By Saman Indrajith

Jaffna District Thamizh Makkal Thesiya Kootani (TMTK) MP C.V. Wigneswaran told Parliament on Wednesday that those very same persons who were working hard to bring the 20th Amendment to the Constitution and all those who supported it would surely take to the streets tomorrow to fight for the abolition of the same amendment.

Participating in the second reading debate on the amendment, MP Wigneswaran said: “This amendment you bring today will boomerang on you, your children, and the future generations of your family. Please do not prick your eyes with your own fingers. My dear colleagues from both sides, please do not allow this 20th Amendment to be passed with a two-thirds majority.”

 Vigneswaran said that it was so unfortunate that every party which had come to power brought in laws to further its intersts, and those of its members and supporters forgetting their duty towards all people and the country as a whole. “Those who aspire to become a Lee Kuan Yew should shed their partisan predilections if they are to progress. Lee Kuan Yew did not pursue a Chinese Buddhist path. He loved every Singaporean of whatever hue he or she was. Branding the minorities as terrorists might bring votes from the majority but it would not help to take the country forward. There would certainly be geo–political and international reaction. This is in furtherance of their attitude of self-interest that those in power were today bringing in this 20th Amendment to clothe a single individual with enormous powers. This would for sure strike the death knell to democracy and human rights in the country.

“The world civilization in its onward march searches for ways and means to improve democratic principles and work towards human rights, equality and reconciliation among contending factions locally and internationally At this juncture it is funny that we in Sri Lanka want to denigrate democracy and desecrate the decent dimensions in a democratic way of life,” he said.

“For over 20 years we have been talking of bringing in a Constitution which would reconcile the ethnic differences among communities and lead the country forward. For over quarter of a century we have been promising to abolish the Executive Presidency. Nothing has been done so far in that regard. But this government is making the April 21 Easter Sunday bombings as a convenient excuse for them to bring this 20th amendment. They are trying to make out it was the lowering of presidential powers by the 19th Amendment which gave rise to the April 21 tragedy.

Hence they say President must have unfettered powers. It certainly sounds humorous to say a criminal or thief could only be caught or arrested if the President is clothed with extraordinary powers?

“The real cause for the April 21 incident was the carelessness and indifference of the security arm of the Law which has been politicized in recent times. If the judiciary, police and public service had been allowed to function independently we would not have witnessed the April 21 tragedy. 

“Most countries in the world do not have an Executive Presidential system. Do those countries always have security lapses? Or do countries that have this system never have had security lapses? Therefore it is time we thought prudently and pragmatically and got rid of the Executive Presidential system and make the Rule of Law supreme,” he said.