Vote called for President’s expenditure head

22 November 2023 10:41 pm Views - 1901

PARLIAMENT (Daily Mirror) - A vote was called for the President’s expenditure head by the National Peoples Power (NPP) today. The division was called by NPP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake creating a dramatic moment during the first day of the committee stage debate on the budget.

MP Dissanayake said his party decided to call for a division as their school of thought was that it was not proper for the House to allocate funds for former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa who have been held responsible for the country’s economic downturn by the Supreme Courts. “We feel that the House should not allocate funds for those who have been found guilty of destroying the economy,” he said.

Leader of the House Susil Premajayantha said the President’s expenditure head includes funds allocated for presidents and their wives. “It even allocates funds for the Opposition Leader’s mother who is the wife of late President Ranasinghe Premadasa,” Minister Premajayantha said.

However, the expenditure head was approved by a majority of 59 votes with 62 MPs voting for it and three against. All NPP members voted against while two SJB members Eran Wickramaratne and J. C. Alawathuwela left the chambers soon after the division was called.