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Most Venerable Mahanayake of Asgiriya Udugama Siri Buddharakkitha Thera said yesterday that he found nothing wrong with the proposed amendments to the Constitution.

The number of terms sought by a President should not be limited by the country’s Constitution, he said. The people could decide how long a President should be allowed to rule the country, the Maha Nayake Thera said.

It was rather difficult to believe the claim by the Opposition that President Mahinda Rajapaksa was making an attempt to remain in power forever, the prelate said.

The Maha Nayake thera expressed these views when External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris met him in Kandy.

Prof. G. L. Peiris at a meeting with the prelates of Malwatte and Asgiriya yesterday (05) said that fears in some quarters about the proposed constitutional amendments were totally unfounded.

He totally denied that the proposed amendment was aimed at extending the term of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He said it was only a proposal to lift the barrier on an incumbent President contesting serving more than two terms because that limitation was an undemocratic feature.

Prof. Peiris called on the most venerable Tibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Maha Nayake Thera at the Malwatte Vihara and later the Most Ven. Udugama Sri Buddharakkitha Mahanayake Thera at the Sri Dalada Maligawa.

It was not just fair to limit the number of terms a president could serve and what was democratic was to let the people decide.

Professor Peiris said people were enjoying dividends of peace and fruits of development under President Rajapaksa’s stewardship even before his first term came to an end.

Since peace had been restored foreign investors had decided to invest in Sri Lanka. Foreign tourists were arriving in large numbers and hotels were full, the Minister told the prelates.

The country must have a strong, patriotic leader with a clear vision like President Rajapaksa, the minister said adding that it had been possible to defeat terrorism because the President made crucial decisions for the good of the country.

Prof. Peiris presented to the Maha Nayake theras copies of a document which highlighted the salient features of the proposed 18th Amendment and its benefits.