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Timing Is Everything: A Look At The

Executive Presidency | by Ven. Dr. Agamaha Pandita a!"o!a Piyananda

#hie$ %angha &ayaka o$ America

' &ovember ()* +,(-* #a!i$ornia* %ri Lanka uardian / There has been a great dea! o$

discussion in %ri Lanka recent!y about abo!ishing the Executive Presidency. hen the

ne0 constitution 0as ado"ted during the "residency o$ 1. 2. 1aya0ardane* it created

the Provincia! %ystem o$ governance and the "osition o$ the Executive President3 both

have their inherent merits and $!a0s* many o$ 0hich have been revea!ed as 0e have

!ived 0ith the ne0 system over time. 4ost "eo"!e agree that many as"ects o$ our

current system need to be revie0ed and u!timate!y $ixed* but I contend that the $ixing

can on!y be done at the right time. This is sim"!y the 0ay !i$e 0orks: to attem"t a $ix atthe 0rong time 5 even i$ it is $or the right reasons 5 0i!! on!y "roduce 0rong resu!ts.

6rom my "ers"ective I can "oint out three very critica! reasons 0hy this is not the right

time to abo!ish the Executive Presidency.7

The $irst reason is that %ri Lanka has not yet reached a "oint o$ $u!! stabi!ity since the

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LTTE terrorists 0ere de$eated in +,,8. e are on the right "ath in terms o$ reuni$ying

the country3 0e are on the right "ath in terms o$ rebui!ding our economy3 0e are on

the right "ath in terms o$ rebui!ding and moderni9ing our countrys in$rastructure3 and

 0e are on the right "ath in terms o$ gro0ing into an era o$ "ersona! $reedom and

o""ortunity $or a!! citi9ens. ;eing on the right "ath* ho0ever* does not mean that 0e

are not sti!! in a very $ragi!e "!ace on this "ath. At this crucia! moment in our countrysevo!ution 0e need a strong !eader that can uni$y a!! o$ the e!ements at "!ay in our very

uni<ue rebui!ding "rocess3 to take a0ay the strong !eadershi" "rovided by the

Executive Presidency 0i!! on!y make us more vu!nerab!e to a!! hosts o$ negative

in$!uences 5 both interna!* and $rom abroad. Dont $orget that on!y the Executive

President can say =no*> much in the same 0ay the President o$ the ?nited %tates can

exercise his veto "o0ers 0hen deemed necessary.

The second reason that this is not the right time to abo!ish the Executive Presidency is

that the both the T&A and the 4us!im #ongress are not yet 0i!!ing to commit $u!!y to

our one country@one nation "o!icy. ;oth o$ these "o!itica! entities sti!! 0ish to create

se"arate ethnic states or districts or countries0ithincountries* 0hich 0i!! com"!ete!y

undermine the "rogress 0e have made to0ards nationa! unity in the !ast eight years.

?nti! these ethnica!!yidenti$ied entities are 0i!!ing to "ut aside their ethnic egos* 0ith

their ethnocentric* se"aratist demands $or !and o$ their o0n* 0e are not in any

"osition to re!ieve ourse!ves o$ the uni$ying e!ement o$ the Executive Presidency. The

!ast thing 0e need in %ri Lanka right no0 is another se"aratist movement $or

inde"endence. %uch a move 0as recent!y de$eated in %cot!and* and it seems that the

#ata!ans 0i!! remain 0ith %"ain* and the "eo"!e o$ Buebec 0i!! sti!! have to ca!!

themse!ves #anadians. In an age o$ g!oba!i9ation* the idea o$ carving u" big countriesto create !ots o$ sma!! ones seems absurd3 it is certain!y not the trend* i$ 0e are to

observe the debac!e in the ?kraine. I$ anything* 0e need to strengthen our g!oba!

a!!iances in a!! directions* but 0e can on!y do this i$ 0e remain strong as one united %ri

Lanka 5 and at !east $or no0* united behind our Executive President.

The third reason 0e need to kee" the Executive Presidency 5 at !east $or this moment

in time 5 is to "rotect our !and $rom $oreign inter$erence* a recurring "rob!em 0e have

dea!t 0ith $or centuries3 one that 0e shou!d never $orget or underestimate. It is on!y a

strong* com"etent* and di"!omatic !eader that can stand u" to threatening overseas"o0ers and navigate the treacherous 0aters o$ hidden agendas and grand $oreign

designs that have "!agued us $or many generations. A 0eakened Cead o$ %tate 0ou!d

make us vu!nerab!e to any country that takes a !iking to us* and there are many reasons

to !ike us 5 or 0ant to dominate us.

There is a movement a$oot that is being !ed by t0o %angha members. They ho"e to

create a coa!ition o$ many dis"arate "o!itica! "arties that 0ou!d introduce a soca!!ed

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#ommon #andidate 0ho cou!d run against our current "resident in the u"coming

e!ections. A strong nationa! !eader among the coa!ition "arties that have oined $orces

has not yet emerged* and I cant "ossib!y think o$ a name that cou!d ra!!y the country to

a "o"u!ar maority. At any rate* even i$ the #ommon #andidate 0on the e!ection* that

un$ortunate individua! 0ou!d sti!! $ace a t0othirds maority against him or her in

Par!iament. A situation !ike this does not make a strong !eader3 it on!y guarantees hisor her $ai!ure 5 at home* and on the internationa! scene as 0e!!.

I $ee! ob!iged to "oint out here that there are certain e!ements in our current

constitution that need to be changed. The most "rominent one that comes to my mind

is the system o$ "rovincia! "ar!iamentary e!ections* 0hich 0as estab!ished in 4r.

1aya0ardanes constitution. This is a system that has each "artys candidates come

$rom =at !arge> in each Province 5 instead o$ having each candidate re"resent a sma!!er

e!ectora! district. This very $!a0ed system sets the stage $or corru"tion* "arty in

$ighting* negative cam"aigning* $isca! 0aste* and a situation that "revai!s o$ =may the

richest man 0in.> I 0ou!d tru!y !ike this changed back to the 0ay it 0as be$ore* 0here

the sma!!er e!ectora! districts e!ect the candidate that tru!y re"resents the needs and

desires o$ the "eo"!e that !ive in those sma!!er districts. A candidate $rom an e!ectora!

district o$ )*,,, "eo"!e* $or exam"!e* shou!d not be ex"ected to com"ete $or the votes

o$ an entire Province o$ ( mi!!ion "eo"!e. This is a tem"ting reci"e that !eads to

disaster* and 0e are ex"eriencing this disaster today.

There are other "arts o$ our current constitution that stand revisiting* and "ossib!y

revising. The best and most res"onsib!e 0ay to do this is $or a!! o$ the "arties

concerned to bring their vie0s to the centra! government* make their case inPar!iament* and come u" 0ith better so!utions that 0ork $or the good o$ a!! citi9ens 5

on every !eve!. I stand $u!!y behind constitutiona! re$orm* because I rea!i9e that ru!es

 0ere made $or a "articu!ar time and $or "articu!ar reasons that 0ere re!evant to that

time. 2u!es* rea!istica!!y* 0ere made to serve "eo"!e* and 0ere meant to be examined

and changed 0hen they have served their "ur"ose and might be out o$ date.

The ;uddha ta!ked a !ot about timing in his Discourses. Even the Eight$o!d Path

e!ement o$ 2ight %"eech em"hasi9es this im"ortant "oint. The ;uddhas ex"!anation

o$ De"endent Frigination c!ear!y out!ines ho0 conditions need to arise 5 and others"ass a0ay 5 be$ore anything comes into being 'or sto"s being/. In an im"ermanent

universe 0here the on!y constant is change* $or anything to 0ork success$u!!y it has to

arise and come into being at the right "!ace at the right time. The Executive Presidency 

has arisen $or our time* and it is use$u! $or the conditions o$ our time. hen it is no

!onger use$u!* and the conditions o$ today have "assed a0ay into the conditions o$ the

$uture* then it can be changed 5 or even abo!ished* i$ it is a""ro"riate $or that time.

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?nti! then* 0e need to 0ork 0ithin our !a0s to kee" our country together as one* and

steady on its "ath o$ "rogress. Lets not =um" the gun> and abo!ish something that has

 brought us $rom the a0s o$ civi! 0ar to the gates o$ sa$ety* "ros"erity* and $reedom.

4y vie0 is that on!y time and the conditions o$ time can dictate i$ or 0hen the

Executive Presidency 0i!! cease to be.

Posted by Thavam