\u2018The youth are calling for a change in the existing system\u2026 Therefore, I propose to appoint four youth representatives to each of these 15 committees\u2019
\nCOLOMBO
\nSri Lanka\u2019s prime minister said Sunday that protesting youth groups will be invited to be part of governance under political reforms he is proposing to solve the country\u2019s political crisis triggered by an economic collapse.
\nPrime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that under proposed constitutional reforms, powers of the president will be clipped and those of Parliament strengthened. In a televised statement to the nation, he said that governance will be broad-based through parliamentary committees where lawmakers, youth and experts will work together.
\n\u201cThe youth are calling for a change in the existing system. They also want to know the current issues. Therefore, I propose to appoint four youth representatives to each of these 15 committees,\u201d Wickremesinghe said.
\nProtesters consisting of mainly young people have camped out outside the president\u2019s office for more than 50 days. They\u2019re demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, holding him and his family responsible for the country\u2019s worst economic crisis. They also want an overhaul of a system of governance, saying successive administrations since independence from Britain in 1948 have misruled the country leading to economic and social crises.
\nStudents have led nearly daily protests in capital Colombo and elsewhere as Sri Lanka tethers on the brink of bankruptcy. It has already defaulted on its foreign loans, and is battling acute shortages of essential goods like cooking gas, fuel and medicines. People have been forced to wait for hours in long lines to try to buy goods and many still go empty handed.
\nThe country\u2019s foreign currency reserves have dwindled to just enough to purchase two weeks of needed imports.
\nAuthorities announced last month that they were suspending repayment of nearly $7 billion foreign debt due this year. Sri Lanka has to pay up $25 billion through 2026. Total foreign debt of the Indian Ocean island nation is $51 billion.
\nAccording to Wickremesinghe\u2019s proposal, one of the youth representatives will be appointed by the so-called \u201cyouth parliament\u201d and the other three will come from protesting groups and other activist organizations. \u201cThe methodology used to chose these individuals can be decided by the youth organizations themselves,\u201d he said.
\nThere has been no immediate comment from youth groups to his proposal. Setting up new broad-based parliamentary committees apparently can be done under the current constitution, but broader reforms such as reducing presidential powers would need approval of the Supreme Court and a two-thirds parliamentary majority. It isn\u2019t clear when the bill will be introduced for debate.
\nViolence erupted on May 9, when Rajapaksa supporters attacked peaceful protesters. Nine people including a governing party lawmaker were killed and homes of Cabinet ministers burnt down. The unrest nearly dismantled the Rajapaksa dynasty after the president\u2019s brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, resigned as prime minister. Three of the president\u2019s siblings and a nephew had already quit their Cabinet posts.
\nSri Lanka has been ruled by a powerful executive presidential system for nearly 45 years, and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa strengthened it further with constitutional changes as soon as he was overwhelmingly elected in 2019.
\nWickremesinghe has said that he will have an economic reform plan ready within two weeks to seek approval from the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2018The youth are calling for a change in the existing system\u2026 Therefore, I propose to appoint four youth representatives to each of these 15 committees\u2019 COLOMBO Sri Lanka\u2019s prime minister said Sunday that protesting youth groups will be invited to be part of governance under political reforms he is proposing to solve the country\u2019s political […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":263630,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-263598","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n