CPA STATEMENT ON CONSTITUTIONALITY OF APPOINTMENT OF MR. DHAMMIKA PERERA AS A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT THROUGH THE SLPP NATIONAL LIST

10th June 2022: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is concerned by several media reports that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has appointed Mr. Dhammika Perera to fill the National List seat which became vacant by the resignation of Mr. Basil Rajapaksa. CPA notes that according to media reports, Mr. Dhammika Perera was not a member of the SLPP until a few days ago and that in any event his name was not included in the list of persons qualified to be elected as Members of Parliament, in terms of Article 99A of the Constitution (the “National List”) or any of the district lists submitted by the SLPP for the Parliamentary Election held in August 2020.

Read the full statement in English here.

Read the full statement in Sinhala here.

Read the full statement in Tamil here.

Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu vs. The Attorney General and 3 others (Challenging the Proclamation of the State of Emergency)

6th June 2022. The Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, filed a Petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Proclamation of the State of Emergency by Gazette Extraordinary No. 2278/22 dated Friday, 6th May 2022 and the Emergency (Miscellaneous Provisions and Powers) Regulation No.1 of 2022.

CPA had previously raised concerns about the declaration of state of emergency being a pretext to curtail the freedom of expression, assembly and other democratic rights.  The manner in which indiscriminate arrests have taken place and use of Emergency Regulations over the past several weeks reinforced CPAs concerns and compelled CPA to take action to attempt to prevent further harm.

In his Petition Dr. Saravanamuttu argued that as of 6th May 2022, there were no circumstances in the country which could reasonably support the decision of the President to declare a State of Emergency. He also emphasises that within a period of two months the President declared a State of Emergency twice and on both occasions did not cause the proclamations declaring the said States of Emergency to be placed before Parliament. Accordingly, it was submitted that the said State of Emergency was promulgated in bad faith and with the ulterior purpose of preventing peaceful protests by citizens calling for the President’s resignation.

Dr. Saravanamuttu also states that as a whole the Emergency (Miscellaneous Provisions and Powers) Regulation No.1 of 2022 constitute an abrogation of the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution and that the said Emergency Regulations are overbroad and vague and do not constitute permissible restrictions of fundamental rights.

 

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP AS A ROUTE TO GREATER EMPOWERMENT REPORT ON THE DIAMOND LEADERSHIP MODEL

Diamond Leadership Study on Women Political Empowerment in Sri Lanka (2019/2020)


The Centre for Policy Alternatives together with the Sri Lanka Democratic Governance Assistance Project (SDGAP) of USAID conducted a study to analyze the progress of women’s advancement in Sri Lanka as well as factors supporting and barriers hindering it in Sri Lanka. The Diamond Leadership Model (DLM)  focuses on women’s empowerment at three levels (High, Mid and Low) and measures the effectiveness of women’s leadership in the legislative, executive, judicial and security sectors. This study frames key recommendations based on its findings which will help the government and civil society institutions working on women’s leadership and political empowerment, to design and implement their respective programs and policy initiatives more effectively.

This study consists of two components; one involves collecting available data of women holding leadership positions in four sectors to generate the Women’s Power Score (WPS). The 12 indicators of the DLM combined to generate the Women’s Power Score (WPS) of Sri Lanka. To account for women’s representation at different tiers of all four sectors of governance, weighted scores for each sector are calculated. Women’s share of positions in the High tier is weighted three times as much as women’s share of positions in the Low tier, and women’s share of positions in the Mid-tier are weighted twice as much. The total score is divided by 6 to find the country-level WPS.

The quantitative part of the study comprises of finding the above-explained WPS which included a primary quantitative data collection mainly via desk research. Desk research covered relevant data published in official websites, authenticated previous studies and reports, national libraries including parliament library, national newspapers, and public documents available in respective government institutions. With the data received, the women’s power score was measured, and an analysis carried out in comparison with other countries in which this study has been applied.

The qualitative research included a series of face-to-face interviews with 48 key individuals in which their ideas on women’s political empowerment in the country were brought into perspective. The findings were gathered through structured questionnaires for each sector, then analyzed to explore the non-numerical factors that underlie women’s advancements among other prospects.

The project offered an advanced understanding of the nature and extent of women’s leadership and political empowerment and examined the actual share of women’s representation using 12 indicators that cover three tiers; high, mid, and low positions in four government sectors; the executive, legislature, judiciary and security. It helped identify major trends and challenges about women’s leadership in Sri Lanka based on the DLM.

 

Download the report in English here.

CPA Letter to the IGP and AG requesting action on the violence against peaceful protesters on the 9th May 2022

CPA has deemed it necessary to deliver a letter to both the IGP and AG requesting action be taken in regard to the violence against the peaceful protestors at ‘GotaGoGama’ and ‘MynaGoGama’ by persons and groups affiliated with Mahinda Rajapakse. CPA notes that speeches that were tantamount to inciting violence were made by the former PM, former Ministers, and MPs to the gathered at Temple Trees before they were unleashed upon the peaceful protestors.

Read the full letter here.

 

Confidence in Democratic Governance Index (Wave 2): Report

This survey report is the second wave of the Confidence in Democratic Governance Index, a scientific opinion poll that assessed public experiences as a result of the crisis, the causes for it, as well as the solutions to it from the lenses of the Sri Lankan public. As such, this study not only enhances ongoing political debate, but also provides data-driven research to policy makers, academics and various local and international stakeholders. This in turn supports a better understanding of the different dynamics prevalent among various social groups in society, which could help advocate for more sustainable policy interventions. The research study was conducted by Social Indicator (SI) the survey research arm of the Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Read the full report in English here.

Read the executive summary of the report in Sinhala here.

Read the executive summary of the report in Tamil here.

 

CPA Statement in Regard to the Appointment of Ranil Wickremasinghe as the PM

Notwithstanding the serious criticisms of the Prime Minister pertaining to political credibility, the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) hopes that he will be able to stem the country’s descent into the direst economic circumstances, the Governor of the Central Bank recently warned of, attract the crucial bridging funds we so badly require and negotiate an agreement with the IMF.

Read the full statement in English here.

Read the full statement in Sinhala here.

Read the full statement in Tamil here.