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Sri Lanka : Government faces no-confidence motion |
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President Chandrika Kumaratunga who went on a private visit to an unknown destination on June 25, was expected to return on July 1 when her first priority would be to meet Members of Parliament of her weakened Peoples Alliance to discuss the chances of the survival of the Government when the no-confidence motion is taken up for debate on July 16. The voting on the motion pressed by the main Opposition party, UNP, will be held on July 19. The UNP was prompted to give a notice of no-confidence after the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) which has ten members in the Parliament, announced withdrawal of their support to the PA alliance, thus reducing the government of Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wikremanaike to a minority. If the UNP is able to persuade the JVP which has 10 seats, to vote for the no-confidence motion, the Government is sure to fall.
JVP, a radical political group that led two armed insurgences against the Sri Lankan state but later transformed itself into a parliamentary party, is as yet undecided. After the meeting of its politburo on June 26, it said, it will neither support the ruling PA nor the Opposition UNP in the no-confidence motion. Both the UNP and the PA are vigorously lobbying for the support of the JVP and senior leaders from the two parties have been in close touch with its leadership. Political observers however say, even if the Marxist JVP wants to bring down the government, they would think twice about doing it together with its main Opposition UNP. The JVP has always had a poor relationship with the UNP, blaming them for several thousand murders that took place during the insurgency the JVP led in the late 80s and also for their liberal economic policies. Though some members within the JVP feels the time is ripe to bring down the government, others are apprehensive about a future UNP rule.
On the other hand, The SLMC which triggered the crisis after it walked out of the Government when President Kumaratunga sacked its leader, Mr. Rauf Hakeem, from the Cabinet, is also a divided House. Whereas Mr. Hakeem has the support of seven member of Parliament, its sister-party, the National Union Alliance (NUA) led by Ms. Ashraf has declined to cross over to the Opposition. It is still struck with the Government despite an initial guarantee that they too were in support of Mr. Rauf Hakeem. The SLMC has called a meeting of its High Command to decide whether to suspend the four NUA Parliamentarians.
President Kumaratunga said at a rally on June 26 that if there had been a proportional representational system, her party would have won 70 per cent of the seat in Parliament. She declared that she will not hesitate to march forward even by “tearing off of this piece of paper” (Constitution), “if we find that the Constitution is obstructing the peoples’ will”.
With the political situation fluid, senior members of the government are suggesting that the only way out of the crisis for the PA is to form a national government. But the UNP assistant leader, Mr. Gemini Athuqurale, has rejected the suggestion. He however, said the UNP would welcome individual PA member who cross over its fold and take them on board in a government of national reconciliation. There is one other escape route for the PA. The Constitution vests in the President the power to prorogue Parliament for up to two months. One of Ms. Kumaratunga’s predecessor R. Premadasa, exercised this option when he was faced with an impeachment motion and used the two month reprieve to break his opponents. It is believed that Ms. Kumaratunga could take course to the same option to stall the no-confidence motion.
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