COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The general secretary of Sri Lanka’s main Tamil political party refused on Thursday to sign a joint opposition statement against a proposed constitutional amendment, saying he would not campaign for judicial independence alongside politicians he accused of having undermined it, according to reports in the Tamil-language media.
M.A. Sumanthiran, a President's Counsel and the general secretary of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) attended a meeting of opposition politicians, civic groups and civil society representatives at the Janaki Hotel in Colombo, where participants discussed mobilizing public opposition to the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.
The gathering, held under the banner of the "Freedom Struggle Front to Protect Democracy," ended with a joint statement opposing the amendment. Mr. Sumanthiran did not add his name to it.
According to reports in the Tamil-language media, Mr. Sumanthiran said that he and his party were firmly opposed to the amendment and that ITAK would vote against it in Parliament.
“We are completely opposed to the 22nd Amendment,” Mr. Sumanthiran was quoted as saying. “We will demonstrate that opposition in Parliament and through our vote.”
He was also quoted as saying that his party was “not prepared, for that reason, to join forces with those who seriously interfered with the judiciary and undermined its independence and pretend that we are fighting for judicial independence.”
Mr. Sumanthiran said that some of those involved in the initiative had supported political action against two former chief justices, Neville Samarakoon and Shirani Bandaranayake, which he said had damaged the independence of the courts, according to the reports. He also said that signing a common declaration would require the approval of his party, which had not been consulted about the document beforehand.
The statement issued at the end of the meeting said the proposed amendment posed a serious threat to the independence of the judiciary, to democratic structures and to the rights of citizens, and that it placed at risk a system of representative democracy maintained for nearly 80 years. The signatories described themselves as a united collective committed to protecting democracy.
Those who attended the meeting included Sagara Kariyawasam, an attorney; Duminda Dissanayake; Sanjeeva Edirimanna; Dilan Perera; Ravi Karunanayake; Mujibur Rahman; Ajith P. Perera; Dayasiri Jayasekara; G.L. Peiris; Rajitha Senaratne; Nimal Siripala de Silva; Saman Rathnapriya; Maithri Gunaratne; Vajira Abeywardena; and Ravi Kumudesh.
The proposed amendment would raise the retirement age of Supreme Court judges to 67 from 65, and that of Court of Appeal judges to 65 from 63. The government says the change is intended to retain experienced judges, improve the efficiency of the courts and help clear a large backlog of cases, according to the Cabinet Office.
The proposal has drawn substantial legal opposition. Sixty-seven petitions challenging the amendment were filed before the Supreme Court, which heard them earlier this month before a five-judge bench, The Morning reported.
Opposition groups are planning a public protest in Colombo on Sept. 24. The Samagi Jana Balawegaya, the main opposition party, has called for a broad public mobilization against the proposal. The protest is scheduled for the same day that Parliament is due to begin debating the amendment. The parliamentary agenda lists debate on Sept. 24 and 25.
Other Tamil parties from the North and East, as well as Muslim parties, did not take part in Thursday's gathering, according to accounts of the meeting.
