(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena has said that the ‘legitimate child’ given birth by him named 19th Amendment has been abused.
Participating at the debate on the Constitutional Council at the Parliament yesterday (21), the President recalled that in keeping with the pledge given to the people through his election manifesto for January 08, 2015 Presidential Election and with the clean and pure determination, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was introduced and passed with the consent of 215 out of 225 Members of the Parliament.
According to the 19th amendment, the Constitutional Council and the Independent Commissions were appointed and even though the 19th amendment clearly stated the responsibility, policy and guidance of those institutions, those principles have not fulfilled yet, the President added.
President Sirisena further said that he vehemently rejects the allegations leveled against him erroneously interpreting a statement made by him recently in the Parliament regarding Independent Commissions.
The President said that he has no objections against the judges appointed to the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal and the issues raised by him were about the reasons for the rejections of the names of the judges presented by him to the Constitutional Council.
If any name of a judge is rejected by the Constitutional Council, that judge has a right to know the reasons for the rejection, the President said that adding even a laborer has a right to question as to why his promotion was rejected.
The President said he made that inference to create a just and impartial system for the benefit of those rejected judges and for the judges who are waiting for promotions in the future. Some section is trying to turn this upside down and to tarnish his image, he added.
If appointing Judges to the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal is fair and transparent, the President has the right to know about reasons for rejections, he said, adding that although his nominations had been rejected, he was not apprised of the reasons for the rejection.
Although he received a report from the Constitutional Council once in 3 months, the reasons were not given in those reports, the President added.
The executive, legislature and the judiciary all three are being controlled by the Constitutional Council and that if a constitutional council is to take authority it cannot surpass the powers of the executive presidency, the President pointed out.
The other legitimate children given birth by the 19th Amendment to the constitution are the Independent commissions said the President and if they are led towards the wrong path the expectations of the society which has kept faith on the Yahapalana will not be accomplished.
The President pointed out that he is the only leader who has given up his powers after coming to power in recent history and that he has done it with pure intentions towards establishing a pure and clean government. He said that whatever the decision of the Parliament regarding abolishing presidency he would agree with it as he has agreed earlier.
