JVPs 20th Amendment to be Opposed

Western Province Chief Minister Isura Devapriya said yesterday, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party is against the 20th Amendment to the Constitution (20A) to abolish the Executive Presidency brought by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna as a private member’s bill.

Devapriya said that there is no need to abolish the executive presidency or pruning down more executive powers. He said that it is his personal opinion just as much as it is of the SLFP.

Devapriya pointed out that President Maithripala Sirisena has removed the executive powers of the Presidency to its maximum limits. Devapriya also pointed out that the majority of the public also believes that the executive presidency should remain.

Devapriya said that they do not want a Parliament where the Prime Minister has supreme powers. “In fact, it is the SLFP that should really request to abolish the Executive Presidency. We as a political party and late Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike as a politician had to face repercussions of the executive presidency. However, we all know that we could not have won the war without executive Presidency .