6 July 2023 11:30 am Views - 1806
A verbal battle broke out in Parliament over the announcement by the Speaker on the appointment of a Select Committee chaired by SLPP MP Sagara Kariyawasam to look into the insolvency of Sri Lanka, with the Opposition claiming the chairmanship of the committee and the ruling party thinking otherwise.
Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa and Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella demanded the chairmanship of the Select Committee for the Opposition.
“The country became insolvent after the SLPP government granted massive tax concessions worth Rs. 700 billion. Therefore, it is not correct to appoint a member of that government as the chairman of the Select Committee which looks into insolvency. Accordingly we request that an Opposition MP be appointed as the chairman,” Mr. Premadasa said.
Mr. Kiriella said the Speaker's appointment is like “Horage ammagen pena ahana committee’(A committee seeking a tentative verdict from a thief’s mother).
Minister Bandula Gunawardene said a number of governments which ruled the nation in the past are also responsible for the economic crisis.
“There is a legislation which was enacted some years ago. Under this Act the budget deficit should be reduced to 5 percent of GDP and public debt should be 65 percent of the GDP by 2006. No government which ruled the country during the given time had fulfilled this need. Therefore the SLPP government of 2020 is not totally responsible for the economic crisis,” he said.
Minister Ali Sabry argued that the Yahapalana government of 2015 reduced the economic growth which was 7 percent drastically through bad management of the economy during its tenure. Therefore the SLPP government is not the sole culprit, he said.
Opposition MP Weerasumana Weerasinghe and Mohamed Muzammil then argued that the composition of the Select Committee should be in accordance with the new composition of the House.
“I belong to a new group which comprises ten members in the House and we have not been given representation even to the business commitee. Therefore, I appeal that groups such as ours should be represented in committees,” MP Muzammil said.
However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene shot the Opposition demands down and announced the Select Committee members chaired by Sagala Kariyawasam. It also comprises MPs Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Ranjith Bandara, Eran Wickramaratne, Vijitha Herath, Pradeep Undugoda, S. Rasamanikam, D.V. Chanaka, Mahindananda Aluthgmage, Jayantha Ketagoda, Harshana Rajakaruna, Sanjeewa Edirimanne and Nalaka Bandara Kottegoda. (Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)