PRESIDENT SHOULD POSSESS EXECUTIVE POWERS - S.M. CHANDRASENA

Aat present he found people-friendly features in the executive presidential system.

“The President should possess executive powers to resolve communal issues and several other conflicts. The proportional representation should prevail as a means to provide a fair play for the minorities. If the provincial council election was held under the present system providing 50 percent representation on electoral basis and 50 percent from the list, it would result in a recurrence of a crisis experienced in the local government election. It is a peculiar system which is not found anywhere in the world. Parliamentarians have a responsibility to prevent the recurrence of a crisis in the provincial council election and to introduce a viable electoral system, or else the elections should be held under the previous system,” he said.

He further said, the government should be compelled to hold the long overdue provincial council elections. nuradhapura District Parliamentarian S.M. Chandrasena said although he protested earlier against the executive presidential system with over-riding powers introduced by former President J.r.jayawardene, he had now changed his stance and decided to support it.

He said he vehemently opposed the dictatorial rule of former President J.R. Jayawardene, but