PACKAGE IN PARLIAMENT (99 Jul 28)
The president has given a promise to the LSSP and the CP that the government will introduce a bill before the nineteenth of August to abolish the executive presidency and to devolve power to the regional councils. The two Marxist parties had threatened to leave the government if steps were not taken to abolish the executive presidency. The UNP had demonstrated against the PA government for not keeping the promise given to the public that the executive presidency would be abolished before the 15th of July 1995.
However the government needs a two third majority and also probably approval at a referendum before the bill becomes law. The UNP is not against the executive presidency and there will be pressure from the Tamil racists and their patrons for the UNP to change their stand. The UNP on the otherhand does not support the devolution package as they insist on asymmetrical devolution giving more powers to the North and the East than to the rest. While the PA devolution amounts to a federal state the UNP proposal will establish a confederation of an Eelam and Sri Lanka. Eitherway the Sinhala people will lose one third of the country to the Tamil racists.
There are also moves to buy a few UNP members in order to get the two third majority in the parliament and the Sinhala nationalist will have to be vigilant and oppose any attempt by the government to devolve power.