The unceasing call from all sectors of Sri Lankan society appears to be for the abolishing of the executive presidency. Having lived through and experienced first hands the pitfalls and dangers of this system for more than 30 years, Sri Lankans have reached the unanimous conclusion that the executive presidency is not only a serious threat to the principles of democracy upon which this republic was founded, but also a plague on society at large.

This country has watched politician after politician ascending this seat of power promising to abolish it. But once they have savoured the power it affords they have clung to the presidency, in many cases morphing into tin-pot dictators with no further ambition than ruling supreme for as long as possible. The office of the executive president of Sri Lanka holds immense power, not afforded to any other leader in the world. Once believed to be the change this country badly needed, the Presidency has become the greatest threat to democracy and development in Sri Lanka.  

Having suffered through this system many times before, Sri Lanka is once more living the nightmarish reality of an all powerful president. The executive presidency has rendered parliament, the highest democratic institution in the land, redundant. Laws are now being made and imagined at will, there is state of terror that pervades all aspects of life in Sri Lanka, despite the defeat of the LTTE that belies the government’s promise of waging war for the sake of peace. The intimidation of the press, the harassment of political detractors and the impunity with which the regime conducts itself can all be traced directly to the tragic flaws of our presidential system which affords absolute power.  

The executive has moved to decimate the Opposition; at every turn elected representatives have been intimidated, cajoled and bribed into supporting the incumbent, creating fissures within virtually every active political party within Sri Lanka’s parliament. Even the President’s own cabinet of ministers has been reduced to mere figureheads, with no voice and no power to effect executive decisions. That is not to say that everyone other than the President is powerless. Instead, all state power is vested in those individuals in the inner circle, including the President’s advisors and personal staff. It is these persons, who hold no elected office and have no claim to legitimacy, that hold the reins of governance in Sri Lanka today. There is no doubt that sometimes the presidential staff and advisors wield more power in the corridors of governance than the Ministers of this country.  

The President’s Men, those unaccountable to parliament or the people of this nation will reign today, paving the way for a next set of henchmen once the Presidency changes hands. This is how it has been and this is how it will be unless and until Sri Lankans band together and demand that this blatantly corrupt and ruthless system is changed and replaced with one that ensures that the Head of State is always responsible to and answerable to parliament.  

It is admirable that in the face of such horrendous intimidation of political opponents by the executive, the JVP has decided to campaign tirelessly for the abolishing of the presidency. It is well that the party has taken up this call to remind President Mahinda Rajapaksa about the promise upon which he was elected president. The UNP also wishes to remind President Mahinda Rajapaksa about Page 84 of his election Manifesto under the chapter ‘Constitutional amendments’ which states clearly that the executive presidency would be abolished during his tenure.

With proof such as this laid bare, it is unthinkable that the government is now claiming that there is no mandate for the abolishing of the presidency. If this is the way in which this president chooses to honour the sacred covenants he has made with the people who voted him into office, there is no doubt that the voters would never be able to trust him again. This answer fashioned by this government proves once more what Sri Lankans have long since come to expect from their leaders – that absolute power corrupts absolutely.  

It is in this context that we decided to call for a mandate to remove presidential immunity; to establish Constitutional Councils and Independent Commissions; establish rule of law and transparent governance within 60 days and abolish the Executive Presidency within 180 days; for the citizens of Sri Lanka to enjoy the fruits of democracy.