Are the "whims and fancies" of smaller parties going to be heard for "strengthening President's hand?"
by M.S.M. Ayub
The ruling coalition, the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) seems to be obsessed with the hope of winning more than two thirds of the parliamentary seats at the General Election scheduled to be held on April 8. Leaders and the members of the constituent parties of the coalition have no doubt whatsoever of being beaten by the two main opposition coalitions, the UNF and the DNA. Those two are in fact not coalitions, but two parties, the first one being the UNP while the other one is the JVP.
Interestingly the leaders of the UPFA do not seem to be sure of why they need two thirds of parliamentary power. Ministers and leaders of the UPFA seem to think that with the power they hope to get at the General election. they will be able to fulfil their various hopes.
Constitutional Reforms and National Integration Minister D.E.W. Gunasekara said at a press conference in Colombo on March 15 that the Government will change the existing Constitution by introducing radical reforms and introduce a new electoral system when it obtains a two-thirds majority. “It is the Opposition that prevented this on three occasions,” he had stated.
A state owned Sunday newspaper on February 28 quoted Minister Rajitha Senaratne as saying that the Executive Presidency will be responsible to Parliament and the immunity given to the President will be done away with. Those are the two main draconian powers in the Executive Presidency and the President is ready to leave aside those powers, he had said. He also had said that the present PR system will be amended and the First Past the Post System will be introduced.“After the General Election with a strong Government and the elimination of so-called Sinhala extremists, we would be able to give a practical solution to the national question by consulting Sinhalese, Muslims and Tamils so that all can live peacefully”, he had further added.
However, the same newspaper of November 1 last year had quoted Deputy Minister of Justice Dilan Perera as saying that the Executive Presidential system has been very advantageous to the country in recent times. When the executive presidency was introduced to the country, the minorities supported it and the minority parties thought they can always have more support for their cause under the Executive Presidential system, he had added.
Constitutional Affairs Minister D.E.W. Gunasekara again had told the BBC on March 18 that the Government if elected with two thirds majority at the forthcoming election will abolish or reform Executive Presidency .The Minister added that a political solution aimed at minority Tamil community’s grievances may also be included in the new constitution after consultations with other parties.
However, the country is not aware of any official decision that has been taken by the leaders of the ruling coalition to the effect that they would abolish the Executive Presidency or replace the existing electoral system with any specific new system or carry out any specific action to find a solution to the ethnic problem.
Realistic or not, contradicting each other or not, all these are mere promises by the Ministers, if not their genuine hopes. However, President Mahinda Rajapaksa was more realistic and genuine when he urged the voters, at a meeting of UPFA trade union leaders on March 12 at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo, to return a strong parliament with a comprehensive majority so that the government would not be at the mercy of the minor and minority parties which call the shots in return for their support.
Addressing UPFA trade union members he said that a balanced Parliament means the government need not cave into the whims and fancies of the minority or smaller parties whenever it wants to pass a Bill. This seems to be a genuine sentiment of a leader who had to appoint the world’s biggest cabinet in order to satisfy the leaders of smaller parties that helped him to secure the parliamentary majority.
However, it would be interesting to know what the leaders and members of smaller parties that have joined the Government claiming that they were strengthening President’s hands, felt when they heard these remarks by the President. Perhaps it carried a message to those smaller parties and the minority parties in the UPFA .
However no smaller party or minority party within or without the UPFA uttered a single word, supportive of, or against this remark. Does this mean that they endorse the sentiments expresed by the President? The silence of the parties within the ruling coalition is comprehensible, since their very survival and the ministerial aspirations of their leaders depend on the friendly relationship between them and the ruling party. In other words they are now at the mercy of the SLFP with the seeming possibility of the UPFA securing a comfortable majority in the parliament.
The smaller parties outside the government apparently would not speak on this subject since that would amount to admitting their limitations. Minority parties may have been offended or embarassed but they have already found with the last Presidential Election results that they were not that strong in influencing the Government.
The President’s comment is in fact applicapable not only to the parties outside the UPFA, but also to the smaller parties in the UPFA and in the last Government. However, the candidates of those parties contesting the General Election do so under the betel leaf symbol of the UPFA whereby they have given the sole authority to decide on their future to the Secretary of the UPFA.
The constituent parties, especially the smaller parties of the UPFA cannot make any demand to the UPFA hierarchy as separate political entities now, as that would go against the wishes of the President. (He has also urged the voters to return a strong parliament so that government would not need to cave into the whims and fancies of the minority or smaller parties) At the same time, if these parties do not have any policies that are different from those of the UPFA , that nullifies the very existence of those parties as separate political entities. Or else they can make proposals which might or might not be considered by the UPFA hierarchy. In the final analysis they have now become non-entities as separate parties.
All in all, it is appropriate for the smaller parties in the ruling coalition to get their membership absorbed into the Sri Lanka Freedom Party or the UPFA as the National Unity Alliance (NUA) leader Feirial Ashraff did last month. (She has not disbanded the NUA, but has caused it to disband by enrolling herself in the SLFP.) ~ courtesy: dailymirror.lk ~
5 Comments
It’s pity many believers of MR still don’t realize his real game plan.
All MR and his brothers are hoping to gain through this election is ultimate power.
They need this power to eliminate any opposition party and to defend any war crime charges.
As MR clearly said recently that he has no respect even to his own ministers.
If MR and his gang is really believe in democracy then why are they hoping for more then 2/3 in parliament?
If MR has any genuine plan to integrate minorities into the Sri Lankan political system then why MR doesn’t want to include any parliament members selected by minorities in his future decision making process?
This is a wake up call for people from N&E.
All the elaborate details of the request for a two thirds majority,regardless of the face they appear, mean just one and only one thing.MR and his henchman want to be in power for ever.Let people decide.
Are we going to give the UPFA a blank cheque not knowing the outcome? Presently it seems to be a free fall situation. Who will come on top, moderates or extremists? Since MR himself did not get a 2/3rds majority it is unlikely given the current divisions and infighting.
DEW Gunasekera, Dilan Perera, Rajitha Senaratna, Keheliya Rambukwella and other trans-migratory birds of GoSL blissfully contradict themselves in their own ego-trips whether the ExecPresidency will stay or not. Poor Tissa Vitharna is devalued beyond recognition and his APRC is a virtual Greek comedy. Irrespective of Parliament, the Supreme Court, the parallel power of the Mahayanakas and what not, Brothers Three (or four) will make THE decision.
If someone is looking for a clue MR gave a hint in a newspaper recently "What is the point in my being a President if I do not have the power to transfer an Inspector of Police in Hambantota" So Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, HR Guys and before dolls, "Enjoyists" (as someone describes the NGOs) and other sundry do gooders of varios hues and cries, the writing looks pretty clear on the wall. The 17th and other amendments will have to give way to serve the interests of the you-know-who. The current ruling philosophy is "Henda athey nam, beda ganilla" (If the ladle is in your hands, serve yourself) And as to the wider and larger interests of the people and the great many promises on election and other platforms - you have a whole heap of fat 'thinks' coming your way. For the present, just smell the Coffee because sooner than later the s..h..t is going to hit the ceiling.
ISS
When democracy itself is crying for freedom,in a country like ours,sufferings caused by the perpetrators can be immense.This has happened before
and happening now.It doesn't matter who is in power.We
remember how JRJ once retorted to the protest of
muslim mps of his own party when they opposed the moves by JRJ to connect with Israel.He told them point blank that they can leave the party if they want to.
They all behaved "good boys" with their mouths properly shut except for eating drinking.
MR is a copy cat and the only exception is,he got this
"nationalist" badge on his shoulders.That's his winning mantra.He's using all kinds of confrontational language that's largely avoided or carefully filtered by UNF, in order to stand in front of the whole country as a true uniting force,where as UPFA is hell bent on hook or crook approach.
If you closely look at these two approches,you don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand how these people will use the power to treat the citizens with respect.These are all interconnected with the behaviour of minority parties and smaller majority parties.