Independent Commission to restore Lanka’s image

14 December 2012 06:41 pm - 3 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in a widely publicised speech to mark the opening of the new headquarters of the Chartered Institute of Accountants, said he had to speak and act according to his conscience and was unhappy over the motion to impeach Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake. Thus he would appoint an independent committee or commission to review the verdict of the Parliamentary Select Committee.

With lawyers all over the country staging strikes and the independent Judiciary facing a potentially disastrous crisis over what they see as a denial of natural justice to the Chief Justice herself, independent analysts and observers hope the President would appoint a truly independent commission comprising retired Supreme Court judges to review the PSC verdict which has come under widespread criticism nationally and internationally. UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa has suggested that Justice C.G. Weeramantry – former Senior Vice President of the International Court of Justice and Sri Lanka’s senior-most judge with some 65 years experience nationally and internationally --might be the best person to head this commission. Among others being mentioned are former Chief Justices G.P.S. de Silva and Parinda Ranasinghe. Independent legal analysts say the President might find himself in a bigger mess if he appoints people like former Chief Justices Asoka de Silva and Sarath Silva, because they have committed themselves politically, and Mr. Silva specially has come under severe criticism for allegedly bringing party politics into the work and verdicts of the Supreme Court.
Claiming that he was speaking from his conscience, the President said he was not happy with the impeachment motion submitted by 117 government MPs because they were acting in terms of the 1978 constitution which was formulated not by him, but by the then President J.R. Jayewardene. Though it is difficult to imagine that 117 government MPs would take such a drastic step without the approval of the all-powerful executive president, the more important issue now is the growing demand that the executive presidential system or the 1978 constitution itself should be abolished and replaced by a constitution which restores parliamentary democracy and the supremacy of Parliament especially in terms of financial control.

Government leaders and members of the PSC which probed the impeachment motion are howling about the supremacy of Parliament. But on December 8, the UPFA government approved with a 2/3 majority the Appropriation Bill or the 2013 budget with two clauses, which the Supreme Court had said would devalue financial control and thereby the supremacy of Parliament. Such are the double standards, the double talk and deception which appear to be a sickening or horrifying part of party politics today. They lie and lie and lie in the delusion that most people will believe their lies, damn lies and bloated statistics.

Whatever happens, we hope the Presidential Commission will settle this crisis and help restore Sri Lanka’s image, which has been battered by the current impeachment crisis.

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Comments - 3

Shan Saturday, 15 December 2012 01:55 AM

This means that President knows PSC Committee is not independent / impartial...

ggg Saturday, 15 December 2012 03:09 PM

how many commissions you will put? When you don't implement the findings of any commission, why bother to implement one?

dinesh Sunday, 16 December 2012 07:10 AM

Sending the people to the kade is what this is...mahinda thinks this is a nation of donkeys when he can utter nonsense like this and get away with it

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Independent Commission to restore Lanka’s image

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