Former President J. R. Jayawardene amended the Sri Lanka Constitution to allow for an Executive President with powers that no other democratically elected President in the world enjoys. The Executive President of Sri Lanka is even above the law of the land.
All opposition political parties, including left-leaning parties, opposed the Executive Presidency and wanted it abolished.
Chandrika Kumaratunga, elected President after promising to abolish the Executive Presidency, should she be elected, went on to enjoy two Presidential terms, with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) backing her. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), however, fell out with her on the issue.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, who also contested for the Presidency on a promise of abolishing the Executive Presidency, ignored his promise after being elected President, and decided to go for two terms, and perhaps even more, with the SLFP and former Marxists and Trotskyites backing him.
The United National Party (UNP), which was for the Executive Presidency, now wants the post abolished.
The former Marxists and Trotskyites, represented by five persons in Parliament (most of them not elected by the masses), who had earlier opposed the Executive Presidency, did vote for the Executive Presidency, apparently to save their Ministries and places in Parliament.
What is hilarious is former Trotskyite Vasudeva Nanayakkara’s claim that he “voted for the 18th Amendment, while disagreeing with the principles in principle,” stressing that “anti-democratic forces want to topple the government and we cannot allow them to do so.”
Even if the five former Marxists and Trotskyites had not voted, the government would not have fallen.
One thing is obvious: When in power you relish the Executive Presidency and when out of power, you clamour to have it abolished. That is the way of politics in this country. Sri Lanka is a paradise for fickle-minded, undependable politicians.
Upali S. Jayasekera,
Colombo 4
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