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Gevindu underscores need for 20 A pending new Constitution

…discusses merits, demerits et al
By Shamindra Ferdinando
SLPP National List lawmaker Gevindu Cumaratunga says the 20th Amendment to the Constitution enacted last month is required to rectify weakening of the State by the 19th Amendment. Alleging that the 19th Amendment had been introduced in 2015 with an overwhelming majority primarily to achieve three objectives namely (I) remove the Rajapaksas from politics (II) provide executive powers to the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and (III) weaken the Sri Lankan State by depriving the executive of the previously enjoyed power.
In a brief interview with The Island, MP Cumaratunga, who is also the leader of the civil society organization Yuthukama, said that the despicable political project had been largely defeated. Those who had conspired to provide executive powers to the Premier at the expense of the President through the 19th Amendment were politically irrelevant today, the lawmaker pointed out.
Having reversed the UNP spearheaded strategy with the successful conclusion of 2019 presidential and 2020 parliamentary polls, the government had now done away with measures to weaken the State, the MP said.
Cumaratunga said that he discussed those issues on the second day of the debate on the 20th Amendment on Oct 22. The parliament provided the required 2/3 majority for the Amendment. Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena signed it into law on Oct 29.
Cumaratunga underscored the pivotal importance of correctly recognizing the objectives of the 19th Amendment and the challenges faced by the 20th Amendment.
“The 19th Amendment was brought into achieve sinister external objectives. The 20th Amendment was proposed to defeat that project jointly implemented by foreign powers and their local agents. If they succeeded in their high profile project to introduce a new constitution to their liking spearheaded by UNP leader Wickremesinghe, we would have ended up in total chaos with permanent foreign military presence and the country being a supply base for Western powers.”
The 19th Amendment was nothing but a dangerous constitutional tool that could have caused anarchy at every level, the newcomer to parliamentary politics alleged. In addition to NL member Cumaratunga, another key Yuthukama activist Anupa Pasquel was elected from the Kalutara district on the SLPP ticket at the August poll.
Cumaratunga explained how the conspirators included worthy sections to hide their real intentions. The MP alleged that their strategy had been quite efficient and useful from their point of view as the public were largely deceived. Cumaratunga said that nationalist groups, including Yuthukama wholeheartedly accepted many clauses which they sincerely believed were in the public interests.
Cumaratunga appreciated the restriction of the number of cabinet ministers and non-cabinet ministers to prevent political horse trading. This thwarted political parties from exploiting instability in parliament for their advantage, the MP said. “We also accepted the provision in the 19th Amendment to prevent the party in power to bring in emergency Bills, constitutional changes,” Cumaratunga said, recalling how the then President JRJ brought in the 13th Amendment to appease India and the 15 Amendment introduced by slain President Ranasinghe Premadasa to placate religious minorities. MP Cumaratunga alleged that the 19th Amendment included a clause prohibiting emergency amendments/Bills in a bid to hide their sinister intentions. The right of the public to challenge new laws in the Supreme Court should not be interfered with in any way, lawmaker Cumaratunga said.
Yuthukama
Chief alleged that additional measures were introduced by way of the 19th Amendment to strengthen the State auditing process in a cunning bid to divert the attention from selling vital state assets. While strengthening the hands of the Auditor General, the yahapalana administration perpetrated Treasury bond scams twice, the second in March 2016 far bigger than the first in late Feb 2015, MP Cumaratunga said. Responding to another query, Cumaratunga asserted that the handing over of Hambantota port on a 99-year-lease to China in 2017 exposed the previous government.
Cumaratunga appreciated President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa effecting a spate of changes following representations made by the Maha Sangha and them once the 20 th Amendment was unveiled.
Cumaratunga said that the 20th Amendment faced the daunting challenge of reversing the 19th but the entire 78 Constitution as well as a series of amendments meant to protect the interests of political parties and their leaders.
Commenting on Manohara de Silva’s examination of strategies adopted by separatist elements, lawmaker Cumaratunga pointed out almost all amendments introduced after the 13th Amendment sought to pacify those promoting separatist ideology. The MP explained a campaign undertaken by Yuthukama soon after the enactment of the 19th Amendment in 2015 and the need to bring in 20th Amendment until consensus could be reached on a new Constitution.
A 9-member committee headed by Romesh de Silva, PC, is formulating a new Constitution.
Lawmaker Cumaratunga, in his speech delivered in parliament on Oct 22 pointed out the absurdity in following the Indian ‘system’ in introducing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Cumaratunga highlighted the introduction of a term (Railway Areas) in keeping with the Indian Constitution regardless of no such designated area in Sri Lanka.
Commending the government decision to expand the number of members of the Election Commission from present three to five, MP Cumaratunga said that their earnest wish is to bring in a new Constitution before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa begins his second year in Nov 2021. Cumaratunga said that Yuuthukama found seven sections in the original 20th Amendment wholly unacceptable. Among them was a bid to promote separatist ideology as well as to do away with the provision to subject the Office of the President and the Prime Minister to the State auditing process.
Yuthukama
leader acknowledged that all their proposals hadn’t been accepted including the one in respect of checks and balances among the President, the Prime Minister and the Parliament though the required was met to a certain extent by the President receiving the constitution right to dissolve parliament two and half years after the first sitting.
Appreciating the formulation of a Parliamentary Council in respect of the appointment of judges to higher courts, members of Commissions, including their chairmen, Attorney General and IGP instead of the previous Constitution Council that followed the NGO agenda, MP Cumaratunga said that the President’s prerogative regarding the appointment of the AG and the IGP was important. However, the MP acknowledged that the Parliamentary Council role in merely making observations needs to be resolved. Cumaratunga appealed to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to make appointments taking into consideration recommendations/observations of the Parliamentary Council. The lawmaker also emphasized the importance of the Speaker’s role in the proposed mechanism for the President to receive recommendations/observations of the five-member Parliamentary Council. Cumaratunga said that the proposed mechanisms should be subjected to the Speaker’s approval; as such a decision should be made available to the parliament as it would ensure the intervention of the House in the matter.
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We are working to stabilize and restructure an economy that was in disarray -President

The National New Paddy Harvesting Festival (Aluth Sahal Mangalya), a traditional annual ceremony of offering the first portion of the freshly harvested Maha season paddy to the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi, was held this morning (04) under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Disanayake at the historic Sri Maha Bodhi premises in Anuradhapura.
The ceremony was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Agrarian Services under the theme “In unison, let us cultivate the land, to build a self-sufficient nation” (අහරින් ස්වයංපෝෂිත දැයක් තනන්නට එක මිටට ගොවි බිමට), following the guidance of the Atamasthanadhipathi, the most Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Thera.
This ritual, which dates back to the era of ancient monarchs, saw the participation of farmers from across the country. In accordance with tradition, they prayed for timely rains and fertile fields and invoked blessings for a self-sufficient and prosperous economy through agriculture.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake first paid homage and received blessings from the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi before joining the ceremonial proceedings.
The sacred procession, which carried the newly harvested paddy from near the historic Sinha Kanuwa in Anuradhapura, arrived at the sandy courtyard (වැලි මලුව) of the Sri Maha Bodhi, marking the ceremonial commencement of the New Paddy Harvest Festival.
The Most Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Thera commenced the ritual by filling the golden bowl with the new paddy, after which representatives from all provinces added paddy from their respective regions, symbolically filling the golden bowl.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake also participated in this ritualistic moment, amidst the chanting of Pirith by the Maha Sangha.
A vessel of pure bee honey, traditionally offered to the Sri Maha Bodhi, was ceremonially presented to the President by Deputy Leader of the Vedda Community U.W. Bandiyala Eththo.
The vessel of ghee, brought from the historic Saman Devalaya in Sabaragamuwa, was also presented to President Anura Kumara Disanayake, to be used in the customary ghee offering at the Sri Maha Bodhi.
The President also received the commemorative plaque of the National New Paddy Harvest Festival and presented tokens of appreciation to farmer leaders who have made significant contributions to the development of the country’s agriculture sector.
As part of the initiative to secure a pest-free harvest, the President participated in the distribution of pest-resistant seed paddy to farming communities across the provinces.
Addressing the subsequent official ceremony, President Anura Kumara Disanayake stated that the current government is working to transform an economy that was in disarray. He noted that the Paddy Marketing Board is burdened with a debt of Rs. 28 billion, while harvested paddy is being left to spoil in storage.
The President emphasized that the current administration has accepted the responsibility of restoring and restructuring this disorderly system. He added that the government expects the support not only of the state machinery related to agriculture but also of all farming communities. He affirmed the intention to integrate Sri Lanka’s cultural and traditional systems to reclaim the legacy of the agricultural economy and thereby strengthen the national economy.
President Disanayake further stated that the country’s ancient kings achieved greatness through their contributions to agriculture and irrigation and that self-sufficiency in food was a critical factor in that success.
He highlighted that sustainable development has become a global discourse today and that Sri Lanka’s “Tank Cascade System” or “Vapi System,” stands as a remarkable example of sustainable development. The country’s irrigation system, which dates back nearly 2,000 years, continues to contribute to the advancement of agriculture even today.
As such, the government has allocated Rs. 2 billion in the current budget to rehabilitate the irrigation system and renovation work on the North Central Maha Ela Project has already commenced to revitalize the country’s agricultural industry. He added that the government also plans to develop seed farms to produce self-sufficient seeds, while protecting genetic ownership.
He further emphasized the need for fair prices for agricultural produce, both for farmers and consumers. Due to long-standing market distortions, the government will intervene over the next two to three harvesting seasons to ensure both parties receive fair prices.
The President also stated that the necessary provisions for such state interventions have been made in the current budget. Steps have been taken to create storage capacity to hold 300,000 metric tons of paddy, which is expected to mitigate market distortions going forward.
Among those present at the occasion were the Chief Incumbent of the Ruwanweliseya and Chancellor of the Rajarata University, Most Venerable Ithalawetunuwewe Gnanatillake Thera, the Chief Incumbent of the Lankaramaya, Most Venerable Ralapanawa Dhammajothi Thera and members of the clergy; Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation K.D. Lalkantha; Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe; Governor of the North Central Province Wasantha Kumara Wimalasiri; and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne, along with a large number of farmer leaders and other dignitaries.
- (PMD)
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Indian PM Modi arrives in Sri Lanka on a three day state visit

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi arrived in the island a short while ago on a three-day state visit.
The Indian Prime Minister was received at the Katunayake International Airport by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath.
PM Modi is accompanied by Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Indian Foreign Secretary and several senior officials of the Government of India.
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Special Train Services during Sinhala and Tamil New Year

The General Manager of Railways has announced that the following special train services will operate during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year period.
1. From Colombo Fort to Badulla – departing Colombo Fort at 1930 hrs on 11th, 12th, 19th and 20th April
2. From Badulla to Colombo Fort – departing Badulla at 1750 hrs on 11th, 12th, 19th and 20th April
3. From Galle to Anuradhapura – departing Galle at 0400 hrs on 12th and 13th April
4. From Anuradhapura to Galle – departing Anuradhapura at 1500 hrs on 12th and 13th April
5. From Colombo Fort to Galle – departing Colombo Fort at 120 hrs on 10th, 11th, 15th and 20th April
6. From Galle to Colombo Fort – departing Galle at 0610 hrs on 11th, 12th, 16th and 21st April
7. From Colombo Fort to Galle – departing Colombo Fort at 1330 hrs on 12th and 13th April
8. From Colombo Fort to Kankasanthurai [Intercity Express] – departing Colombo Fort at 0530 hrs on 11th and 18th April
9. From Kankasanthurai to Colombo Fort [Intercity Express] – departing Kankasanthurai at 1350 hrs on 11th and 18th April
10. From Beliatta to Colombo Fort – departing Beliatta at 0825 hrs on 12th, 13th, 18th, 19th and 20th April
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