BISHOPS IN METHODISM

A Christian response to the 20th Amendment

Sri Lanka politics is now faced with a crucial decision making moment with the 20^th Amendment to the Constitution. Arguments are presented in a very convincing manner from both sides, while the General public are battling a war against Covid 19, 2^nd or 3^rd wave.

Since the Independence gained in 1948, Sri lanka has passed through troubled waters.  However every successive Governments has come in to power through election with the promise of delivering a better nation in contrast to the previous regimes. The reality that we all face today is, no matter what slogans attracted the voter before the election, the Government Machinery is stubbornly refusing to move in the expected speed to deliver the goods. Because of this reality, many have been saying there should be a strong leader who will take decisions in a decisive manner without giving in to pressure tactics from various quarters who have vested interest and personal agendas. One such example is the Rice Mafia in our country which the incumbent Government tried to tackle but has miserably failed. If there was more muscle given to the executive would we enjoy a reasonable price for Rice by now?

In Sri Lanka  when a Government fails to deliver the goods, people have used the ballot to throw out  successive governments as we have seen in 2015 January, 2019 November and 2020 August. One of the biggest hurdles Sri lanka has had and still is on the increase is CORRUPTION at all levels from the top to the bottom. Those who do not want to join that bandwagon are considered as weird and outcasts who will not be able to get anything moving. Didn’t many say before the Presidential Election “We need a Man like Lee Kwan You of Singapore’ to put things in order and   develop the country. The fact that 6.9 million people of this country focused the spot light on Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakshe to do the “Lee Kawan You” task is indisputable.

The enormous challenge of Covid 19 1^st Wave and the wise manner in which H.E. Gotabaya Rajapaksha took control of it with an able team like Dr. Anil Jasinghe (then DGHS) Major General Shavendra Silva. Deputy IGP Ajith Rohana and others proved that “If there is a will, there is a way”. Is that not sufficient for all of us to believe that we have found the “Lee Kwan You” of Sri lanka?

If that Miracle operation of Covid 19 response was a great success, and we all agree with it, who is the idiotic and senseless person who thought that the time is now right to bring in a 20^th Amendment to the Constitution to give more muscle to the President? Hasn’t this foolish move brought great embarrassment  to the President and the Government? I have listened to the statements of all persons who have expressed their vehement dissent on the 20^th Amendment. One can not brush off the dissent saying that those who oppose are “Creating a BILLA – a ghost”. Learned Monks like Muruththettuwe Ananda and Elle Gunawasha Theros who claim that they were the Master Minds in bringing to power (Rajun Thanannan), H.E. Gatabaya Rajapaksha and the present Government, are vehemently opposing the 20^th Amendment and strongly object to the fact that they and their advice are now being IGNORED. They have now being reduced to mere “spectators of the procession”, which is not a very good sign.

Madam Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumarathunge, Hon. Mahinda Rajapaksha, Hon. Maithripala Sirisena, Hon Ranil Wickremasinghe they all came in to Power wanting to clip the wings of the Executive Presidency in our country.  At that time there was no one who said “No we need to retain the powers of the Executive Presidency, designed by J.R. Jayawardhena”. When and how did this “Conversion of wanting more muscle” suddenly come in, which, even those who brought H.E. Gotabaya Rajapaksha in to power never envisaged and now makes them feel very worried and frustrated?

It was not long ago that H.E. Gotabaya Rajapaksha expressed his frustration in front of the Central Bank officers which we all saw on TV. It is a good example of a Country Leader becoming helpless at the cry of the General Public, who are not looked after and attended to by those who are running the Government Machinery. The running of a Government is not the sole responsibility of the Executive of a country. This is the biggest mistake we keep on repeating and never correct our pattern of thinking.  When one ruler fails, we turn to another, when he fails we turn to another and the “Circus goes on”. If the goods are not being delivered by His Excellencies’ subordinates, the solution is not to bring in the so called “20^th amendment” to empower more the executive without checks and balances.

In the Book of Micah Chapter 7:3 of the Bible warns us in this manner

“Both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil! Officials and judges alike demand bribes. The people with influence get what they want, and together they scheme to twist justice”.

When there are authorities, whether it be Government, Church or any organization, who will not be subject to checks and balances, they will become good at not doing good but doing EVIL together. It will straightforwardly encourage them to “Scheme to twist Justice” They will earnestly work together with diligence in doing wrong. “The prince, the judge, and the great man, agreeing in their ill designs, make a threefold cord of iniquity: or, they twist one sin upon another, the latter to maintain or cover the former and all jointly promote injustice, violence, and cruelty”. 

Let us all earnestly pray to God to save our country from going into a great error through the 20^th Amendment.

 

Rev. Asiri P. Perera

Former President Bishop of Methodist Church Sri Lanka

October 22, 2020