Executive Presidency is usurped and finished : nothing left to put it in order –Ranil

 Opposition and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said, the people of Sri Lanka are today fed up with politics . They are gripped by the fear that even if the UNP comes into power they too will be toeing the line of the Rajapakse regime which is abusing political power most disgustingly and degradingly. Since this regime had usurped the Executive Presidency power callously and treacherously so much so that it no longer exists duly ,and therefore cannot be allowed to go on any further.
Hence , a new constitution shall be introduced by him (Ranil) to safeguard Democracy and that will be a model for the world . In this connection discussions will be initiated in the month of May, he pointed out.

Wickremesinghe made this historic announcement yesterday(04) when he addressed the National Bar association on its 40th anniversary celebrations. The research division of the UNP expects to incorporate the proposals of other parties, civil Organizations and the people in the new constitutional amendments , Wickremesinghe added.

He went on to comment as follows :

“Is it Executive Presidency we choose or Cabinet Westminister government system ? As I told you , the 78th Executive Presidency has already been usurped and finished. Hence , it cannot be repaired via amendments. Then which system are we going to follow? Is it going to be the Prime Ministerial system?”

“That too has proved a flop today in South Asia. The Pakistan military Forces were able to carry on its governance while having civil administration. What has happened today ? We thought India was the best. Today India too has completely failed. The Cabinet system is floundering. The party leader is one person and the Prime Minister is another person. In my view this has also failed in its implementation in South Asia.”

“Let us think a little more deeply afresh and see what our country truly needs, and create a new system of governance compatible with that. A number of countries have introduced new constitutions , namely South Africa , South Korea , Poland and Finland .We are going to take all those into consideration and introduce a new set of proposals. But before all that , let us bear in mind the most important factor , that is in our country at this moment people are disgusted of politics for which the present regime is mainly responsible. People are now thinking it is all the same whether it is this party or another party coming into power . They are wondering whether we will also conduct ourselves like this regime if we are installed in power , and abuse power like them. This is what is preying on their minds.”

“We are bound to give a suitable answer to the people. Thilak Marapone told now , the country must be handed over to me, and I shall effect the changes. What my party and me want are not that , rather to vest the political rights and the country back in the people which had been forcibly withdrawn from them.”

“We shall enact a constitution that will take us ahead and our country forward within South Asia and all of Asia. Let us restore the international image which had been torn into shreds by the Rajapakse regime, so that we will be saluted by the world. We shall create a model constitution on Democracy to the whole world. We shall be commencing our preliminary discussions in this regard towards the end of May.”

It is well to recall that Lanka e news reported on 7th April that when the opposition leader made a tour of India recently , he gave them an assurance that he would abolish the Executive Presidency , and he would make an announcement in that connection on the 1st of May. The opposition leader made a public definitive statement on the abolition of / making changes to the Executive Presidency yesterday .