Civil society demands urgent dissolution of House
Leading civil society organizations and actors have called for an
urgent parliamentary election to overcome the current political
deadlock.
* In a joint statement 17 organizations and 52 reputed activists have
collectively claimed that, it is more than a month after the 23 April
2015, the date promised for the dissolution of Parliament in the 100-Day
Program of the National Democratic Front presidential election
manifesto.
* The statement stated: It is becoming increasingly clear that the
momentum generated by the historic January 2015 presidential election is
being exhausted, and that the minority government appointed for the sole
purpose of executing the 100-Day Program is drifting aimlessly.
After the enactment of the Nineteenth Amendment, the reform process
itself has become mired in an ambiguous and perplexing morass of
competing political self-interests.
The current balance of power in the institutions of the state is
incongruous and unsustainable, with a President elected in 2015 to
undertake thoroughgoing constitutional reforms, on the one hand, and a
Parliament elected in 2010 under entirely different circumstances, on
the other.
In this context, the need for a Twentieth Amendment embodying
electoral reforms before the dissolution of Parliament, arose as a
necessary quid pro quo in exchange for the support of the UPFA
parliamentary majority for the Nineteenth Amendment.
Given the lack of a coherent position on the part of the UPFA on
electoral reforms, it is now even clearer than before that this demand
was entirely tactical.
Moreover, there has been absolutely no transparency or public
consultation in the preparation of the Twentieth Amendment and if
current proposals serve to undermine the principle of proportional
representation, that would constitute regression not progress from the
current system.
We value President Sirisena's courage in coming forward as the common
opposition candidate in what was a challenging political environment
under the previous regime, and applaud his demonstrable commitment to
successfully enacting reforms to the executive presidency, even if they
have not gone far enough. What is most important to remember about the
democratic mandate of the last presidential election, however, is that
the people of Sri Lanka voted for fundamental reforms to strengthen and
consolidate democracy as much or more than they voted for the winning
candidate.
This mandate requires not only substantive reforms but also a
transformation in the way government and governance is conducted. It
cannot be squandered because of political indecisiveness or expediency,
repeating the mistakes of the past where Sri Lanka's enormous potential
has been retarded time and again due to the absence of leadership and
political maturity.
The signatories urged that in the current context, there is a rising
perception of crisis and instability, and the economy was unable to
afford the current lack of political direction,, and as importantly, the
hope and aspiration created by the change of government in January
demands both clarity in promises being kept and further progress in
reforms, especially with regard to devolution and power-sharing.
The time is ripe therefore for fresh parliamentary elections which
would allow the people of Sri Lanka to have their say on reforms already
enacted and to mandate the direction of the government for the next five
years it added, urging for the immediate dissolution of parliament.
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