Parliamentary Opposition Parties, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) led National People's Power (NPP), have decided not to nominate their Parliamentarians to the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) and have decided to boycott its meetings further in protest of the appointment of its Chairperson, ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna MP Rohitha Abeygunawardana.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (25), the SJB National Organiser and Opposition MP Tissa Attanayake said that the SJB has taken a decision to boycott the COPE meetings further until a new Chairperson is appointed. He also noted that an Opposition MP should be appointed as the COPE Chairperson to ensure the transparency and productivity of the Committee. Stating that the SJB is not ready to accept Abeygunawardana as the COPE’s Chair, Attanayake further said that the SJB leadership does not want to appoint any of its members to the vacant positions. He also said that the SJB was the first Party to raise its voice against the said appointment, and that therefore, it has no intention to sit in any COPE meeting Chaired by Abeygunawardana. He stated that it is shameful to see how the Government carries on the COPE meetings without the Opposition representation, disregarding the concerns raised by Opposition MPs.

Meanwhile, the NPP Executive Committee member and former COPE Chairperson Sunil Handunnetti also told The Daily Morning that their party will not appoint any of its MPs to the COPE until a 'suitable' MP is appointed to the Chairpersonship.

Abeygunawardana was elected as the COPE Chairperson when the first meeting of the COPE for the fifth session of the ninth Parliament was held in Parliament early this month (March). Following his appointment as the Chairperson, 11 MPs stepped down as COPE members.