Sri Lanka's Growing Authoritarianism
“On Sept. 8, the Sri Lankan parliament is to debate and vote on the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which would remove the two-term limit on the presidency and -- in effect -- allow the president to make direct appointments to bodies responsible for governance such as the judiciary and bureaucracy. Thus, passing this amendment is likely to further entrench the authoritarian executive and debilitate the democratic rights of Sri Lanka’s citizenry,” says Asia Society Associate Fellow Ahilan Kadirgamar, who has just returned to New York from Sri Lanka. “The president in recent weeks has been successful in poaching opposition members of parliament to gain the two-thirds majority necessary for constitutional change and is shoving this far-reaching constitutional bill down on the parliament as an urgent bill with little time for review by the Supreme Court or for debate within society at large. While the president is trying to justify these drastic moves as necessary for economic development, in reality it is only likely to undermine the development process accountable to the people. Indeed, over the last few days a large number of prominent and independent Sri Lankan organizations and citizens have condemned this constitutional amendment. As Sri Lanka’s political culture deteriorates amidst authoritarianism, patronage politics and oligarchic consolidation, these developments are also a major blow to the longer-term concerns of post-war reconciliation and a constitutional political settlement to the ethnic conflict.”
Ahilan, who is based in New York, is spokesperson of the Sri Lanka Democracy Forum. To arrange an interview, contact the Asia Society communications department at 212-327-9271 or [email protected].