TNA MP A. Vinayagamurthi said that if the UNP really opposes this Bill, they should vote against it.Also commenting on the political cross-overs, he said that if an MP wants to cross-over, he or she should resign from his seat first.

Before him, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran also said that only his party and the DNA were forthright in objecting to this Bill. (Read More)

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said he did not agree to the proposed 18th Amendment to the constitution at any time during the bi partisan talks with President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Addressing a joint meeting of several opposition political parties and organizations against the proposed Constitution Amendments at Jayewardene Centre yesterday, Mr. Wickremesinghe said he and the UNP delegation clearly informed President Rajapaksa that his party was against any move to retain the executive presidency during talks.

He recalled that the UNP had adopted a resolution to abolish the executive presidency at the party convention in November 2009 and had never changed that stand. However he said UNP would have supported the government if it brought people friendly constitutional reforms to reduce the powers of the Executive Presidency.(Read More)

The Movement Against the 18th Amendment which is slated to go into action against the proposed reforms of the Constitution tomorrow (Tuesday) said that a prominent Opposition MP would stage a fast-unto-death campaign.

The Movement Against the 18th Amendment convenor Shiral Lakthilaka told the Daily Mirror that the MP would stage the fast-unto-death campaign somewhere near the Parliament.

However, he said the Movement would not disclose the name of the MP till tomorrow.  Mr. Laktilaka said all details of the protest campaign would be notified to the public tomorrow.

The Movement earlier announced its plans to declare Wednesday (September 8) as a ‘Black Day’ and called for a general strike. (Read More)

Campaign for Free and Fair Election (CaFFE) yesterday charged that the proposed 18th Amendment to the constitution would inflict a severe blow to Sri Lanka’s democracy because the new amendment allowed the president to appoint members to the ‘Independent’ Commissions.

CaFFE spokesman Keerthi Tennakoon said the reforms replaced the present 10-member Constitutional Council (CC) with a five-member committee comprising the Speaker, the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition as ex officio members but eventually the president would have the final say in appointments to the independent commissions.

“The new five-member committee will only be consulted by the president who will have the power to appoint members to the independent commissions including the elections commission,” he said.(Read More)

"Without implementing the Public Service Commission established in terms of the 17th Amendment, President Rajapaksa was trying to bring in an 18th Amendment that would make the Public Service Commission an ineffective body, as the President can override its decisions.

Addressing a group of public servants in Colombo, he said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s proposed 18th Amendment has sought to deny the protection that the Public Service Commission, if implemented, would have given harassed government employees.

Instead of implementing the 17th Amendment that would have given public servants the badly needed protection they require, public servants are tied to trees and abused by members of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government, Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. (Read More)

With the proposed 18^th amendment to the constitution the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government has inflicted a severe blow to the electoral process of Sri Lanka. Since the new amendment gives the executive President the power to appoint members to the ‘independent’ commissions, including the Election Commission, CaFFE fears that the future elections will be far from free and fair.

 The reforms replace the present 10 member Constitutional Council (CC) with a five-member committee comprising the Speaker, the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition as ex officio (by right of office ) members. Unlike the existing CC which appoints members to the seven independent commissions the new five member committee will only be consulted by the president who has the power to appoint members to the independent commissions. (Read More)

The UNP Parliamentary Group and Working Committee yesterday decided unanimoulsy to vote against the constitutional amendents proposed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa seeking inter alia to permit a sitting President to contest any number of times, instead of the present two terms.

Informed sources told "The Island" that UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing the Parliamentay Group cum Working Committee Meeting at "Srikotha" said that he accepted President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s invitation to discuss constitutional reforms, because he was made to understand that the executive presidency would be abolished and replaced by the post of an executive prime minister answerable to Parliament.

Since Rajapaksa had not kept his word and was now intent on preserving the executive presidency for an unlimited period, there was no option but to oppose it, Wickremesinghe said pointing out that he was prepared to support any amendments to establish a people friendly constitution, but not for the perpetuation of family rule by the Rajapaksas in violation of the people’s will. (Read More)

The main opposition UNP yesterday urged the government to hold a referendum on the proposed constitutional amendments to gauge public opinion since the government had not received a mandate at the April 8 General Election to extend the President’s term.

While expressing the party’s total dissatisfaction on these proposals, UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told a news conference that the ruling UPFA did not seek a mandate at the last parliamentary election to introduce such draconian constitutional reforms.

“We will take these proposals at the Working Committee meeting.   This is a step towards dictatorship,” he said.

Mr. Attanayake said the MPs should be given the opportunity to act according to their self conscience during the vote on these reforms.(Read More)

The Cabinet yesterday approved the new Local Government Elections (Amendment) Bill which provides for the conducting of polls under a mix of the present proportional representation system and the first-past-the-post system.

According to the proposals one-third of the members will be elected to local bodies under the PR system while the rest will be on the first-past-the-post system. As the law stands today, the local council heads have powers to approve the annual budgets of their councils even after they are rejected by the majority of councillors during the vote.................. (Read More)