The Speaker of the Parliament, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne said that he would issue a ruling within a week on the Parliamentary Opposition's request to increase their representation in Parliamentary committees.

It was recently reported that the Opposition is to refrain from appointing representatives or officially participating in several Parliamentary committees, including the Committee on Parliamentary Business, until their representation in such committees is increased.

During the Parliamentary session yesterday (5), several Opposition Parliamentarians including Chief Opposition Whip Gayantha Karunathilleka, Ravi Karunanayake, and Dayasiri Jayasekara said that the Speaker should soon provide a solution to the issue.

Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya Leader Sajith Premadasa also said despite discussions with the Speaker, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and the Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake, the issue is yet to be resolved. "This has now become a matter of MPs' privileges, as it was not addressed early on. We met with the Speaker and the Leader of the House on multiple occasions. We also met the President, discussed the issue, and later requested him over the phone to increase Opposition representation. We once again urge a swift resolution to prevent further issues."

In response to Premadasa and others, the Speaker said: "I will make a ruling on this issue in one week's time. We can also call a party leaders' meeting and discuss this."

Parliamentary committees play an important role in governance by scrutinising legislation, overseeing Government actions, and ensuring accountability with regard to matters such as decisions that affect the public, public finance, and the transactions of State-owned entities.

Karunathilleka recently said that the Opposition has prepared its representative lists for Parliamentary committees but will submit them only after the Government responds positively to increasing Opposition representation.