TNA Must Seek India's Help To Protect 13th Amendment

The Rajapaksa regime is all out to get a two-thirds majority in parliament through the forthcoming elections on August 5. The avowed objective of such a steam-roller majority is to promulgate a new Constitution or enact Constitutional amendments unilaterally.

- D.B.S.Jeyaraj

According to Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) ideologue Prof. Gamini Lakshman Peiris, a strong government is necessary to bring about Constitutional changes without relying on smaller political parties.“Pohottuwa” theoretician Gevindu Cumaratunga explains that such a huge majority is required to adopt a new Constitution that would reflect the historic victory achieved on the shores of “Nandikkadal” lagoon against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

What all this means is that the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa are going to target the 19th Constitutional Amendment of 2015 as well as the 13th Constitutional Amendment of 1987 in their envisaged Constitution making exercise. 19A is very likely to be abolished completely while 13A may be drastically amended reductively. The reasons for Rajapaksa antipathy towards 19A is well-known, as the “Medamulana” clan opines that it was brought to stifle the family politically. As for 13A, the long-cherished dream of rolling back devolution and centralising power by Sinhala hawks will be fulfilled by negating it. A path has been found already by mounting criticism of provincial councils as economic white elephants.