By Saman Indrajith

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament yesterday that the SJB was of the view that the capital punishment should be re-implemented.

 Participating in the second reading debate on the draft 20th Amendment, the Opposition leader said that drafting laws for implementing the death penalty was an urgent need.

 Justice Minister Ali Sabry asked him whether it was his personal standpoint or the position of his party.

 Opposition Leader Premadasa:

We do not have a personal standpoint. We have party standpoints.

 Justice Minister Sabry:

That is good now we know that your party’s position is to implement the death penalty.

Opposition Leader Premadasa:

I do not know why the Justice Minister opposes the re-implementation of death penalty against terrorists and drug dealers.

Justice Minister Sabry: That is fine because your own party men have gone before the Supreme Court against the reimplementation of the capital punishment.

 Opposition Leader Premadasa said that SJB stood for power sharing and not to concentrate power in one organ of the government.

 The Opposition Leader said that the U.S. President Abraham Lincoln had defined democracy as the government of the people, by the people, for the people which meant it was a social contract between the public and the rulers. Montesquieu argued that the tripartite system should be practised to maintain checks and balances among the executive, legislative, and judicial functions of the government in order to prevent one organ of the government dominating others. 

He said that the clauses of the draft 20th amendment to the Constitution would destroy the checks and balances that had been introduced earlier. “When the power to make appointments to top posts is vested in a single person the checks and balances suffer a setback. Those who protested against the executive presidency have forgotten their own protests. 

“Why do you fear the mechanism that was introduced under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution to bring about a just society?

 “But this is a struggle for power between the President and Prime Minister. But what is correct is to bring checks and balances between the two institutions.” 

He said that the 20th Amendment to the Constitution was not for the betterment of the public. “What we have got to do is to set up a National Security Council a new Health Act. The death penalty should be brought as regards those who engage in terrorist activities and those who engage in drug trafficking and that is the stance of the SJB”. 

“I request you to listen to the public,” the Opposition Leader said. “I request you to listen to Ven Elle Gunawansa Thera and Ven Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera, who associated with my late father, President Ranasinghe Premadasa closely.”