Religious leaders come out against 20A

The 20th Amendment to the Constitution is beginning to face strong opposition among religious leaders, with both an influential section of the Buddhist clergy and the Catholic Church coming out against it within a span of 24 hours. 

Yesterday, the Amarapura and the Ramanna Maha Nikayas made a joint appeal to the Government to withdraw the 20th Amendment.

In a strongly worded joint statement, they stressed that 20A undermined democracy and urged the Government not to go ahead with it. 

The statement, signed by Maha Lekhakadhikari of the Sri Lanka Amarapura Maha Sangha Sabha, Ven. Pallekande Rathanasara Thera and Maha Lekhakadhikari of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Sangha Sabha, Ven. Aththangane Sasana Rathana Thera, stated that what the country needed was a new Constitution and urged the Government to begin proceedings in this regard without delay. 

Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops' Conference in Sri Lanka, a collective body of catholic priests, also expressed severe concerns on the proposed 20th Amendment saying that "it does not seem to put forward any other rationale for the move," while stressing reasons behind introducing 19A was to ensure economic growth, nationals security, sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the island.

Pointing out that since 1994, all successive Presidents vowed to abolish the Executive Presidency but " none had the political will to do so for reasons not unknown to the people", the body noted that concentration of power in an individual without checks and balances does not augur well for a Democratic, Socialist Republic. 

“The drafters must be aware to plug the loopholes that lead to multiple interpretations. Greater clarity is needed if the Constitution is to serve the citizenry. Thus, the 20th Amendment should not be proceeded with, in its entirety and instead a new Constitution needs to be the national priority at this moment,” the statement said.