The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has decided not to participate in a proposed briefing for Members of Parliament on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, citing the absence of bipartisan consensus following objections raised by the Government.
The briefing had been proposed by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa to provide MPs with an opportunity to hear the legal profession’s concerns over the proposed constitutional amendment relating to the retirement age of judges.
In a letter to Premadasa, BASL President Rajeev Amarasuriya requested that the programme be postponed until bipartisan participation could be assured.
Amarasuriya said the BASL had initially viewed the proposed briefing as an important and timely initiative that could enable MPs across party lines to better understand the concerns raised by the legal profession over the amendment.
Given the national importance of the issue, the BASL had expected the discussion to receive bipartisan support.
However, the association said that following proceedings in Parliament on 19 August and the position expressed by the Government, it had become apparent that there was neither consensus nor sufficient interest on the part of the Government in facilitating such an opportunity for its MPs.
The proposed programme had earlier drawn objections from Government members, who argued that such an arrangement would be contrary to established parliamentary procedures.
Government representatives maintained that Parliament had not granted approval for all 225 MPs to be convened before a professional body to hear its views on pending legislation.
The BASL noted that while the Opposition had already expressed strong objections to the proposed amendment, such a briefing could have been particularly useful for Government MPs in objectively evaluating the legal and constitutional issues involved.
In light of the prevailing circumstances, the BASL requested that the briefing be postponed until conditions allowed for participation from both the Government and Opposition.
