Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

25 November 2018

Now the President denies ‘facts’

[President is ready to appoint new PM if Parliament follows Standing Orders. As the country’s political turmoil entered the second month, President Maithripala Sirisena declared that he would appoint a new Prime Minister “if Parliament follows Standing Orders and shows a majority.”
“If Mahinda Rajapaksa has the majority in Parliament, he can continue with the government without any obstacle. If it is proved that Mr Rajapaksa does not have a majority, I believe he will take a decision,” he told the Sunday Times.]

I interpret the above as the Sri Lankan President living in denial – that the prime minister appointed by him does not have majority endorsement in parliament. But Financial Times confirms that majority have filed Affidavits in the Supreme Court confirming that Mr Rajapaksa lacks the confidence of  majority in Parliament:

[Delivering another Friday night twist to the ongoing political turmoil, 122 members of Parliament filed legal action yesterday, challenging the authority of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to hold office as Prime Minister, after a no confidence motion was passed against him in the House.
All 122 MPs – comprising members of the UNF, JVP and TNA – filed an application for a Writ of Quo Warranto against the former President, who was controversially appointed Prime Minister by President Maithripala Sirisena on 26 October. Legal experts have called the appointment an unconstitutional and illegal power grab. ]

A President who fails to accept the above mentioned Affidavits as proof of belief is being disrespectful of ‘facts’ and therefore the citizens of Sri Lanka. This denial leads one to the conclusion that Mr Sirisena is not mentally fit to hold the highest position in the country or that he is party to using unlawful pathways to produce the effects he desires.

As per the above report by Sunday Times:

[This was his first exclusive interview since he ousted Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26. “I have no possibility of re-appointing Mr Wickremesinghe. I will stick to that principle,” he said. In what seemed a coincidence, Premier Rajapaksa and leaders of his partner groups met President Sirisena on Friday night. It was to ascertain the future of the one-month-old government in the absence of a majority in Parliament. Mr Sirisena urged him to continue.…….

President Sirisena told the Sunday Times, “When the majority is shown in Parliament, the responsibility lies in the party leaders to continue with the work. Whoever has the majority in the 225 member House will be Prime Minister.”]

If therefore Mr Wickremesinghe has majority – then the President by his own rule has the duty to confirm that and not change his own rules as per likes and dislikes. One cannot  awaken someone who is pretending to be sleeping.