ECONOMYNEXT – Judicial power remains within Parliament and the judiciary should not interfere with the executive powers of Parliament, Sri Lanka’s President has said.
Ranil Wickremesinghe said this at an event to award freehold land deeds to 662 people from the Badulla District under the “Urumaya” program, at the Mahiyangana Public Stadium on Sunday (14).
“Some have warned that this matter will go to court, but it’s important to remember that the authority lies not with the court but with Parliament. I have always maintained that the judiciary should not interfere with the executive power of Parliament.”
The “Urumaya” Program was implemented in 2002 and 2003 but was halted by a court decision, Wickremesinghe was quoted as saying by his media division.
When he presented the draft law, the Supreme Court had ruled that a referendum was necessary to pass such legislation, Wickremesinghe said.
“If we had the opportunity to implement that program back then, we could have confirmed freehold land rights for the people 20 years ago.
“However, foreign investors were later given free land instead. If it was possible to allocate government land to the Shangri-La Hotel under the Land Ordinance, why can’t I, as the President, grant land rights to 2 million people?”
“I regret not being able to implement the program 20 years ago. Now, we are finally granting these land rights to the people.
“This is your right, not a government favour.”
The president’s speech:
“The “Urumaya” Program was implemented in this country in 2002 and 2003 but was halted by a court decision. I acted according to the Land Development Ordinance of this country, which was prepared by my grandfather, S.A. Wickramasinghe, who served as the government agent in the North Central Province at that time.
D. S. Senanayake, then Minister of Agriculture, visited Anuradhapura to inspect the old tanks, some of which had been renovated, while others, including the Parakrama Samudra, were slated for renovation. Following these inspections, the focus shifted to settling the people in that area.
During this period, D.S. Senanayake informed my grandfather, C.A. Wickremesinghe, about the establishment of a new department called the Land Development Department and instructed him to take charge of it and draft the necessary laws. My grandfather prepared and passed these laws, became the first Land Development Commissioner, and settled the people in the area. The aim was to provide land to the landless people of the wet zone, establish villages in these areas, and develop both the wet zone and the newly established villages. This law was created to achieve that goal.
When I reviewed his files, I discovered a significant issue: many people in Sri Lanka at that time could not read or write. Consequently, various individuals exploited them by including them in agreements one by one and attempting to seize their land through loans. To address this, the land licence system was created.
The situation in 1935 was vastly different from today. Now, every family in this country has well-educated members, including graduates, doctors, and lawyers. Therefore, such exploitation is unlikely to happen today. However, back then, the lack of education made people vulnerable to such schemes.
We implemented this program when we started the Mahaweli movement.
However, after 10-15 years, it was no longer necessary as people protected their lands. I believed they would not sell their land, but eventually, people began to expect land rights. This necessitated a new law to provide these lands under the Land Development Ordinance. I presented the draft law, but the Supreme Court ruled that a referendum was necessary to pass such legislation.
If we had the opportunity to implement that program back then, we could have confirmed freehold land rights for the people 20 years ago. However, foreign investors were later given free land instead. If it was possible to allocate government land to the Shangri-La Hotel under the Land Ordinance, why can’t I, as the President, grant land rights to 2 million people?
Some have warned that this matter will go to court, but it’s important to remember that the authority lies not with the court but with Parliament. I have always maintained that the judiciary should not interfere with the executive power of Parliament.
I regret not being able to implement the program 20 years ago. Now, we are finally granting these land rights to the people. I first visited this area 60 years ago when it was a dense forest. In 1978, Minister Gamini Dissanayake initiated the Uluhitiya project here. Today, I am here to start the program of giving freehold land deeds to all those who came from Uluhitiya. This is your right, not a government favour.
The government took the land from the people to build the Kotmale Reservoir and the Theldeniya Reservoir, relocating those affected to these areas. These lands belong to you, and today we are confirming that right by issuing these freehold land deeds. I urge you to view this as the beginning of your progress. The government will provide the necessary support to ensure your success.” (Colombo/Jul15/2024)