Mangala's attack on judiciary: Minister Yapa responds

Environment Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa Monday stated that Mangala Samaraweera MP now representing the coalition led by the UNP cannot be unaware of the considerable history of that party when it comes to the executive encroachment of the Judiciary.

"Samaraweera seems to be suffering from selective memory loss. The judiciary far from being enslaved by the Executive arm of the Government has in fact issued determinations that have contradicted the position of the Government," he said in a media release.

The release states:

It is well known that a vibrant democracy needs an Opposition. It needs, to be more accurate, a vibrant, vocal and more than this a responsible Opposition. It is sad that some in the Opposition think thier role is to scream, shout, oppose and protest without any sense of responsibility.

This inability to engage with any sense of integrity, intellectual honesty and with substance is perhaps the reason why the Opposition is so weak and indeed ineffective.

I was disturbed and surprised by an accusation levelled at the Government by Member for Matara, Mangala Samaraweera on matters pertaining to the judiciary.

Samaraweera has accused the Executive of subverting the judiciary. Samaraweera clearly needs to educate himself about the basic tenets of Governance, especially those pertaining to the separation of powers, and study both constitution and general political practice in Sri Lanka, today as well as over the past few decades.

Samaraweera seems to be suffering from selective memory loss.

The judiciary, far from being enslaved by the Executive arm of the Government, has in fact issued determinations that have contradicted the position of the Government. On several occasions, such decisions went against the policy thrust of the Government. As a responsible Government, we accepted these decisions with humility. This is how it should be in a democracy.

Samaraweera is now representing a coalition led by the UNP He cannot be unaware of the considerable history of that party when it comes to executive-encroachment of the judiciary.

He should ask his friends about judges being hooted, judges being stoned and intimidated in other ways. He should ask them how judges were pressurized to deliver partisan determinations.

This is nothing more, nothing less, than shameless fear-mongering on the part of Samaraweera.

Fortunately our judiciary is not only independent but strong and impervious to the kind of childish antics that Samaraweera seems to revel in.

This is not the first time. During the effort to rid the country of terrorism, Samaraweera took on the job of constructing horror-stories.