Ahead of upcoming discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on April 24, Sri Lankan Prime Minister (PM) Mahinda Rajapaksa announced that Article 19A of the Constitution would be reintroduced to curb the president’s powers and enhance the powers of the parliament as a “short term solution” to the ongoing economic crisis in the country.
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Article 19A was first brought in through the 19th amendment in 2015 to curb the powers of the president, and appointed the Parliament as the supreme decision-making body of the country. However, after coming into power, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa revoked the amendment and revived the president’s supremacy in the government.
“While looking for solutions to the economic problems, it is important that we have political and social stability in the country. Reverting to a constitutional status with more powers to Parliament will be a start to the reforms,” the PM told the Parliament.
Moves underway to abolish the 20A and bring back the 19A.
— Jamila Husain (@Jamz5251) April 19, 2022
PM @PresRajapaksa speaking in Parliament today says
that as a short term solution to the problems, it might be better to abolish the 20A and bring back the 19A.
Party Leader also yesterday decided on this. #SriLanka
The PM’s Office released a statement saying that the PM is also looking to introduce an amendment that also increases the powers granted to the judicial and the legislative branches as part of a wider restructuring process that seeks to answer the demands made by citizens and opposition leaders to hold the executive branch “accountable to the people.”
Several politicians celebrated the decision to dilute the president’s powers. “I am happy to take the 19th amendment back to the nation as the former Prime Minister who proposed it,” said United National Party MP Ranil Wickremesinghe.
PM Rajapaksa’s announcement was made shortly after the induction of 24 new ministers into the Cabinet. The appointments were made just weeks after all 26 members of the Cabinet resigned earlier this month.
One of the most shocking features of the released list was the absence of President Rajapaksa’s brother and former Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa. Other members of the President’s family, including Chamal Rajapaksa, Namal Rajapaksa, and Shasheendra Rajapaksa, were also excluded from the cabinet.
However, Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s Dr. Suren Raghavan and former Samagi Jana Balawegaya member Diana Gamage, who had both declared themselves as independent MPs, were included.
While addressing the ministers on Monday for the first time since the onset of the economic crisis, President Rajapaksa accepted that his government had made several mistakes in dealing with the financial crisis, and called on the newly-appointed Cabinet to help reverse the errors. He admitted that certain policy decisions made by his government had compounded the country’s woes and expressed regret for the suffering of the people.
While speaking about the faulty policies, he mentioned that authorities had erred in banning chemical fertilisers—a decision announced in April 2020 to preserve foreign exchange reserves, only to be reversed in November after widespread protests against food inflation. Rajapaksa also accepted that the authorities should have approached the IMF and sought a bailout sooner.
Calling on the new Cabinet to help bring an end to the economic crisis, President Rajapaksa said that he is ready to face the upcoming challenges and difficulties. “Ministerial positions aren’t a privilege. It is a huge responsibility,” he added. The Sri Lankan leader urged the ministers to work towards “honest, efficient, and clean governance without using any additional privileges.” In this regard, he said that all Sri Lankan institutions must eliminate corruption and underscored the need to restrict “racketeers” from exploiting the vulnerability of the crisis and taking advantage of the “plight of the people.”
Furthermore, Rajapaksa declared that the ministers are responsible for transforming the departments under their ambit into “job-generating institutions.” However, he clarified that they should not be asked to increase employment immediately, as this would exacerbate the financial burden on both the private and public sectors.
Against this backdrop, a delegation led by Minister of Finance Ali Sabry and Central Bank Governor Dr Nandalal Weerasinghe departed for talks with IMF representatives in Washington. Commentators say that Sri Lanka could receive $4 billion in five installments if the discussions are successful. However, the bailout would be contingent on Sri Lanka’s willingness to accept the institution’s recommendations.
Breaking: IMF Chief, Indian Finance Minister discuss Sri Lanka economic crisis; Indian FM calls on IMF to "support and urgently provide financial assistance to Sri Lanka", says Indian finance ministry statement pic.twitter.com/25yfvAz6xo
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) April 19, 2022
Several analysts have previously expressed concern that the political turmoil in the country could detrimentally impact negotiations with the IMF. In this regard, the reduction of presidential powers, Cabinet reshuffling, and President Rajapaksa’s apology appear to be an effort to convince the global lending body that the government is committed to making the necessary changes.
However, Sri Lankan citizens appear unconvinced by the latest changes, with protesters continuing to demand the resignation of the president and the PM over their gross economic mismanagement and refusing negotiations with the government. Thousands remain firmly lodged at a sit-in at Colombo’s Galle Face Green, which has been renamed “Gotagogama,” meaning “Gota Go Village.” Demonstrations have also been reported in Matara, Kandy, Rambukkana, Chilaw, Gampaha, and Ratnapura.
A severe foreign exchange crisis has left Sri Lanka unable to import essential items such as food, medicines, and fuel, leading to heavy shortages and record-high inflation. The government has instituted power cuts of up to 12 hours as part of a cost-cutting measure. Furthermore, it has defaulted on $51 billion of foreign debt.