President has little time to enforce death penalty: SLPP

President Maithripala Sirisena, though had vowed to implement the death penalty by hook or by crook, has only four months to do so after sorting out legal barriers, the Sri Lanka Podujana Permauna (SLPP) said yesterday.

MP Tharaka Balasuriya told a news conference that the legalising the killing of humans was unacceptable in a civilised society.

"However, that’s not the issue here. The President says he will implement the death penalty by whatever means. In a legal aspect, it would take more than four months for him to do so. If he somehow went ahead and implemented the death penalty, the issue will be for how long he can continue it. In another four months, there will be a new president. No one can guarantee that the incoming president will also endorse the death penalty. Killing people for the sake of popularity will not solve anything in the country," he said.

The MP said as far as he knew, the presidential candidates of the United National Party and the SLPP are not fans of the death penalty.

“However, it seems that the majority of the people are in favour of the death penalty but we ask whether it is civilised to implement the death penalty,” he said. (Lahiru Pothmulla)