Has the 19th amendment served its purpose? Or has it brought confusion?

by Staff Writer 02-03-2019 | 8:31 PM
Colombo (News 1st): The 19th amendment to the constitution comes into play, with the aim of further democratizing the Sri Lankan political system. But the question is, has this actually served the purpose? Theoreticians of the 19th amendment to the constitution, M.A. Sumanthiran, Dr. Jayampathi Wickremerathne, and several others attempted to establish rules and regulations that would further strengthen the prime ministerial position of Ranil Wickremesinghe or to increase the powers vested in his position. Against this backdrop, the 19th amendment to the constitution transforms into a document that hinders the functions of any government. The critical drawbacks of the 19th amendment to the constitution were clearly demonstrated during the recent 52-day political turmoil in our country. MP Namal Rajapaksa expressing his views regarding the matter noted that the 19th amendment to the constitution vests power, however, it is unclear as to who gets powerful. He noted that if the upcoming budget is defeated, the parliament will be dissolved. However, MP Rajapaksa said the parliament cannot be dissolved until the prime minister is changed and if the prime minister cannot be changed, and parliament cannot be dissolved, and if the government does not change when the budget is defeated, how can the government continue for the next one and a half years?