The 13A was implemented in November 1987 after the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord in July 1987. Both were forcibly pushed down Sri Lanka’s throat by India & constitutes an act of aggression. It is the dangers of its implementation that compelled every President not to use powers under Article 33(d) or implement Police Powers. The current President is only in office for the remainder of the term of the 2019 elected President who resigned. The current President cannot implement 13A as he does not have the mandate to do so. He may promise to implement 13A by contesting election for President in 2024. Politicians are responsible for a lot of damage to this country, from dividing the people, abusing powers delegated to them by the people & now attempting to divide the country as deals to remain in power. Why is the SLPP not pointing this out to the sitting President?
Provincial Council Elections
- 1988 Elections held in all of the Provinces with NE being merged in 1987.
- 1993 Southern Province
- 1994 Southern Province
- 1999 Elections held in all provinces except NE
- 2004 Elections held in all provinces except NE
- 2008 Elections held in North Central & Sabaragamuwa & East for the first time after 1988
- 2009 Elections held in Western, Central, North Western, Uva, Southern
- 2012 Elections held in Eastern, North Central, Sabaragamuwa
- 2013 Elections held in Central, North Western & North for the first time after 1988
- 2014 Elections held in Western, Southern & Uva
No Provincial elections were held under the Yahapalana Govt from 2015-2020. But the alliance of UNP, pro-UNP SLPF, TNA, JVP made changes to the PC election law & indefinitely postponed elections (Article 154E)
It has become an ugly practice to abuse the provision allowing minor technical changes to Bills at Committee Stage to introduce new insertions & pass. This is one key area that politicians & political parties have digressed from ethics of governance & democracy. This was how PC & Local Govt election laws were changed in 2017 by inserting 31 pages of new amendments at Committee Stage to a Bill that was only 1 ½ pages. This changed the PC election system days prior to automatic dissolution of the first 3 PCs. Political Parties voting demanded electing by PR system to increase from 40% to 50% & it was immediately granted prior to vote.
When the Supreme Court had given a ruling that extension of terms of PCs or postponement of elections require a referendum plus 2/3 majority in Parliament – how could the then govt change PC election law?
All political parties are today hated by the People. The election process needs to be changed. All the corrupt in Parliament are unlikely to give up all that they enjoy pretending to fight each other for the sake of fooling the people.
The SLPP is in power given a 2/3 majority by the People. How many of the SLPP MPs have even read their own manifesto to understand what they have promised to uphold once elected & sent to Parliament.
Do people elect them to go striking deals with foreign countries, foreign companies or local private sector? This is exactly what is happening & it is as a result of these deals that even the Public Sector have become corrupt. Then we have a bunch of people calling themselves “civil society” majority of whom are paid by foreign governments or foreign think tanks.
Can we trust an “O/L passed” elected MP or an “educated” civil society working for foreign agendas?
Sri Lanka is a sovereign state.
India can influence – but we presume we elect people with spine able to tell India that we are a sovereign state. If we lack leaders with spine – it is our own fault.
The TNA is a communal party created by LTTE.
It hardly has even the Tamil people’s mandate.
Since holding control of Northern PC since 2013, TNA’s popularity has only diminished.
The Tamil people do not want to separate Sri Lanka – they would rather have jobs, food, education for their children. They cannot eat a separate Sri Lanka!
Majority of the political parties in Sri Lanka have turned communal primarily due to the voting system – to woo voters, they promise everything under the sun but not with intent to give. Naturally this leads to not only animosity but creates unnecessary rifts between people. The politicians happily watch people fight each other for no reason & oft times it is the politicians & their cronies that create the conflicts.
We are a nation in default. The private sector & the top companies have shown their hypocrisies by maintaining silence knowing their $53b could ease the debt burden & not commit Sri Lanka to the $2.9b IMF aid which is coming with a plethora of conditions that are only burdening the people & taxing them beyond measure.
In such a scenario – why is the SLPP & other political parties not objecting to 13A implementation for it would mean creating a new police force for every Province, with 9 new DIGs and additional employment & salaries while IMF is demanding Sri Lanka cut its military!
Shenali D Waduge