Cabinet gets wheels turning for 20A

Cabinet spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella and co-Cabinet spokesman Udaya Gammanpila speak to reporters after the inaugural Cabinet meeting yesterday – Pic by Shehan Gunasekera   

• Inaugural Cabinet meeting approves sub-committee to formulate 20A, review all Cabinet documents on constitutional change 
• New amendment to repeal 19A but retain key points including two-term limit and 5-year term
• Second sub-committee approved to begin work on new Constitution  
• Justice Minister empowered to nominate members for an eminent panel to study proposed constitutional changes  
• Cabinet pledges to protect right to information as fundamental right: Spokesman 

By Asiri Fernando

Newly appointed Cabinet members at the inaugural meeting yesterday appointed a sub-committee to formulate the 20th Amendment (20A), and approved repealing its predecessor but retain salient points including the two-term limit and the five-year term of the presidency. 

Justice Minister Ali Sabry has been empowered to study the 19th Amendment (19A) and make recommendations to the Cabinet regarding which elements should be carried forward in the 20A, Cabinet spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters at the hurriedly summoned first Cabinet briefing last evening. 

Sabry will be part of the five-member sub-committee. A second sub-committee to formulate a new Constitution was approved by the Cabinet but this will be appointed later. Rambukwella fronted the press with co-Cabinet spokesman Udaya Gammanpila at the Department of Information. 

“The Cabinet decided to repeal the 19th Amendment and we will bring in the 20th Amendment. However, we will carry forward some good things from the 19th Amendment to the 20th Amendment. Under the 19th Amendment right to information was made a fundamental right and this will be safeguarded,” Rambukwella said. 

Responding to a question on the future of the independent institutions introduced by the 19A, Rambukwella stated that Justice Minister Sabry will decide which elements should be carried forth in the 20A and he will submit them in a draft 20th Amendment to the Cabinet for approval. 

“Whatever the positive features of the 19th Amendment will remain, but what they are is yet to be decided. Today the Justice Minister was empowered to look into it and he will tell the Cabinet from his perspective what should be kept. Then we will decide what to repeal and what to keep,” Gammanpila explained. 

The Cabinet yesterday decided to appoint a five-member sub-committee to study all Cabinet papers, notes and drafts already presented on constitutional change. The sub-committee will be made up of Prof. G.L. Peiris, Dinesh Gunawardena, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Ali Sabry and Udaya Gammanpila. The sub-committee is to submit their observation to the Cabinet, Gammanpila said, but would not specify a timeline for the committee.

The Cabinet has also authorised the establishment of a panel of eminent persons to formulate a new Constitution, with the Justice Minister tasked with recommending names for the panel to be considered for Cabinet approval. 

“We need to discuss the new Constitution with the public, the public needs to debate it. We do not need a Constitution dictated to Sri Lanka by foreign NGOs. The views of Sri Lankans must be reflected in the new Constitution,” Gammanpila noted in response to a question. 

Gammanpila told the Daily FT that the numbers of the composition of the panel of eminent persons has not yet been decided. “The Minister of Justice will propose and the Cabinet will decide who will be in the panel,” Gammanpila added.

Commenting on the 20A, Gammanpila stated that it was too early to indicate when it will be tabled in Parliament and that the Justice Minister was tasked with drafting it. “Therefore, we can’t comment on what will be included in it yet. We all know that the 19th Amendment created confusion in the country, even the people who introduced it acknowledge that fact. That’s why we are bringing the 20th Amendment,” Gammanpila reiterated, stating that the Government was keen to “fix the errors of the 19th Amendment as soon as possible”.

The Cabinet had also decided to provide employment for another 10,000 unemployed graduates after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa met with unemployed graduates who were protesting yesterday. Further, they have approved the proposed list of secretaries to the State Ministries. 

No new Government positions like “Deputy Prime Minister” was discussed by the Cabinet, Rambukwella said, responding to a question on whether the Government was preparing to create a new position for former President Maithripala Sirisena.