report in Daily FT, Aug 11, 2023
*Accuses Wickremesinghe of attempting to mislead Parliament through his recent statement
**Says there is no necessity to bring in acts to implement 13A as it was already enacted years ago
***Claims it is regrettable that SLPP has chosen to endorse 13A
****Implies Wickremesinghe’s current enthusiasm for 13A is mere political ploy
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila yesterday accused President Ranil Wickremesinghe of attempting to go beyond the 13th Amendment to the Constitution or 13+ promised at one juncture.
He said the President in his address to Parliament attempted to mislead it. “He said that he would bring several Acts to fully implement the 13 Amendment. He further proposed to repeal the Concurrent List in the 9th Schedule to the Constitution. There is no need to bring new Acts to implement the 13A. It has already been enacted 36 years ago,” the MP noted.
Gammanpila accused the President of attempting to go beyond 13A or 13+ in the guise of implementation of the 13A. The MP said it was regrettable that the governing Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) had chosen to endorse the 13th Amendment (13A), citing the rationale that it was a policy previously advocated by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The MP also noted that Rajapaksa had no mandate to implement 13+ and he was rejected by the people after his statement in support of it.
“The 13A had been a part of the Constitution for 36 long years under seven Presidents. But nobody attempted to implement it in full because they were fully aware of its adverse consequences. Very strangely, President Wickremasinghe had been a member of the cabinets of six out of seven Presidents. He never suggested implementing the 13A in full under any of these presidents. Why was that?,” Gammanpila asked.
He implied that the President’s current enthusiasm for implementing the 13th Amendment (13A) is simply a strategic manoeuvre in preparation for the upcoming Presidential election.
https://www.ft.lk/news/Gammanpila-accuses-President-of-attempting-to-go-beyond-13A/56-751689
