The 21st Amendment to the Constitution proposed by the Government (now published in the Gazette as the 22nd Amendment) is weaker than the 19th Amendment, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran, PC, said.
Speaking to the media, the MP observed that the reduction of the Presidential powers proposed under the Amendment does not apply to the incumbent President.
“It is an irony because all of this is happening because of the protest by the people asking the current President to go home. The powers of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has to be reduced at least to the degree of the previous 19th Amendment. Instead, the Government has proposed to reduce the powers of the President who will follow President Rajapaksa. President Rajapaksa is going to remain in the position and he will enjoy most of the powers of the 20th Amendment. People have been fooled. They have been asked to believe that another Amendment to abolish the Executive Presidency will follow as the second step, whereas there is no such intention. The need of the hour is a system change. That is what the people ask,” the MP commented.
Add new comment