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Speaker blames Opposition for RW’s criticism of P’ment

09 Nov 2022

  • Claims Opposition MPs unwilling to join committees over unmet demands 
  • Singles out demand for IMF agreement disclosure 
  • Requests MPs’ support to appoint committees
  BY Buddhika Samaraweera Following President Ranil Wickremesinghe informing Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena that Parliament has not achieved satisfactory progress in appointing committees related to far-reaching systemic changes, the Speaker’s office stated that the reason for such delays is the refusal of Opposition parties to be appointed to such committees, based on their demands being unmet by the Government. These unmet demands include the tabling of the agreement between the Government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Parliament. When contacted by The Morning, Media Secretary to the Speaker Indunil Yapa Abeywardena said: “There are many reasons for delays in appointing committees. For instance, Chief Opposition Whip and Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Lakshman Kiriella said that they would not join the committees until the Government’s agreement with the IMF is tabled in Parliament. Whether that agreement should be tabled in Parliament or not is a different matter, but it was the main reason for the delays in appointing these committees.” As Parliament is not an entity where a single person or party makes decisions, he said, MPs representing both the Government and the Opposition should be appointed to committees, and that there is no possibility of carrying forward with such committees with only the participation of Government MPs. However, he said that the Opposition parties, on two occasions, had refused to be a part of the relevant committees, which caused some delays. "The Speaker cannot execute a personal agenda in Parliament. Instead, all parties need to make decisions jointly. Everyone has to come to an agreement in the end. All the agendas pertaining to Parliament are discussed and finalised at the Parliamentary Business Committee. Even though it is headed by the Speaker, he cannot work on his own. That committee is represented by all parties represented in Parliament and it is only they who decide how and what the agenda should be," added Abeywardena. Meanwhile, Speaker Abeywardena, announcing in the house that the appointment of 17 Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committees had been included in the Parliamentary Order Paper to seek Parliamentary approval for the same, made a request from all MPs to extend necessary support to reach a conclusive decision regarding the same, and to begin the committees’ processes. President Wickremesinghe, in a recent letter addressed to Speaker Abeywardena, had pointed out that although the formation of the National Assembly has been concluded to bring far-reaching systematic changes, satisfactory progress has not been made with regard to the other proposals. The establishment of a National Assembly and the appointment of three committees related to public finance and banking were proposed under far-reaching systematic changes. It was proposed to appoint the Banking and Financial Services Committee, the Economic Stabilisation Committee and the Committee on the Ways and Means, as well as to appoint five youth representatives for the Sectoral Committees and to establish the Parliamentary Budget Office. However, the President stated that although 17 Parliamentary Sectoral Committees should be established as indicated by the relevant proposals, the chairpersons had not been designated for them and also that the criteria for selecting the youth representatives to be appointed for this purpose had not yet been prepared. He said that these proposals can be implemented when next year’s Budget is implemented and added that consequently, the systemic change expected by the Government will be achieved immediately. Approval for matters related to these Sectoral Oversight Committees and the establishment of the three aforementioned Committees was to be obtained yesterday (8) at the meetings of the Committee on Parliamentary Business and the Committee of Selection.   


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