Padmasiri

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) yesterday challenged the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) to a debate on the 20th Amendment.

This challenge was issued after the SLMC refused to give its consent to 20A at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, claiming that the new electoral system was unfair by minority parties.

JHU Western Provincial Councillor Niashantha Sri Warnasinghe addressing a press conference said that the conduct of the SLMC is sordid as SLMC representatives come for discussions on 20A and enter into agreements after giving their consent, and then act contradictorily at the Cabinet meeting.

“We would like to know what special problem the SLMC has which the other minority parties such as the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Mano Ganesan’s party or Digambaran’s party don’t have. The decision to increase Parliamentary seats to 255 was taken to be fair to minority parties. The SLMC is behaving in a manner which leads to the question whether they are trying to sabotage the implementation of the 20A on somebody else’s behalf,” Warnasinghe charged.

He pointed out that if the SLMC had issues concerning 20A, then they should be discussed professionally after the issues are presented to the panel of academic and professional advisors of 20A. Warnasinghe also said that the national need of the people right now was the implementation of the 20A.

“It is not no-confidence motions or dissolving Parliament that the country needs right now, but the implementation of 20A. Therefore, if a no-confidence motion is going to be brought up, it should be brought up against the people who are trying to sabotage the implementation of 20A,” he said.

Warnasinghe also asserted that the people who were against 20A were traitors and enemies of the country, adding that 20A should be gazetted without any further delay.

“If there are any shortcomings in 20A, then we can discuss those problems later and find a solution. Nevertheless, 20A has to be gazetted as that is what the country’s people want and when they gave a mandate to President Sirisena, they expected to see these changes implemented in the country. The mandate of the people should be respected and 20A should be implemented without acting according to the selfish agendas of certain political parties,” he added.