Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organiser and MP Namal Rajapaksa has challenged the Government to hold a referendum if it believes extending the retirement age of Supreme Court judges is a greater priority than the pressing problems faced by the public.
“If the Government thinks that bringing in this constitutional amendment to extend the tenure of Supreme Court judges is more important than the problems faced by farmers, fishermen, graduates, schoolchildren and unemployed youth, the problems in children’s education, the cost of living faced by parents and the excessive tax burden, then go for a referendum,” Rajapaksa said.
“We challenge the Government. If it has the courage, go for a referendum and give the people an opportunity to decide. If the people decide that the tenure should be extended, then let the people make that decision,” he added.
Rajapaksa made the remarks while addressing a meeting in Ja-Ela on July 25.
He further claimed that public confidence in the Government was declining by the day, accusing it of making numerous false promises to secure power and subsequently failing to fulfil the expectations of the public.
“The Government told countless lies to come to power. Today, it has to tell another hundred lies to cover up one lie. On the other hand, it is not fulfilling the expectations it created or the promises it made,” he said.
Rajapaksa said the younger generation had placed considerable hope in the Government, expecting it to bring about meaningful change after a political party outside the traditional mainstream was elected to govern with a strong mandate.
However, he claimed that instead of delivering the expected change, the Government had begun following an even more conventional political culture than its predecessors.
