Yesterday, what began as an unprecedented act of showing no faith in the Speaker of Parliament, was side-lined by a string of resignations from Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) following the controversial appointment of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Government Member of Parliament Rohitha Abeygunawardana to head the parliamentary watchdog.
The SLPP’s move to appoint Abeygunawardana, who is no stranger to controversy and allegations of corruption and criminal behaviour, to lead the COPE, was a clear indication that the disgraced political party learnt little from the public uprising which forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign and flee the island. The utter insensitivity of the decision by the SLPP to appoint Abeygunawardana to lead the COPE also points to the authoritarian arrogance, the party and its leadership is renowned for. It is acts such as the appointment of Abeygunawardana to head COPE, and railroading of controversial legislation such as the Online Safety Bill (OSB), which continues to erode confidence in mainstream political parties such as the SLPP. It is also an indication that despite strong public agitation, the political culture of Sri Lanka, which saw the island spiral into bankruptcy, remains unchanged. The behaviour of the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana during the parliamentary process which saw the OSB passed in to law, and alleged procedural irregularities during the appointing the new Inspector General of Police (IGP), are being cited by opposition MP’s as their basis for filing a No Confidence Motion (NCM) against speaker.
However, the disdain for such conduct was clearly seen from Parliament yesterday, with Opposition Parliamentarians Dayasiri Jayasekara, Prof. Charitha Herath, S.M. Marikkar, Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, Hesha Withanage, and Gamini Waleboda resigned from membership in the committee (COPE), bringing the total number of Opposition MPs to quit the Parliamentary Committee thus far to seven. The move came barely 24 hours after Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Eran Wickramaratne resigned from his position as a COPE member. Sri Lanka Freedom Party MP Jayasekara has also forwarded his letter of resignation to the Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana.
In a post on the social media platform X, (formally Twitter) former COPE Chairperson and incumbent Freedom People’s Congress member, Prof. Herath said that he had officially communicated his decision to the Speaker yesterday. On Monday (18), MP Wickramaratne announced his decision to resign from COPE, and in his letter of resignation explained that no credible action had been taken on those who were found to have been complicit in corrupt practices or mismanagement despite the COPE reports submitted to Parliament from time and time again.
Parliament yesterday decided to debate the NCM against the Speaker for a third day, with the proceedings to end with the vote on the motion being held tomorrow (21) afternoon. Given that the SLPP commands a majority in Parliament the effects of the NCM will likely be symbolic. While the Ministry of Justice defended Abeywardana’s conduct as the Speaker, stating that the allegations levelled against the arbiter of the legislative were not grounded in law, the Chief opposition whip painted a different picture. Presenting the NCM to Parliament, Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella, charged that Abeywardana failed to sever his political ties with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) once he assumed the duties of the office of the Speaker, which is supposed to be an independent position. He also noted that the Speaker does not adhere to the ‘Westminster’ principles and continues to violate Parliamentary Standing Orders and the duties and responsibilities of the position. He also blamed Abeywardana for holding the Chairpersonship of the District Coordinating Committee, which is a political appointment done by the President.
Former Judge, Tamil National Alliance MP, M.A. Sumanthiran, noted in Parliament that it was very disappointing to see that the Constitution is blatantly violated by Parliament itself, stating that Speaker Abeywardana has continuously failed to uphold the duties of the position and to protect the Parliamentary traditions. “The Speaker has violated the Constitution by disregarding the determination given by the Supreme Court (SC) regarding the OSA. I gave a document in writing listing 13 points where the Clauses do not comply with the Constitution, and made proposals to amend them. Then, an Additional Solicitor General who was in the officers’ block gave me an assurance that my proposals would be carried out. But, nine were missing. Some are very crucial proposals. Certain provisions of the law prohibit the Speaker from endorsing the Bill. But, he endorsed it. How can he continue as the Speaker,” Sumanthiran questioned.
As the impact of the self-inflicted economic crisis reverberates amongst the Sri Lankan community, more people will seek a change in the political culture, and advances in good governance. While the Speaker may indeed survive the NCM by the letter of the law, the motion itself has likely damaged the credibility of the independent office. The same goes for the Committee on Public Enterprises. By eroding the credibility of such institutions of sound governance and oversight for short-term political gain, the SLPP and its leadership have shown, it is business as usual for them.