HOBSON’S CHOICE-SUPREME COURT, SAYS PAFFREL
The leading elections monitoring NGO, Peoples Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) yesterday said the best forum to resolve the current political and Constitutional impasse in the country was the Supreme Court.
“The two parties for and against the dissolution must go to the apex judicial body in the country because, this is an issue of the Constitutional interpretation. My personal opinion is that the dissolution is a violation of the Constitution as the Constitution has clearly laid down as to when and how the President could dissolve Parliament. Those who oppose and justify the dissolution attempt put their point of view across, based on their political affiliations. That is why I say that the best and most appropriate forum is the Supreme Court to resolve this issue,” Executive Director of Paffrel, Mr. Rohana Hettiaracchi stressed.
He said the PAFFREL would meet today to decide its next course of action on what he called the unconstitutional dissolution of Parliament and whether the PAFFREL would seek the permission of the Supreme
Court to intervene in the FR case as ‘Amicus Curiae’.
Mr. Hetttiarachchi also said The Elections Commission could also intervene in the FR case and added that the Elections Commissioner went to the Supreme Court in 1999 against an executive order given during the Wayamba PC polls.
Meanwhile, the international community had expressed its disappointment over the dissolution of Parliament bypassing the rule of law and democratic principles.
The Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-general of the UNP, Farhan Haq in a statement had said that the Secretary-general was made aware with concern about President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to dissolve Sri Lanka’s parliament and move to a new parliamentary elections on 5 January 2019.
“The Secretary-general underlines the utmost importance of respecting democratic processes and institutions and resolving differences in accordance with the rule of law and due process,” the statement said.
The Secretary General has renewed his call on the Government to ensure peace and safety for all Sri Lankans and uphold its commitments to human rights, justice and reconciliation.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs in a tweet said that the US was “deeply concerned by the news that the Sri Lankan Parliament will be dissolved, further deepening the political crisis”. It said democracy needed to be respected to ensure stability and prosperity.
The international community had expressed its disappointment over the dissolution of Parliament bypassing the rule of law and democratic principles
As a friend of Sri Lanka, the UK calls on all parties to uphold the constitution and respect democratic institutions and processes
Mark Field, the British Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific, tweeted his concern about the dissolution of parliament days before it was due to be reconvened.
“As a friend of Sri Lanka, the UK calls on all parties to uphold the constitution and respect democratic institutions and processes,” he said. Canada’s Foreign Policy twitter feed said that it was “deeply concerned” about the decision and referred to the risks to reconciliation work after the nation’s civil war. Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, Marise Payne also expressed concern and disappointment in a statement, that said “This undermines Sri Lanka’s long democratic tradition and poses a risk.”