A More Centralised State after War

The government headed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa would easily be deemed the most decisive one in post-independence Sri Lanka. What the government leadership decides is implemented forthwith. The military crushing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that had eluded five successive governments is the most outstanding example. Nothing could stand in the way of the government’s decision, neither the fear of failure nor of foreign pressure. Nine years after Sri Lanka’s parliament approved its last amendment to the country’s constitution, it gave its approval to the 18th Amendment on September 8, 2010. Although the government did not have a two-thirds majority, it was able to secure its parliamentary numbers by generating crossovers from the opposition.