By Shamindra Ferdinando

The Opposition is agreeable for the abolition of the executive presidency if parliamentary election could be held instead, top Opposition spokesperson Prof. G.L. Pieris said.

The former External Affairs Minister mentioned this when The Island asked whether the rebel SLPP group, styled as Nidahas Janatha Sabhawa, would seek a consensus with Opposition parties in that regard.

The presidential election is scheduled to be conducted by October next year and the parliamentary poll the following year.

Prof. Peiris said the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the JVP agreed that the abolition of the executive presidency and the next Parliamentary elections should be held simultaneously. “This is a very clear and emphatic stand.”

Prof. Peiris ruled out any agreement on the postponement of the presidential election, under any circumstances. Responding to another query, the top academic said that in terms of the Constitution President Ranil Wickremesinghe could call a general election any time after completion of half of the five-year term of a Parliament.

If the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government was genuinely interested in pursuing that option, the issues could be discussed and agreement reached on a formula acceptable to all to advance the general election and the simultaneous abolition of the executive presidency, the National List MP said.

The ex-Minister said that Wajira Abeywardena, in his capacity as lawmaker and Chairman of the UNP, recently called for the postponement of the presidential election on the basis the government lacked sufficient funds to meet basic public needs if funds were diverted for the conducting of the presidential poll.

Prof. Peiris asked the SLPP to disclose its stand on the UNP’s move. Having elected the UNP leader as the President, the SLPP couldn’t remain silent as the executive sought to deprive the people of their franchise, Prof. Peiris said.

“The bottom line is that MP Abeywardena wouldn’t have said so unless the top management decided on a particular strategy,” MP Pieris said, urging the government to accept their challenge.

JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the government seemed to be thinking of postponing presidential polls on some pretext till the parliamentary polls next year. Lawmaker Dissanayake, too, said that the abolition of executive presidency should be tied to having parliamentary polls.

Meanwhile, addressing the media at the rebel SLPP group’s Nawala Office on Monday (09), Prof. Peiris alleged that the so-called Online Safety Bill and the new Anti-Terrorism Law were meant to create an environment conducive for the government to contest whatever national election. Describing them as political tools, Prof. Peiris warned against moves to suppress political dissent. The ex-Minister vowed to press ahead with their campaign to have the long overdue Provincial Councils and Local Government polls.

Prof. Peiris said that the government should be ashamed over its failure to name a new IGP before the second extension granted to C.D. Wickremaratne expired on Monday (09) at a time the underworld was on a killing spree. The internationally renowned academic questioned the failure on the part of the President to pick a suitable person to head the Department amidst deepening turmoil.

The academic alleged that the government was obviously much more determined to suppress the parliamentary Opposition than eliminating the underworld. Almost daily shootings in Colombo, its suburbs and provinces indicated that law enforcement was on the verge of collapse while various government spokesmen boasted, both here and abroad, of what they were capable of.