Seven minority parties met in Colombo yesterday (30) and decided to firmly stand by the proportional electoral system and resist any attempt to change it, The Sunday Morning learnt.
The seven parties committed to work collectively to preserve the proportional electoral system in view of the all-powerful executive presidency that was further strengthened by the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, the organisers of the meeting said. The party leader had decided that the Parliament and all legislatures should act as “check and balance apparatuses” in parallel with the executive presidency in the interest of democracy.
“Parliament and provincial councils shall be elected via the proportionate electoral system that would ensure the representation of parties with alternative political principles, and the representation of (all) social segments of Sri Lanka,” the Democratic People’s Front said in a statement following the meeting.
The discussion was attended by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) party leaders, People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) Leader MP D. Sidharthan, Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) Leader MP Selvam Adaikalanathan, Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) MP S. Sritharan, Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Leader Mano Ganesan, Sri Lanka Muslim Council (SLMC) Leader MP Rauff Hakeem, TPA Deputy Leader and Upcountry People’s Front (UPF) Leader MP V. Radhakrishnan, Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) Leader MP Gajendrakumar Ponnampalam, All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) Legal Secretary Rushdie Habeeb, Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) representative Mathiyoogaraja, Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) representative Thavarasa, Kandy MP Velu Kumar, and Nuwara Eliya MP M. Udayakumar.