Opposition groups declare September 8 Black Day

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 September 2010, 05:04 GMT]
Opposition parties’ Movement Against 18th Amendment stated that 8 September, the day Sri Lanka government tables the constitutional amendment bill in Parliament, has been declared a Black Day and that a protest demostration will be held at the Borella Ayurveda Junction in Colombo on the same day. The convener of the Movement described the amendment as “undemocratic” leading to dictatorship and said it should be defeated.

The Movement against the 18th amendment has been formed by a group of members of the main opposition United National Party, leftist parties in the opposition including the New Left Front (NLF) led by Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne, United Socialist Party (USP) led by Siritunga Jayasuriya and the Free Media Movement (FMM) led by Shiral Lakthilaka.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Left Liberation Front leader Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne appealed to the people to wear black 8 September, at a press conference held on the proposed constitutional amendments in Colombo Friday.

Dr. Karunaratne was sacked from his university lecturer post in 1978 for hoisiting black flags against the 1978 constitution that introduced the Executive President system under the J. R. Jayawardene regime.

He said the 18th amendment to the constitution further strengthens the powers of the executive President.

The Left Liberation Front calls for the abolition of the executive Presidency.