Fresh hurdles have emerged in the way of the enactment of 22nd Amendment to the Constitution after Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) which commands the majority support in Parliament objected to it in its present form, reports Daily Mirror on October 4. The bill which is listed for debate in Parliament on October 4 and tomorrow (October 5) was taken up for discussion at the parliamentary group meeting of the government on Monday (October 3) evening. It seeks to reduce powers of the president to be vested with Parliament. The ruling SLPP MPs expressed their opposition to the bill in the current format. SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said that his party had taken a consistent position that powers of executive presidency should be pruned only in a manner that protects the unitary character of the Constitution. Otherwise, he said the Constitution should not be amended in an ad hoc manner. “After the enactment of the 13th Amendment, the unitary nature of the country remains protected because of executive presidency with full authority. Therefore, the amendment of executive presidency has a bearing on the unitary character. We should look at overall changes to the Constitution rather than amending it in a piecemeal manner,” he said. However, he also said his party is not opposed to empowering Parliament.