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Ranil to discuss P’ment committee chairs with Opposition

19 May 2022

  • Says SJB, TNA, NPP ‘should be given positions’ in committees
  • Sajith proposes Harsha to chair COPF, Kabir and Eran to lead COPE/COPA
Responding to Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader Sajith Premadasa’s proposal to appoint members of the Opposition to lead the parliamentary committees yesterday (18), Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the Opposition “should get positions” and that the Government and the Opposition must discuss who should be the chairpersons of these committees. “Certainly, the Opposition must get positions, and not just the SJB, but also the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP), and others. We must sit together and discuss this,” said Wickremesinghe, speaking in Parliament yesterday. He was responding to Premadasa’s proposal for the SJB economic committee to lead the parliamentary committees. “There is the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA), and the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) in Parliament. As the main Parliamentary Opposition, we have a three-member team of economic experts – Kabir Hashim, Eran Wickramaratne, and Dr. Harsha de Silva. If this new culture of co-operation is to be active in any way, then let us agree to make Dr. de Silva the Chairman of the COPF, and have Hashim and Wickramaratne lead the other two,” said Premadasa. Responding particularly to the proposal to appoint Dr. de Silva as COPF Chairman, Wickremesinghe said: “Certainly, Dr. de Silva working with me is a great pleasure, as he has worked with me before.” Making this proposal, Premadasa reiterated that the SJB does not need Ministerial positions to serve the country, and that the Government and Opposition “can work together” for the betterment of the country. “For anyone to do politics, there needs to be a country. Let us protect the country. I invite the Premier to take us up on our proposal. We have no issue in working with the Government on programmes that are beneficial for the people of the country,” stated Premadasa. Meanwhile, Premadasa also said that the SJB will revive its “Husma” programme to help intensive care units (ICUs) which are being closed around the country now due to a lack of supplies.  “From next week, we will work to provide necessary supplies for the hospitals. We have given Rs. 140 million worth of supplies in the past two-and-a-half years, and as the Opposition, that is our duty.” However, Wickremesinghe requested the SJB to also focus on acquiring supplies of at least one drug out of the 14 drugs that are in shortage these days, especially ones which help heart disease and diabetic patients. “We primarily focus on equipment. But give me the medicine types and we can try and co-ordinate. We will at least try our best to provide at least one drug, as much as possible,” said Premadasa.  


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