The 22nd Amendment and Upul Kumarapperuma
According to the information I have so far, there has been no information reported in the media that the President's Counsel of the National People's Power (NPP) Upul Kumarapperuma has expressed his official opinion on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution that the party plans to bring to extend the retirement age of judges, or that he has actively participated in the special discussions held in this regard.
While representatives of bar associations and major political parties expressed various opinions regarding this constitutional amendment proposal, there has been no information reported that Upul Kumarapperuma has made any statement specifically representing the legal sector of the National People's Power.
Mr. Upul Kumarapperuma, President's Counsel, is a leading member who has made and continues to make active contributions in the legal and policy areas of the National People's Power (NPP).
He has held and continues to hold several key responsibilities and roles within the National People's Power (NPP). As an active member of the NPP Lawyers Committee, he provides vocal leadership in the party's legal interventions, human rights and protection of the rule of law.
He has also represented the National Executive Committee, the highest decision-making body of the National People's Power.
He was always responsible for expressing the party's official legal opinion and position at media meetings, policy conferences and discussions on reforms in the legal field held by the National People's Power.
In short, he is a prominent leader in the legal field of the National People's Power and a President's Counsel who is dedicated to its policy formulation and publicity activities.
Leaders in the political and legal fields have been holding public media conferences on some sensitive or controversial issues regarding the proposed 22nd Constitutional Amendment to extend the retirement age of judges. In such an environment, various conversations have begun to arise in society regarding the silence of President's Counsel Upul Kumarapperuma.
There are several logical reasons behind these social discourses. One of the speculations is that, in a context where petitions are being filed before the Supreme Court challenging a constitutional amendment, he, as a lawyer, has decided to refrain from expressing his views to the media so as not to affect the judicial process.
Another speculation is that he is refraining from expressing his views on the bill as he is still analyzing the legal and constitutional complexities contained in it internally within the party and the legal committee.
Some also speculate that he may be keeping quiet to prevent his statements from being misused for media propaganda purposes by the government or the opposition.
It is possible that he is refraining from expressing his views beyond the party’s designated group of lawyers or party representatives to address the media on a particular topic.
It is also possible that he is not appearing for media meetings due to his professional legal work as a President’s Counsel or other organizational/policy responsibilities assigned to him within the party.
It is also possible that he is remaining silent because he wants to avoid personally commenting on certain constitutional and legal issues or to protect his professional independence, even if he agrees with the general position of the party.
However, these are just general speculations that may arise in any legal or political analysis. This 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which is proposed to extend the retirement age of judges, is a specific matter.
The official position of his party and his personal position on such a matter can only be known from a statement made by him himself. Mr. Upul Kumarapperuma, who has come forward to express his views on many issues in recent history, has so far followed a silent policy on this matter.
R. K. Anjana ✍️
