Sajith: For whose benefit does govt. want to implement 13th Amendment fully?

Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday demanded to know from the government for whose benefit it was trying to implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

Speaking soon after President Ranil Wickremesinghe made a special statement to Parliament, Premadasa said that the Opposition was ready to consider the proposals made by the President with regard to the implementation of the 13th Amendment and to extend its support only after a through scrutiny of the merits of those suggestions.

The most important thing to be done was to conduct the local council polls and obtain a mandate first before implementing the proposals to implement the 13th Amendment, Premadasa said.

“You were known as a person fighting for democratic rights while you were in the Opposition. We hope you will remain committed to the ideals of democracy that you used to champion those days and give people an election. The government is suffering from election phobia. All local government bodies are now under the executive. The President is duty bound to permit the conduct of elections,” Premadasa said.