Matters related to 20A should be resolved within society: JVP

While claiming that it was not the role of the Court to check the validity of a Constitutional Amendment, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said today matters related to the 20th Amendment to the Constitution should be resolved within the society as it was a political matter.

JVP National Organiser Bimal Ratnayake told a news conference that the court was only checking the technical aspects such as whether the amendment should be passed with a simple majority, two-thirds majority or whether it should be passed in a referendum.

“Even Government MPs asks us if the JVP was against 20A, why aren't we going to Courts. This is not something like punishing a thief. Court is not a place to check the validity of a Constitution. The Court is only checking the technical aspects related to a Constitutional Amendment. It is better to remind of the Supreme Court verdict on the 18th Amendment. The SC did not consider whether it was good or bad. This is a political matter and it should be resolved in society among the people,” he said.

He said they warned that people will have to face not only social, political and economic issues due to this amendment, but they will have to face a situation where they will have to risk even their own lives.

“This anti-democratic amendment should be defeated. Even the government MPs have started to protest against it. If we are unable to defeat this in Parliament, we will take steps to defeat it among the people in the long run,” he said.

Mr. Ratnayake said the 20A was like a motherless child where no one offered to take the responsibility of drafting it.

“If it was a progressive amendment, there will be lots of people to claim ownership. But, no one is coming forward in this case, as it is only helping to consolidate the power of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa,” he said.(Ajith Siriwardana)