JHU challenges the 19th Amendment

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) today filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the proposed 19th Amendment to the Constitution, highlighting that the proposed devolution of powers among the heads of State and Government was vague and the amendment itself was a violation of the election manifesto of President Maithripala Sirisena.

JHU National Organiser and Provincial Councillor Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe filed the petition on behalf of the party, while JHU lawyers M.C. Jayaratne and Tudor Perera appeared for the petitioner.

Mr. Warnasinghe said the manifesto of the President had evidently mentioned that he would not go for any Constitutional amendment which would call for a referendum.    
 
“The latest amendment has proposed to make the Prime Minister the Head of the Government without a referendum.  The people elected President Maithripala Sirisena with a mandate to curb the arbitrary powers of the Presidency and not to make the Prime Minister the Head of the Government, which would call for a referendum,” he said explaining their stance to challenge the constitutional reforms.  

He said according to one article in the Amendment, the President had been mentioned as the Head of the State as well as the Government but it had also been cited as the Prime Minister is the government’s head in another article.
 
“There are a number of contradictory and vague statements in the reforms. The 19th Amendment is also not the one approved by the Cabinet of ministers,” he said.

The Jathika Hela Urumaya previously charged the Constitutional reforms were a result of a Constitutional Coup and vowed to defeat the 19th Amendment in its present form.    
   
So far, nine petitions including the petition of the JHU have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the proposed 19th Amendment to the Constitution. (Lahiru Pothmulla)