Passing 22A ‘great victory’ for those who value democracy: Karu Jayasuriya

21 October 2022 09:52 pm Views - 4037

Passing of the 22nd amendment to the Constitution was a victory for all citizens of Sri Lanka who value democracy, National Movement for Social Justice Chairman Karu Jayasuriya said today.

"We the National Movement for Social Justice would like to first and foremost thank all members of parliament as well as civil and political forces who continuously advocated for this constitutional reform," he said.

He said the parliament of Sri Lanka today passed the 22nd Amendment by revoking the 20th amendment to the constitution which had been adopted with the aim of converting the country to an autocratic authoritarian regime.

"We as an organization that vehemently opposed 20A when it was introduced to achieve the aspirations of the former President and even after it was adopted, we emphasize once again that we do not believe that the 22nd amendment is sufficient and the last decisive step to secure the country's democracy and protect the dignity and expectations of the people," a statement issued by the National Movement for Social Justice said.

"We consider this decision taken by Parliament today as an extremely vital interim constitutional reform that should have been implemented until a new constitution is adopted.

Accordingly, we consider this a significant achievement. The National Movement for Social Justice always stands unwaveringly for a new constitution that will bring dignity to the people and ensure the betterment of the country.

At this moment, we request all the political forces to be empowered by this achievement and take the lead in this task, of Strengthing democracy & taking the country for the well being of the people.

The National Movement for Social Justice will continuously take the lead in abolishing the executive presidency and eradicating large-scale corruption from the country," the statment added.