20A to be presented in Parliament on May 19

President Maithripala Sirisena will present the proposed 20th Amendment to all political party representatives’ meeting scheduled to be held next Monday.

It will then be presented to the Cabinet on May 13 and to Parliament on May 19.

The proposed 20th Amendment will thereafter be be sent to the Supreme Court for its determination, the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Enterprises Management Agency (SEMA) Ashoka Abeygunawardana said.

Addressing a workshop at the Government Information Department Auditorium yesterday to educate journalists on the proposed 20th Amendment, Abeygunawardana said the proposed 20th Amendment will introduce the PR without the preferential voting system.

The new proposed system will give at least one MP (representative) for one electorate and there will be no preferential system in the new system. According to Abeygunawardana the new system will be a ‘combined method’ and the total number of Members of Parliament will be 255.

A total of 196 MPs will be appointed through the DDP system (districts) and 165 MPs will be appointed through electorates including multi-member seats. The number of member to be appointed through the National List (NPR) will be 59. There will be no issue in connection with increasing the number of members in Parliament as there will be no increase in the number of ministers which is a burden for the country and the economy, he said.

Mass Media and Information Ministry Secretary Karunaratne Paranavithana said the proposed 20th Amendment will introduce a PR system that does not include the preferential vote system which will be a PR system which includes an electoral system.

The two main political parties and other political parties have already come to an agreement in connection with the proposed system and it is only those persons who do not know about the proposed system, who oppose it.

“The new government has initiated a number of reforms in a very short time and most of them are constitutional reforms. Anybody can estimate tangible development but nobody can estimate intangible development. It is the responsibility of journalists to educate the people by allaying any doubts and confusion. The 20th Amendment will be a totally home grown solution,” he dded.

Information Department Director General S.K.M.D. Darshani Gunatilleke, Prof. Sudantha Liyanage and several others also spoke.

(Daily News)