Video: Pass 20A now: JHU

3 June 2015 11:00 am

Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) urged the political parties including the United National Party (UNP) to support to get the 20th Amendment to the Constitution passed without holding it up in Parliament.

General Secretary of JHU Patali Champika Ranawaka insisted the government to keep the election promise that was made by the President to change the existing electoral system since it lets unsuitable people get elected.

“There is a group who are geared up to sabotage this process of the 20th Amendment getting passed. They hoodwink the people by taking up unnecessary topics in Parliamentary debates. As a result, the process has become trapped in the house,” Mr. Ranawaka said.

“The UNP who was forefront in forming the new government should not go backward, when the national need has come to change the electoral system,” he said.

He said that arguments made by few parties that the minority parties were affected were baseless.
“We have to increase the number of Parliamentarians to increase the representation minor parties to a considerable number. Nowadays, some are criticising even the decision to increase Parliamentarians,” Mr. Ranawaka said.

He said there was a public discussion since 2002 about a new electoral system, when a committee headed by MP Dinesh Gunawardane took the issue in to consideration. (Piyumi Fonseka)




Video by Sanath Desmond


Pic by Kithsiri De Mel