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President awaiting Cabinet paper on curbing her powers - Presidential Secretariat

The President is still awaiting the proposed Cabinet Paper on the amendments to the Constitution concerning the President's powers, a Presidential Secretariat news release said on Tuesday.

"She requires time to consider such amendments in consultation with her advisers. Thereafter she will make her studied observations to the Cabinet of Ministers," the Secretariat said.

The least one would expect is for the members of the Cabinet to be provided with such proposals well in time for them to make their studied comments. Even if the President who is the Head of the Cabinet is considered merely a Member, it is still essential that she is provided with such proposals well in advance, unless they emanate from her, so that she may study, consult her advisers and make her observations to the Cabinet, the Secretariat news release said.

"This is especially so when the proposed amendments are reportedly on the powers of the President and purportedly intended to curtail such powers."

According to the minutes of the Cabinet Meeting held on 21st August 2002, the Cabinet has decided "to take up the paper on Proposed Amendments to the Constitution' at the next meeting of the Cabinet. Any such amendments to the Constitution are so significant that the President considered it necessary to direct the Secretary to the Cabinet not to list such matters in her absence from the country, the Secretariat said.

"Though the Cabinet has taken the decision mentioned above no Cabinet paper seems to have been made available to the Members of the Cabinet. It also does not appear from the minutes of the Cabinet meeting that such a paper was even tabled at the said meeting. What is more, in spite of this decision, the subject of amendment to the constitution has neither been included in the Agenda (or the subsequent supplementary Agenda) for the Cabinet meeting on August 28 nor a Cabinet Paper on this matter distributed along with the Agenda supplementary Agenda to date though the Cabinet meeting is scheduled for August 28." Meanwhile, political sources said that the government has circulated copies of the draft 18th Amendment to all Opposition MPs.

Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapakse admitted receiving the draft copy of the Amendment.

Last week, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at a chance meeting with the Opposition leader indicated the government's willingness to accommodate Opposition proposals in the 18th Amendment.

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