Justice Minister raps EC Chairman

Justice, Prison Affairs, Constitutional Reforms Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC, has flayed the Election Commission Chairperson Nimal Punchihewa over the latter’s criticism of the government pushing for the 21 Amendment to the Constitution amidst an economic meltdown.

An irate Justice Minister questioned the suitability of Attorney-at-Law Punchihewa to serve as Chairman of the five-member EC. The minister was responding to Punchihewa’s declaration that the 21-A didn’t meet the public aspirations.

Appearing in a live Swarnavahini programme on Monday (06), Rajapakse said Punchihewa wouldn’t have said so if he had been qualified to hold that position. The minister said the enactment of the 20 Amendment at the expense of the 19 Amendment had caused the deterioration of once independent commissions.

The current EC members received their appointments in terms of the 20 Amendment.

The Justice Minister claimed that democracy had been saved by the independence of the judiciary. The President’s Counsel alleged that the executive and the legislature had failed to fulfil their obligatory duty to protect democracy.

Commenting on ongoing investigations into the well-orchestrated violence against a selected group of members of parliament following attacks on Galle Face protesters on 09 May, Dr. Rajapakse said that IGP C.D. Wickremaratne, when inquired about the failure on the part of the police to prevent attacks, had declared those who failed to do their job had been picked by ruling party members. The Justice Minister said that the current dispensation should accept responsibility for that situation. Had the police headquarters been allowed to appoint qualified officers the situation wouldn’t have been so bad, Dr. Rajapakse said.

Asked whether the government was planning to compensate the lawmakers and others who had suffered losses, Dr. Rajapakse asserted taxpayers’ money would have to be utilised to pay compensation. A policy decision had to be taken in that regard, he added. (SF)