Gammanpila accuses President of violating Constitution

By Chamodi Gunawardana

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) Leader and MP Udaya Gammanpila alleged that President Maithripala Sirisena had violated the Constitution by appointing Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Propaganda Secretary and MP Vijitha Herath to the Constitutional Council (CC).

Submitting a letter to President Sirisena, Gammanpila has alleged that Herath’s appointment as the representative of other parties took place without the acknowledgment of other party leaders.

He has mentioned that the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) were eligible to nominate a representative collectively for the CC, but did not enjoy the opportunity.

Gammanpila has submitted this letter in order to request President Sirisena to reveal the reasons behind this appointment.

The CC has been recognised as the main component to establish nine independent commissions and it should guide those commissions continuously. The Speaker, Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader have the power to nominate MPs for the CC while being its permanent members.

The CC will comprise 10 members. Seven of them should be Parliamentarians and remainder should be civil organisation representatives. The Speaker, Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader could nominate five members and rest would be nominated though small parties’ recommendations.