• Sets two conditions to vote yes for the 22nd Amendment Bill
• Says Govt. must not sneak in undisclosed amendments during the committee stage
• Warns Opposition will not support the Bill if conditions are not met

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa

The main Opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has announced it would conditionally support the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. 

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, speaking in Parliament yesterday said the 22nd Amendment has many salient changes in comparison with the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. Premadasa, who is also the leader of the SJB, said the party’s main aim is to ensure the replacement of the problematic 20th Amendment. 

However, Premadasa said the party will only extend its support to the 22nd Amendment Bill in good faith subject to two key conditions. He said no undisclosed revisions should be attempted at the committee stage. 

“Firstly, there should be no changes to the prohibition on dual citizens entering the Parliament, while secondly, there should be no attempt to change the President’s power to dissolve Parliament in two-and-a-half years,” he said. Premadasa told Parliament that the Opposition parties have agreed to vote in favour of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution subject to these conditions. 

Premadasa said the party will be forced to vote against it if any unacceptable changes are introduced to the proposed amendment. “Even though it is not the broader reform sought by the party, the SJB is ready to be flexible in the interest of the country,” he added. 

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