* Unflinching public attention is on each and every MP

Civil society grouping, Direction Sri Lanka, largely comprising professionals, yesterday called on MPs to act with conscience, solely in the national interest at this crucial juncture of our Country, forgetting all political and personal agendas and other interests, to ensure that the person most suitable and acceptable to the people, is elected as the President of the Republic.

In a letter addressed to the MPs, DSL said: Sri Lanka is currently going through the worst economic and political crisis since independence. Every segment of the citizenry is adversely affected. This situation without doubt is due to the misrule, corruption and the total failure of good governance by the popularly elected leaders specially in the last several years. A peaceful and mostly nonviolent uprising by the people, especially the youth, resulted in the resignation of the President, Prime Minister, several other Ministers and Officials considered responsible for this unacceptable state of affairs.

Following the resignation of the President, it is a matter of extreme urgency that a new President is elected and a stable government established to manage the recovery process. The onus and responsibility of filling the vacancy by electing a successor President has been placed on the Members of Parliament, by the Constitution. It is a responsibility that each Member of Parliament is required to perform for and on behalf of all people of this country, as their elected representatives.

In this context, we are greatly perturbed and wish to place on record our disappointment and displeasure concerning the fact that Parliament has been unable to select a person by consensus. From the information in the public domain, it appears that at present, there are no less than four persons who aspire to be elected to this office and that such nominations are being made along party lines.

In our view, the election of a President of the Republic at this critical juncture based on party affiliations for reasons of political expediency or political survival, is totally unacceptable. In the context of the recent events and the peoples’ aspirations, we consider that certain matters are of paramount importance, when electing the President of the Republic. It is imperative that the person to be elected as President of the Republic should be a person;

1. Who will unify and rally the Country rather than be one who will cause further dissension and division.

– The result of the election by itself, should be one which settles widespread protests that presently prevail. The Country and its people cannot afford a state of unending unrest and confusion and it is not one which could or should be quelled by the use of force.

2. Who will not be seen as an extension of the former regime or government, which has been resoundingly rejected by the people.

– The experience of the last few months amply demonstrates that a person or government perceived as such, does not and will not gain the confidence of the people.

3. Who will gain general acceptance and the confidence of the people within the Country as well as internationally.

– In our view, it is only a person who has general acceptance internally, that will be capable of gaining international acceptance.

4. Capable of bringing together all parties in Parliament to form a true National Government, which will work on a common minimum programme of work for the purpose of restoring the basic needs of the people within a short space of time and thereafter, proceed to hold a general election.

– A government formed by arbitrarily and manipulatively picking persons from different parties will not succeed, as amply proven in the last few months. Such a government will only aggravate the current economic and political situation in the Country.

5. Who is committed to the immediate repeal of the 20th Amendment and the restoration of at least the position under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, without any resort to transitional provisions for the preservation of any features of the 20th Amendment for any period of time.

– It should be noted that this is a fundamental demand of the people of this Country and any person who does not accept this principle will not be acceptable to the people. [The issue of continuation or otherwise of the Executive Presidential System or the transformation to a Parliamentary System of government should in due course be presented to the people for consideration.]

We request the Members of Parliament to be mindful that as demonstrated by the recent events, mere constitutional legitimacy of a person elected to the high office of the President of the Republic is insufficient to gain the acceptance and confidence of its people and the person needs moral legitimacy to govern.

We therefore call upon each Member of Parliament to act with conscience, solely in the National Interest at this crucial juncture of our Country, forgetting all political and personal agendas and other interests, to ensure that the person most suitable and acceptable to the people, is elected (preferably by consensus) as the President of the Republic. The unflinching public attention is on each and every Member of Parliament at this critical moment of this Nation.