Hector Appuhamy Says SJB MPs Will Enter Parliament in Black to Protest 22nd Amendment

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Hector Appuhamy said SJB MPs would enter Parliament wearing black as a symbolic protest against the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.

Speaking on September 25, Appuhamy said the party had serious concerns about the proposed amendment and described the day as a significant moment for democracy.

He said the judiciary had historically maintained its independence and commanded public respect, adding that the courts had been regarded as the place people could turn to for justice.

Appuhamy said there had been widespread opposition to the proposed amendment but alleged that the Government had not given sufficient consideration to those concerns.

He warned the Government that it was taking what he described as the wrong path and said the Opposition had communicated its concerns to all 159 Government parliamentarians.

He referred to the protest held outside Parliament the previous day and said the Opposition would observe how many of the 159 MPs would support the proposed amendment.

“We will continue to take the necessary steps from today,” he said.

Appuhamy also said the Opposition would not act like dictators and argued that there was no reason for the public to be afraid of the 22nd Amendment.

He clarified that the SJB’s opposition was not directed against the judiciary itself, but against the Government’s position on the proposed constitutional changes.

“Normally, we go to Parliament dressed in white. Today, we are going in black,” he said.

The remarks came amid SJB protests against the proposed 22nd Amendment. Parliament had received the Supreme Court’s determination on the Bill on September 22. The determination stated that the Bill did not require approval at a referendum, while setting out specific changes to its provisions.