The Governments Hobsons Choice

April 24, 2015, 6:00 pm

The then opposition was campaigning to abolish the Executive Presidency,
as most of the Govigama Buddhist majority and even the Christian
minority could not accept the reality that Premadasa had been elected as
the Executive President of Sri Lanka. Virtually, all powers of the Executive
Presidency had been conferred upon Ranasingha Premadasa, the first NonGovigama Head of State. The opposition could not stomach such an insult.
In answer to the campaign carried out in an utmost vicious manner,
Premadasa responded by telling one of his admirers, the novelist and playwriter Simon Nawagaththegama, that "those very people, if they come to
power and sit on the throne created by J. R. Jayewardene; they would far
from abolishing it, strengthen it and usurp more power to themselves."
Today, in hindsight, one could observe how wise Premadasa was.
After Chandrika Bandaranaike-Kumaratungas assumption to the throne,
her main propagandist tool, to abolish the Executive Presidency together
with "Dooshanaya" and "Beeshanaya", was relegated to oblivion and the
government was then considered the most corrupt in history. Chandrika
was accused of having cronies like Ronnie Peiris who was amassing wealth

through various corrupt deals. Even Lakshman Kadiragamar was not

spared of accusations relating to the infamous Thawakkal deal.For
politicians corruption was a way of life. Most of them came from poor
backgrounds and money was their God.
Mahinda Rajapaksas solemn pledge at the elections to the nation was to
abolish the Executive Presidency. Ultimately after winning the war he
became a virtual monarch and as the Presidents in this country enjoyed
immense power of the Executive Presidency. The 17th Amendment was
hastily brought in, during the time of the Chandrika Bandaranaike
government by Ranil Wickremasinghe, to clip the wings of the President in
making appointments to the important commissions like the Elections
Commission. But, the very first appointment made by the Constitutional
Council, in nominating former Supreme Court Judge, Justice Deerarathna,
was aborted by Chandrika Bandaranaike. To avoid this crisis, an application
was made to the Supreme Court, where Chief Justice Sarath Nanda Silva
held with Executive President as then it was obvious Sarath Silva was
acting as the nominee of the Government and he gave a judgment in order
to permit Chandrika to make 17 Amendment a farce. Thus the matter
remained unresolved. Mahinda Rajapaksa, thereafter, to avoid this
anomaly presented the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, ostensibly to
repair the constitutional crisis created by the 17th Amendment. But, in
actual fact, he reserved so much power that he virtually became a
monarch.
After the war the sycophants and toady fawners churned out cheap
platitudinous songs praising the saviour of the nation and the
unquestionable monarch of the 21st century. How politicians love their
subjects singing praises of their deeds or misdeeds was so apparent that
most people, who benefited from the Rajah regime, had these vulgar
cheap political pollutants as their ring tones so that it would be reported to
the "maharajah" and in turn they polluted the atmosphere of decency.
Only a man with a steely integrity, the late S. L. Gunasekara had the guts
to openly denounce Mahinda Rajapaksas mental aberration of the
Executive Presidency and blasted charlatans for transforming him to
become a King. Then, there was the unbelievable depth of sycophancy,
when to the great admiration of the the President found the greatest
upgrade a son of humble peasant could ever aspire to; Jackson Anthony
found the umbilical connections of the Maharajah to King Suddodhana
thereby making Mahinda Rajapaksa a member of the Sakya clan and
relative of Gautama the Buddha. Jackson Anthony overnight became a
millionaire.

This was the charlatans power that made Mahinda Rajapaksa, truly believe
that not only he was an absolute monarch for all whom he surveyed, but
also transgressed the path of various cults and other manifestations of the
world of gods and demons, which guided him to advance the election by
two years before its schedule. The country was relieved of the possibility of
Mahinda Rajapaksa amending the Constitution to become a constitutional
monarch.
The campaign, to abolish the Executive Presidency reignited by the
members of civil society, took hold of the masses for the first time. Ven
Maduluvave Sobitha spearheaded this camping and drafted Amendments
to the Constitution to abolish the Executive Presidency. This election
promise was circulated and propagated through various media channels.
The Election, which was held on 08 January, was unique.
For the first time people in this country voted to establish
democracy and good governance, which included the
abolition of the Executive Presidency and prosecuting all
those who were involved in corrupt activities during the
past regime. What the propagandists did not envisage and it did not come
into their calculations, was how many members of the parliament in the
Mahinda Rajapaksa government would escape from the net thrown to
catch the corrupt.
No one believed that MR could be defeated. But, in the unlikely event of
MR being defeated no one ever thought of how, under a new government,
the newly elected president could fulfill his final obligation to the country,
to wit, the abolition of the Executive Presidency and even if the country
overwhelmingly voted for a change, how the much talked of constitutional
amendments could go through parliament with the 2/3 majority. I dont
think the advisers of Rev. Maduluwave Sobitha and the other of various
political colours, who united to achieve their main objective, the
amendment to the Constitution, saw how it could be achieved. In the
meantime, the media was up in arms against the lackadaisical manner in
which the government approached the corrupt politicians to apprehend and
bring them to justice.
The ill-conceived, unrealistic propaganda of the present government
induced a false notion, that by 09 January, many members of the public

believed that the so called crooks, embezzlers and cheats would be

prevented from going abroad and would be jailed. This did not happen.
Instead, some politicians went abroad and no one has so far been
arrested, remanded and convicted over criminal offences. But, various
agencies were conducting investigations and a number of politicians
statements had been recorded. Everyone in the opposition felt that they
could not believe that the government would protect them against any
charges of corruption, that may be leveled against them, through the
myriad investigations that had been carried out.
For them, who constitute the majority in parliament, the Constitutional
Amendment or any other piece of legislation, which would enchance the
prospects of good governance in Sri Lanka was secondary. What is
important for them is to preserve their parliamentary seats, as any
investigation into their previous conduct, would throw them in to an abyss
of no return. The Hobsons choice faced by the government is whether it
wants the Constitutional Amendment to go through with the help of the so
called corrupt politicians, or proceed with the investigations and get the
19th Amendment thrown overboard as it requires a 2/3 majority.
Posted by Thavam