UNP will change Constitution - Vajira

United National Party Chairman Vajira Abeywardena said the government had changed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which was passed by a well-governed government with 222 votes, in a matter of hours.

He said this addressing a media briefing held in Galle yesterday.

United National Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe stated that Sri Lanka was on par with Japan at the time of Independence and now we are at the level of Afghanistan.

“What is the future of the country in the next 10 to 15 years? It was stated that the time had come to think clearly about the future of the North and the South. Free education was established before and after independence and free healthcare was strengthened.

According to the new constitution of 1978, socialist policies were included in the constitution and people’s sovereignty was strengthened.

He also introduced an executive presidency. The group that is in power today marched saying it was detrimental to this country,” he noted.

He said that respecting the ideology that later emerged in society, the UNP, especially the former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe introduced the 19th Amendment and controlled the executive power and added that power to the Parliament, the Cabinet, the Prime Minister and a number of Commissions to implement independent policies and the Constitution was also passed with the contribution and participation of all 222 members of Parliament.

The present government completely changed the Constitution passed by some 160 votes within a few hours.

That is why Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe thinks that a future iron clad national policy framework is needed, he said.

Abeywardena noted that the constitution passed by 222 should be changed by at least 223.

That means it should be changed even through a referendum.

He said that Wickremesinghe has clearly stated that the aim of the UNP is to create a strong democratic society by including the new rules and the 20th Amendment.