Presidential order: Sri Lankan parties cry foul

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, JULY 11. Stunned by the mid-night Presidential order proroguing Parliament and notifying a referendum, Sri Lanka's Opposition parties that were attempting to oust the Government through a no-confidence motion today condemned the move as anti- democratic and authoritarian.

``This is a very, very anti-democratic and anti- parliamentary act. The President did this because she was aware that the collapse of the Government was imminent,'' said Mr. Karunasena Kodittuwakku, the spokesman of the main Opposition United National Party.

In a sudden move late on Tuesday night, the President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, prorogued Parliament till September 7 and announced a referendum on the need to have a new Constitution on August 21.

According to a communique from the Presidential Secretariat, at the referendum, people will be asked to vote `yes' or `no' to the proposal that ``the country needs a new Constitution, which is nationally important and an essential requirement.''

The move has pre-empted the no-confidence motion against the Government and two impeachment motions, against the Chief Justice and a junior Minister, that were presented to Parliament by the Opposition.

While it was expected that Ms. Kumaratunga might take recourse to proroguing Parliament to stall the no-confidence and impeachment motions, the decision to hold a referendum was a surprise.

Questioning the right of the President to take a decision to prorogue the House when a no-confidence motion against the Government was pending before Parliament, the UNP spokesman further said the question for the referendum was ``incomplete.''

Independent analysts too described the question as vague and misleading. ``That question (of the necessity for a new Constitution) was resolved by the 1994 elections. No one doubts that this country needs a new Constitution. The real question is what sort of new Constitution,'' said Mr. P. Saravanamuttu of the Centre for Policy Alternatives.

``The President has set a new agenda, and the Opposition has to hit the ground running. It is up to the Opposition now to treat the referendum as a no-confidence motion,'' said Mr. Saravanamuttu.

It is not clear yet what the Opposition's next move will be. ``We will work with all pro-democratic forces to oppose this action by the President,'' said Mr. Koditawakku.

The leadership of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna was closeted in a meeting through the morning.

The vice-president of the Tamil United Liberation Front, Mr. V. Anandasangaree, condemned the suspension of Parliament as a ``disgrace to the country, and a disgrace to the Bandaranaike family which has a long history of parliamentary politics.''

``She has run away from the no-confidence motion,'' he said. But the party is yet to take a stand on the referendum. Though Tamil parties have been arguing for a Constitution that devolves more political power to north-east Sri Lanka, the vaguely worded question for the referendum has left them wondering about the President's intentions.

The Tamil parties were not entirely satisfied even with the proposed new Constitution that was presented by the Government to Parliament in August 2000 and hurriedly withdrawn before it could be put to vote.

``We don't know what is meant by the words new Constitution. It should not become a case of jumping from the frying pan into the fire,'' a senior Tamil leader said.

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, which precipitated the current political drama by walking out of the ruling coalition, said even if the Government won the referendum, the task of drafting a Constitution acceptable to all ``would take months if not years, given the acrimonious relationship existing between the political parties''.

The SLMC leader, Mr. Rauff Hakeem, said if the aim was to change the Constitution, the President should rescind the orders proroguing Parliament and announcing a referendum and immediately work towards a consensus on a new Constitution, following laid- down constitutional norms.

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