Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe informed the All Party Leaders Conference on Reconciliation that the Cabinet was agreeable to fully implementing 13th Amendment until the Party Leaders decide whether or not to abolish the Amendment.
President Ranil Wickramasinghe said that he is bound to implement the existing law of the country according to the executive powers of the President.
The President emphasized that the 13th amendment will be fully implemented and if not, the 13th constitutional amendment should be abolished through the parliament.
President Ranil Wickramasinghe pointed out that any MP can submit a private member’s proposal to the Parliament to abolish the 13th Amendment and also mentioned that if the majority does not like it, it will only be implemented.
However, the President emphasized that he is not ready to divide the country and will never betray the Sinhalese nation President Ranil Wickramasinghe mentioned this while addressing the all-party meeting held 26 at the President’s Office.
The President who further commented here
“As the executive, I am tasked with implementing the existing law. The 13th Amendment has been in the Constitution for about 37 years. I have to make it work. If I don’t implement it, someone should bring a 22nd amendment and repeal the 13th amendment. Otherwise, the 13th amendment should be implemented. We cannot stand in the middle saying that the 13th Amendment will not be implemented or abolished. Anyone has the ability to bring a private member’s motion to the Parliament and propose to abolish the 13th Amendment. What if the majority doesn’t like it? Then the 13th amendment has to be implemented.
I am working according to the decision of the Judiciary on the 13th Amendment. Especially the decision of Chief Justice Palinda Ranasinghe. If we limit ourselves to that, we are actually in a united state. I am against a federal state. But agree to share powers. The provincial council that we have now established does not even have the same powers as the London City Council. The City of London has more powers than this. In that case, it cannot be said that this is a federal state”.