News

20 A: President ready to submit fresh draft

Published

6 years ago

2020/09/14

Sahan Weerasooriya

GL heads team to advise PM on disputed amendment: Report due tomorrow

By Shamindra Ferdinando

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has assured civil society groups, the National Joint Committee (NJC) and Yuthukama that the proposed 20th Amendment to the Constitution would be rescinded to pave the way for a new draft.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa gave this assurance at a meeting with Manohara de Silva, PC and lawmaker Gevindu Cumaratunga last Friday (11) evening at the Presidential Secretariat. Manohara de Silva is also a member of a special committee headed by Romesh de Silva, PC, to formulate a new Constitution.

The meeting took place close on the heels of Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera, on behalf of the Federation of National Organizations (FNO) urging President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to alter the 20th Amendment.

Earlier, the SLPP said that changes, if necessary, could be made at the Committee Stage in Parliament.

The SLPP also dismissed the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) threat to move the Supreme Court against the 20th Amendment on the basis the Attorney General cleared the 20th Amendment draft.

Also on the same day, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa named a nine-member group headed by SLPP Chairman and Education Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris to study the proposed 20th Amendment in the wake of growing protests by even those who backed the SLPP at both 2019 presidential and 2020 parliamentary polls. The Premier’s committee includes putative chief architect of the hotly disputed 20th Amendment Justice Minister Ali Sabry, PC as well as Labour Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, who represents the SLFP. With 13 elected on the SLPP ticket and one on the SLFP ticket, the latter is the second largest in the government parliamentary group.

The Premier has called for their report by Tuesday (15) according to a statement issued by the Premier’s Office under the hand of his Media Secretary Rohan Weliwita.

Addressing the media at Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi Mandiraya yesterday (13), SLPP National List member Gevindu Cumaratunga appreciated swift response of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa to concerns expressed by them. In spite of the SLPP having a two-thirds majority in Parliament and the means to ensure the 20th passage, the top leadership responded to public concerns. Lawmaker Cumaratunga said.

Cumaratunga said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had declared his readiness to withdraw the present draft 20th Amendment and re-submit a rectified draft. The lawmaker said that in spite of the 20th being a temporary measure to remove obstacles placed by the treacherous 19th Amendment, they were determined to take remedial measures.

In response to a query by The Island, the MP said that the public shouldn’t mix concerns expressed by them with those who still believed the 19th was the panacea for all our ills.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), too, last Friday named a special 14-member group headed by Nihal Jayamanne, PC, to examine the 20th Amendment. The Executive Committee of the BASL and the Bar Council will make recommendations in respect of the 20th Amendment once Jayamanne handed over his report.

Cumaratunga asserted that the decision to submit a fresh draft wouldn’t cause a delay in the process. “We are determined to remove serious hindrance caused by the 19th. It launched a debilitating blow to the presidential system of governance by diluting his/her powers as part of an overall strategy to weaken the state,” Cumaratunga said.

Dr. Amarasekera too appreciated the President’s decision.

Political sources told The Island that the government parliamentary group last Tuesday (8) discussed the urgent need to address issues caused by the proposed 20th Amendment. Members had pointed out shortcomings/mistakes at the meeting chaired by Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa though decision to appoint a team led by Prof. Peiris had been taken on Friday, sources said. A section of the parliamentary group had been seriously concerned and disappointed over the way the government expedited the process at the expense of transparency, sources said.

Meanwhile, Industry and Commerce Minister Wimal Weerawansa, addressing a public gathering at Avissawella on Saturday (12), explained Premier Rajapaksa’s decision to table an altered 20th Amendment soon in parliament. According to Weerawansa, who is also a member of Prof. Peiris’s team, said that the leaders of political parties in the SLPP-led coalition decided to submit a fresh draft at a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister. The minister said that examination of the 20th Amendment would begin tomorrow (15).

Minister Weerawansa pointed out that the 20th Amendment in its present form once approved in parliament couldn’t be challenged in the Supreme Court. The National Freedom Front (NFF) leader said such a measure was unfair by the people. The minister pointed out that when changes made in the Committee stage couldn’t be challenged in court. The previous government denied the public chance to challenge 19th Amendment by incorporating changes in Committee stage, the minister said, underscoring the need to allow the public an opportunity to move court even against Amendment/law if they felt a particular Amendment/law violated their rights. There were countries which allowed such public challenge, the minister said. The minister emphasized the need to introduce a new Constitution.

Lawmaker Cumaratunga said that they couldn’t take the issue lightly especially in the backdrop of the previous administration causing debilitating damage to the existing governance structure. The readiness on the part of the President and the Prime Minister marked the beginning of a new era where the top leadership swiftly and decisively acted on public concerns.

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Easter Sunday Case: Ex-SIS Chief concealed intel, former Defence Secy tells court

Published

17 hours ago

2026/05/3

Thilina Walpola

Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando told court on Thursday that then State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director Nilantha Jayawardena was also aware of intelligence information and had acted to conceal it, while also testifying that he believed former President Maithripala Sirisena had prior knowledge of the Easter Sunday terror attacks.

Fernando made the statement while giving evidence before a Trial-at-Bar in the case filed against him over alleged negligence in failing to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings.

He said he believed that Sirisena, who at the time also held the posts of Defence Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, had been aware of intelligence inputs relating to the impending attacks.

The former Defence Secretary further alleged that Jayawardena, then Director of the SIS, was also privy to the information and had acted to suppress it.

Fernando is indicted on charges of criminal dereliction of duty for allegedly failing to act on prior intelligence warnings ahead of the coordinated attacks.

Defending his position in court, he maintained that responsibility for the failure lay elsewhere.

“The President, who was the Defence Minister and head of the armed forces, had left the country. As the most senior official, I have been dragged into this case. If the information I presented had been properly examined, this case would not have been filed against me. Those responsible are still at large,” he told court.

News

NCPA gets up to seven child violence complaints daily

Published

17 hours ago

2026/05/3

Thilina Walpola

NCPA Chairperson Preethi Inoka Ranasinghe

The National Child Protection Authority has warned that corporal punishment continues to cause serious harm to children, revealing that it receives between 2,000 and 2,500 complaints of physical violence against children each year — averaging between five and seven complaints a day.

Issuing a statement to mark the International Day to End Corporal Punishment on April 30, the NCPA said both short-term and long-term physical and psychological punishment could severely affect a child’s personality development and emotional wellbeing.

NCPA Chairperson Preethi Inoka Ranasinghe said research had consistently demonstrated the damaging effects of corporal punishment used in disciplining children.

“For decades, parents, elders and teachers have used various forms of physical punishment to discipline children, making it a socially and culturally accepted practice both at home and in schools,” she said.

The Authority stressed that corporal punishment constitutes physical abuse and should not be used under any circumstances.

According to the NCPA, complaints relating to physical violence remain the second highest category of complaints received annually by the institution, with between 2,000 and 2,500 incidents reported each year.

Based on those figures, the Authority receives approximately 5.5 to 6.8 complaints of child physical violence every day.

The NCPA further noted that under Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, children are entitled to protection from all forms of abuse and neglect, an obligation binding on Sri Lanka since 1990.

The Authority also pointed to Article 11 of the 1978 Constitution, which guarantees freedom from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, as well as provisions under Section 308(A) of the Penal Code and Education Ministry circulars prohibiting physical and psychological punishment in schools.

The NCPA urged parents, teachers and caregivers to adopt non-violent disciplinary methods and to prioritise the safety and mental wellbeing of children.

News

AKD’s May Day vow: Crackdown looms as corrupt face day of reckoning

Published

17 hours ago

2026/05/3

Thilina Walpola

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that all individuals accused of fraud, corruption and other offences will be brought before the law in the coming weeks, as investigations are being intensified under the NPP administration.

Addressing the Nuwara Eliya District May Day rally on Friday, the President said the government had already strengthened key investigative institutions, including the Criminal Investigation Department and the Bribery Commission, to expedite ongoing probes.

He said a large number of cases involving alleged wrongdoing were now progressing through the legal system, with ten cases scheduled to be taken up in court during May and one case already ordered for a verdict within the month following a directive issued on April 30.

President Dissanayake stressed that the government was acting on a public mandate to ensure accountability, warning that law enforcement action would continue in the months ahead.

He said the administration had taken steps to reverse what he described as a culture of privilege enjoyed by former rulers, while focusing instead on public welfare and governance reform.

“We are making decisions for the people and ensuring that privileges of the ruling class are reduced,” he said, adding that previous governments had worked to expand their own benefits while placing burdens on citizens.

The President claimed that the NPP government had secured the trust of people across all regions, describing it as a “people’s administration” committed to working-class interests.

He also outlined the government’s broader policy direction, including ensuring stable incomes, improved education, housing, the rule of law and national unity.

Warning of further legal action, he said a significant number of individuals accused of corruption would face imprisonment in 2026, adding that no one would be above the law regardless of position or family background.

“We do not distinguish between Presidents, Prime Ministers or their families. The law will apply equally to all offenders,” he said.