Government clarifies CC impasse 

[July 21, 2005 - 10.30 GMT]

The Department of Government Information yesterday (July 20) issued a clarification in response to the recent misleading media reports on delay in the appointment of the Constitutional Council.

The reports had claimed that administrative problems have cropped up in the Government’s Higher Institutions and other Commissions as a result of the Constitutional Council not being appointed.  Despite the President’s several requests Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse has been unable to submit the list of nominees for appointments to the Constitutional Council, because he has not had the support of the Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe in this regard to date.

Five of the ten members to the Constitutional Council need to be nominees of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.  Three of these five members should be representatives from the ethnic minorities. The other two nominees should be made by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

The Leader of the Opposition is yet to make his nomination. The Prime Minister had held discussions with the Leader of the Opposition twice during the month of February and three times in March this year.  In addition, the Prime Minister on a number of occasions had made telephone calls to the Leader of the Opposition reminding him and called for his nominee.  However, so far no nomination has been made by the Leader of the Opposition.

The Government Media release further said at a time when bribery charges were raised against several members of the Cabinet of Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe despite the President’s several letters to the then Prime Minister to submit requesting a suitable nomination to fill the vacancy caused by the demise of a member of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, Mr. Wickremesinghe had failed to respond, thus allowing the Bribery Commission to remain inoperative.

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Last Updated Date: July 21, 2005 - 10.30 GMT