• Selection Committee seeks meeting with Prez 

Questioning about the delay in appointing Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Opposition Parliamentarian Dr. Harsha de Silva as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance (COPF), the Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa yesterday (25) stressed that the public must be informed as to whether there is a dispute between President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Government MPs as it does not seem that they are following the orders given by the President.

Speaking in the Parliament yesterday, he also said that during a meeting held between the President and SJB MPs de Silva and Kabir Hashim, the President had told them that the Government faction had no opposition to appointing de Silva as the COPF Chairman but that the directive of the Executive President has not yet been implemented by the Selection Committee because of the opposition raised by Government MPs.

In response to Premadasa, Chief Government Whip and Minister Prasanna Ranatunga told the Parliament yesterday that the members of the Selection Committee had sought a meeting with the President for a further discussion on the reservations that they have with regard to the appointment while President Wickremesingne had agreed to appoint SJB MP de Silva as the COPF Chairman.

“The President is a single person who represents a separate party and he always emphasises on that. The Government operates in a different manner. There should be an agreement. Otherwise, it will worsen. Therefore, we decided to meet the President in this regard to discuss further on this matter. Otherwise, we do not have a problem with appointing MP de Silva as the COPF Chairman,” Ranatunga said.

Speaking on the same matter, Chief Opposition Whip, Attorney Lakshman Kiriella said that there is no Standing Order which states that there should be an agreement of the MPs to appoint a Chairperson of a Committee. However, the Government MPs do not want to appoint MP de Silva as the Chairman and that is why they are trying to delay this under the guise of Standing Orders, he elaborated.