GL says getting the show on the road after
100 days not the most important thing

April 26, 2015, 11:24 am 

As Parliament prepares to debate and possibly pass the 19th Amendment to the Constitution with the required two thirds majority on Tuesday, Prof. G.L. Pieris, the SLFP’s constitutional affairs spokesman said yesterday that what is important is "not to get the show on the road after 100 days."

"It is much more important to ensure the quality of the show as constitutional arrangements that will shape the destiny of the country for many decades are at stake," he said.

Pieris indicated opposition support for 19A provided the amendments they are proposing are accommodated. Asked whether they would oppose the legislation if some of the amendments are accepted and others not, he said "that is a call we would have to take at that time."

The former Vice Chancellor and Law Professor of the Colombo University, who has long served as a Minister in both UNP and SLFP/UPFA governments said that from the very beginning, they were concerned about both the substance and the process of what is being attempted.

Citing the reference to a 30-member cabinet in the document before Parliament, he alleged that there was a "large element of hypocrisy" in it as there was a ready means of escape from this provision by a "vague reference" to a national government enabling cabinet numbers to rise to a threshold of 77.

On the issue of the Constitutional Council he bitterly complained about what he called two bad appointments already in place - those of Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran and Director General of the Bribery and Corruption Commission, Dilrukshi Wickremasinghe.

"There is considerable scope for abuse on the appointment of members of the Constitutional Council," he said calling for a proper balance. On crossovers, he said that MPs must not be made mere ciphers of party hierarchies and must be allowed some freedom of conscience without risking losing their seats.

Asked whether he felt that previous defections without penalty enabled by the Sarath Silva Supreme Court were proper, Pieris said "that is going to the other extreme."

The former minister also said that the Bill that was originally gazetted has since been amended and English copies only made available on Friday. Major changes were possible through committee stage amendments.

Asked whether it was not correct that the amendments that were to be moved had been furnished to the court, he said that while it was so, the 19 petitions to the court was on the basis of the gazetted version and the petitioners and the public were not privy to those amendments at the time they filed their petitions.