UPFA MPs boycott ‘illegal and undemocratic’ proceedings
The UPFA MPs said they did not attend Parliamentary session yesterday “considering the illegal and undemocratic manner in which the proceedings are held.”
Speaking at a press brief at Parliament premises, UPFA MPs including Dinesh Gunawarena, Nimal Siripala De Silva, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Susil Premajayantha and Wimal Weerawansa made these observations yesterday morning.
Nimal Siripala de Silva speaking to the media said that the motion seeking to cut budgetary allocations to the Prime Minister’s Office is illegal.
“The motion given by UNF and JVP member is on the basis that there is no government. This matter is been adjudicated in the Court by a writ application by UNP MPs. Court will examine and decided whether the application can be sustained. Parliament has no power to debate a motion under adjudication,” de Silva said.
“This is an illegal act. We cannot participate in such an illegal session. This motion is not legal. This motion is against the Constitution, the Standing Orders and this is why we are not participating in the session. The Speaker is acting like a dictator. No Speaker in the world has acted stubbornly like Speaker Jayasuriya does. The Speaker is leaving a black mark on Sri Lanka’s history and parliament history. Usually before a motion is brought, it is brought before a Party Leader’s Meeting. It should be included in the Order Paper. None of this has happened,” de Silva observed.
Dinesh Gunawardena speaking at the press brief said; “We met the Speaker today and requested him to act according to the Constitution and the Standing Orders. There is a case filed before the Court with regard to this. The case is to be taken up on Friday. We are to present our case then. It is not correct to debate on a subject that is before the Court. We requested the Speaker to respect that. But he refused.”
Weerawansa speaking at the brief accused some UNF MPs of trying to impose pressure on crucial legal decisions to be make with regard to the present crisis.
“The UNP are promoting fake democracy. We are ready to accept whatever the order given by the Supreme Court. We shall not allow this fake motion passed in the House by a UNP assembly.We urge the government servants not to be affected by these dramas. We request everyone to make this Maithri-Mahinda coalition a success.” Weerawansa said.
Six member Parliamentary Committee to probe unruly incidents
Parliament yesterday appointed a six-member Special Parliamentary Committee headed by Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri to investigate the unruly incidents in the Chamber on November 14, 15 and 16.
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya at the commencement of the sittings announced that MPs Chamal Rajapaksa, Bimal Ratnayake, Mavai Senadhiraja, Ranjith Maddumabandara and Chandrasiri Gajadheera have been appointed as the members of the committee.
He requested the committee to furnish their report as soon as possible.
“The Police are already conducting an investigation on those incidents. This committee will carry out an internal investigation,” he said.
The Speaker said that he decided to summon the Police into the Chamber to ensure the protection of all the MPs following the clashes that erupted in the Chamber on November 14, 15 and 16.
“I had no choice but to summon the Police to ensure the protection of all the MPs. If the MPs can give an assurance that the Chamber and corridors near the Chamber are safe, I can withdraw additional police personnel in Parliament,” he said.
Sajith calls on UPFA to step down
UNP Deputy Leader MP Sajith Premadasa yesterday called on the UPFA to step down and let the party that commands the majority of the House take over the government to end the constitutional crisis.
He was addressing a press conference at the Parliament complex yesterday.
Premadasa said that President Maithripala Sirisena offered him the post of Prime Minister 10 times, but that he turned the offer down on every occasion.
“I thank the President for the confidence shown in me, but there is a legal and constitutional procedure in appointing a Prime Minister. No one can circumvent that,” he said.
MP Premadasa agreed with MPs Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and Ven. Rathana Thera in the House that an individual who commands the majority support must be appointed as the PM.
MP Premadasa, observing that the UPFA had already been defeated four times in the House, predicted the fifth defeat in Parliament today.
“They don’t have at least 85 lawmakers to support them in Parliament. The purported government violated the Constitution for over 30 days. With today’s motion, it is time they face the reality and step down to make room for the Constitution to take its course,” MP Premadasa said.
“We hope that sanity will prevail, all along we have followed the relevant and exquisite constitutional provisions to express our opinion. At many times, we have shown our majority on the floor of the House. This is something the President cannot ignore,” he said.
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