The proposed amendment of the Parliamentary Standing Orders (SOs) to expel Parliamentarians who commit various offences and tarnish the image of the Parliament will take a “considerable” period of time, says Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ajith Rajapakse.
Speaking in Parliament last week, Leader of the House and Minister attorney Dr. Susil Premajayantha had said that the Government aims to discuss the issue with Opposition groups and consider the amendment of the relevant Standing Orders that will enable the expulsion of MPs accused of committing various forms of misconduct that tarnish the image of the Parliament.
Speaking to The Daily Morning on the matter, Rajapakse said that it would take a considerable period of time for the relevant amendments to be made, but that the enactment of such provisions would make it easier for the relevant parties to act when an MP acts inappropriately. “Currently, there are no provisions to expel an MP. There have been various incidents of MPs committing offences and acting in such a way that discredits the Parliament. Therefore, the enactment of provisions and the amendment of the existing Standing Orders will be of much use. However, it is not something that could be done instantly; it will take some time as there is a long process to be followed.”
The need to introduce legal provisions to expel MPs when they commit an offence was highlighted by a recent incident involving MP Ali Sabri Raheem who was accused of smuggling a consignment of gold and mobile phones into the country, using the Very Important Person (VIP) terminal of the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake. At the time, Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana said that no action could be taken against Raheem regarding the incident as there were no provisions that enabled such. It is against this backdrop that Premajayantha last week presented a motion to summon Raheem before the Committee on Parliamentary Ethics and Privileges as the latter had been found to have insulted the Legislature by smuggling gold and smartphones using his diplomatic passport.