• Members of the public seem mostly in favour of empowering Government for system change and stability

One and a half months ago (September), Sri Lankan voters elected the new President with high hopes. To see the system change that they demanded, the next big step is the General/Parliamentary Election through which the Government will be formed. 

In this context, various groups have come forward in support of various candidates. Some of these groups support the idea of forming a majority National People’s Power (NPP) Government led by its Leader, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, while some think that under President Dissanayake’s Presidency, a strong Parliament with a strong Opposition is necessary. Both these groups point out the impacts of the soon to be held election’s results on the decision- and law-making processes handled by the Parliament.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, people from diverse backgrounds pointed out the importance of having a strong, stable Government as well as maintaining an accountable law making process with the support of all parties including the Parliamentary Opposition.

A strong govt. for strong decisions

According to some, in order for the Government to be able to make strong decisions, especially when it comes to enacting laws, it is necessary for it to have majority power in the Parliament. In a context where the people are expecting effective, responsible, and public friendly decisions from the new Government, they added, the Government should be stable and strong.

“The people voted out the previous Government along with its leaders for a reason. That reason is to bring about a system change, especially in the political system. This requires making important decisions, enacting laws and policies, and making crucial appointments, some of which may be decisive in bringing about a system change and may be opposed by corrupt politicians. That is why the new Government led by the new President should have more power in the Parliament,” 42-year-old private sector employee R. Premaratne said, questioning: “How can the new Government do that if it doesn’t have that power?”

Similar sentiments were expressed by several other persons, who claimed that in order for the Government to make progressive decisions without having to rely on Opposition Parliamentarians’ vote, majority power in the Parliament is necessary. They said that the Government should not have to rely on the Opposition.

In response to a question about enacting laws with the support of MPs that don’t represent the governing party, and seeing the Parliament and not political parties as the main law making body, 36-year-old mobile phone technician who goes by the name Akram opined that there is a lack of harmony in Sri Lanka’s political system which affects lawmakers’ ability to make collective decisions. 

“It is true that laws can be passed with the votes of any MP and not just those representing the governing party. But, we can’t ignore the practical aspects of this issue. In most cases, MPs take their party’s side without paying attention to the merits of a proposal (presented to the Parliament), and it is only in rare cases that a MP can be seen going against his/her party’s decision. There are plenty of examples, and this applies to both governing parties and Opposition parties,” he said. 

“The new President was elected just one and a half months ago. However, those who were voted out have already begun to claim that the new Government is going to fail within a matter of months. With this kind of attitude, do you really think that Opposition MPs as a whole will vote in favour of a proposal tabled by the Government even if that proposal is a good one?”

Some believe that it is high time to change the Parliament’s composition and that expanding the present administration is the best way to do that. In this regard, 27-year-old private sector employee Chanakya Amarasinghe said: “A major part of the system change that the people demanded is voting out old, failed, and corrupt MPs and replacing them with new, capable MPs. Those who destroyed the country and were voted out should not be even in the Opposition, because they are ready to do anything for power and money. I think that the best way to change the Parliament’s composition in a meaningful way is by electing more MPs from the NPP, because the President needs support to implement his vision. The Government needs majority power in the Parliament in order to make decisions despite the presence of failed and corrupt politicians in the Opposition.”

Strong govt. vs. dictatorial rule

These comments come in a context where the media recently quoted the President as saying that what is important at the moment is to form a strong Government and not a strong Opposition, and that the people should elect more MPs from the NPP at the General Election.

The Daily Morning’s questions in this regard received mixed responses. While some thought that the President’s remarks are acceptable, some pointed out the dangers of not having a strong Opposition in the Parliament.

According to a 57-year-old tailor who wanted to be named only as Attygalle, a strong Government is the need of the hour. “What the President has said is right, although some may see this as an anti-democratic statement. At the moment, forming a strong Government should be the country’s priority. Otherwise, we will have either a President with plans but no ability to implement those plans, or a chaotic Government consisting of two or more parties and filled with disputes.”

Meanwhile, a 41-year-old nail artist from Galle who wanted to remain anonymous also expressed support to the idea of prioritising the formation of a strong Government instead of a strong Parliament. She added that there are decisions that need to be taken urgently, and that it requires majority power in the Parliament.

Several others also expressed support for the President’s statement, noting that a strong Opposition will only slow down the President’s ambitious plans. They opined that the Parliamentary Opposition will be filled with Members of the former Government, who they said are unlikely to support the President’s plans but are most likely to obstruct those plans.

However, some view the non-existence of a strong Opposition as a threat to the country as it could create a dictatorial rule. In this regard, 33-year-old retail business owner Chamari Ratawana said: “Giving majority power in the Parliament to one party is a mistake that Sri Lanka has already made. I’m surprised that we haven’t learnt from it. We remember how the former Government passed laws one after another with no adequate dialogue about those laws and their impacts on the people. They could do it because they had majority power in the Parliament.” “There should be someone to question the Government’s actions,” she added.

Similar opinions were shared by 35-year-old private sector healthcare worker Yasith Perera (name changed on request). He explained: “There is no guarantee that the President will deliver what he has promised and we don’t know whether his Government will make decisions that are not in the people’s interest. Therefore, there should be a system to ensure that they remain on the right track, and that system is the Parliamentary system. In that system, arbitrary decisions cannot be taken, because decisions require the support of the majority of the MPs and there is a Parliamentary Opposition that points out inadequacies and faults. If this system collapses, there will be no accountability or transparency on the part of the Government, regardless of the political party.”

In addition, some pointed out the importance of governing and Opposition parties working together whenever possible, noting that MPs should see themselves as the people’s representatives in the Parliament and not members of rival political parties. They added that supporting people-friendly decisions is a responsibility that every MP alike has to fulfil. They further stressed that if such harmony existed, there would be no debates about who should be in the Government or who should support what party.