Govt. says no need for referendum to establish good governance

Saturday, 11 April 2015 01:25 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Waruni Paranagamage Deputy Foreign Minister Ajith P. Perera yesterday said that the Government would establish good governance in the country without holding a referendum. He said that this would be done by abiding by the Supreme Court decision regarding the 19th Amendment Draft Bill after making the required changes to the Bill. “We will not consider the six chapters that require a referendum. However, after making the changes to the Draft Bill we will obtain a two-thirds majority in Parliament and get the 19th Amendment implemented and after that we can establish good governance in the country,” Perera said. He said that the Government would not go for anything which required a referendum as they had clearly pointed out in President Maithripala Sirisena’s manifesto. He added that some of the extreme powers of the President would be removed and given to the Parliament and they would take steps to establish a system of checks and balances within the Government. “The 19 Amendment cancels the President’s power to dissolve Parliament before one year after the Parliament is appointed and according to the amendment it is also essential to consult the Prime Minister regarding Cabinet appointments,” the Deputy Minister added. Perera further asserted that if the President and Prime Minster failed to work according to the system of checks and balances for Cabinet appointments a final decision would be taken by the Parliament instead.