By Saman Indrajith

The Samagi Jana Balavegaya had commenced a campaign to safeguard the democratic values of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution and named it 19Plus, SJB MP Tissa Attanayake said yesterday.

Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo, MP Attanayake said that the campaign would be launched officially at 4 pm today at the New Town Hall.

He said that the proposed 20th Amendment to the Constitution by the government had become a fatherless baby. “The Justice Minister says that though he submitted the draft to the Cabinet he does not know who prepared it.

Minister Wimal Weerawansa says that the draft does not have a father. The Prime Minister does not know about it. The Cabinet of Ministers too are in the dark about the persons involved in drafting the Amendment and its content. Not even the Parliamentary group of the government is aware of anything certain about the draft bill.”

MP Attanayake said that the proposed 20th Amendment contained many anti-democratic provisions. “As we go through the draft bill it could be seen that there is provision for increasing the number of Cabinet ministers, dissolving parliament one year after its formation, enabling those with dual citizenship to come to parliament, abolition of independent commissions, etc.. People did not give a mandate to the government for any of these things.”

SJB Kurunegala District MP Nalin Bandara Jayamaha said: “This is a very decisive moment. Now, it is clear that the President does not abide by the Constitutional provisions. He exceeded his powers when spending money for COVID-19. He cannot hold the defence portfolio. But he keeps that ministry by force. There is an ongoing opposition within the government ranks  against the 20th Amendment, which has been formulated by a team with the blessings of the President. Now, another team loyal to the Prime Minister is opposing it. Time was when the President and the Prime Minister were at loggerheads. Ranil Wickremesinghe and Maithripala Sirisena pulled the government in two opposite directions. Now the power has been given to a single family and the same tug-o-war is going on between the President and the Prime Minister. The proposed 20th Amendment is something akin to preparing a pitch to play a fraudulent match.”