Lanza: 19A only strengthened Ranil’s position as PM

Rural Roads and Alternative Infrastructure State Minister Nimal Lanza yesterday said the yahapalana regime had introduced the 19th Amendment to strengthen the position of then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe by pruning down the executive powers of President Maithripala Sirisena.

Lanza, addressing a meeting at the Negombo town hall, said the 19th Amendment had not done any good to the country.

He said after the Easter Sunday carnage, the yahapalana government which was in power at the time had not been able to remove the IGP and elections were not held on time and there was a tug-of-war between the President and the Prime Minister.

“The country moved backwards under the yahapalana government and the national security was in jeopardy,” the State Minister said, adding that due to those drawbacks of the previous government, the people had given a 2/3 majority to the incumbent government at the last general election.

Lanza said that after Wickremesinghe’s dream of becoming the President of the country was shattered, he had started enhancing the powers enjoyed by him as the Prime Minister by making use of the 19th Amendment and one of Wickremesinghe’s prime concerns was to do everything possible to remove Rajapaksas from politics once and for all.