Sri Lankan religious leaders want curbs on presidential powers

Sri Lanka

Calls grow for powers bestowed on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to be removed immediately

Religious leaders in Sri Lanka have urged the government to pass a constitutional amendment to curb the unlimited powers bestowed on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The powerful Rajapaksa family gave itself unlimited powers by amending the constitution after a massive victory in the general election of August 2020.

Protesters want the amendment that made the president all-powerful repealed as the island nation faces its worst economic crisis since independence.

Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera said it was the responsibility of the present government, including Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, to pass the amendment in parliament. “The power bestowed upon the presidency must be removed immediately,” he said on May 25 in Colombo.

The Buddhist monk said the powerful presidency refused to bow down before anyone. “The people of the country, as well as the world, can have confidence only in the power of parliament and the judiciary,” he added.

In an oblique reference to a member of the Rajapaksa family, Ven. Sobitha Thera said those with dual citizenship should be removed from parliament as provided in the 21st amendment.

“There are weaknesses in the current draft of the 21st amendment that need to be corrected. Political leaders must represent the views of the people and protect the people of the country”

Father Cyril Gamini, editor of a Sinhala Catholic weekly, said the country urgently needs political stability.

“There are weaknesses in the current draft of the 21st amendment that need to be corrected,” said Father Gamini. “Political leaders must represent the views of the people and protect the people of the country.”

Reforming the constitution was part of the agreement between the Rajapaksas and Wickremesinghe when he took over as prime minister on May 12, something he also mentioned in his address to the nation recently.

Shiva Darshaka Sharma, a Hindu priest, said quick actions were needed to prevent a possible food crisis in the near future. An April 2021 decision by the government to ban all chemical fertilizers cut crop yields and in the absence of substantial imports the situation could spiral out of the control, experts feel.

Karu Jayasuriya, former speaker of the Sri Lankan parliament and president of the National Movement for a Just Society, feared that delaying the 21st amendment could further provoke the people and make the situation in the country even more dangerous.

“The president should understand that if this amendment is delayed, it will lead to a massive public outcry. His promises will inevitably be described by the people as empty words,” Jayasuriya said at a press conference on May 26.

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