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‘Clash of MPs’ in Parliament
Parliament was engulfed in turmoil today with the members of the United National Party (UNP) and the joint opposition trading blows and exchanging unsavoury words over differences with regard to the tabling of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) report on the Central Bank bond.
Parliament met yesterday for a special session to discuss the CB bond transactions. At the start of business, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya announced that President Maithripala Sirisena had agreed to make available copies to the House in a week.
However, the three main political groups in the Opposition -- the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the joint opposition and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) were not agreeable to this.
JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is also the Chief Opposition Whip, said the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) which hold the savings of the workers had lost as much as Rs.8.5 billion in the larges ever financial fraud committed in this country and therefore the report should be submitted to the House without any further delay.
“We have also sought a report under the Right to Information Act. It means we should be given a copy by January 15. Today is January 10. One cannot say the President’s Office is not ready now. Therefore, there is no reason for the presidential secretariat to delay giving the copies. If the President has referred the report to the Bribery Commission and the Attorney General’s Department, then why can’t it be given to the House? The House is above them all,” he said.
His position was widely accepted by joint opposition’s parliamentary group leader Dinesh Gunawardane. He said the Speaker assured them the other day that a copy would be made available to the House yesterday. He asked the Speaker to order the Presidential Secretariat to release the report to the House immediately.
“We even agreed at the party leaders meeting that the English version would suffice for the time being. Parliament is supreme. That is the position upheld by all the past Speakers. Once former Speaker Anura Bandaranaike upheld that even the Supreme Court could not overrule Parliament. Former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa upheld that view. We have heard that a report is available with the Attorney General. He is an official answerable to the House. We can engage him now,” Mr. Gunawardene said.
TNA and Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan said the debate should take place at the earliest.
“There is no dispute over that. This is a report the country is interested in seeing. We must debate it and get to the root of it,” he said.
TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran also endorsed what the JVP leader said and said a report should be available by 1.30 p.m.
The Speaker responded saying the president’s office had agreed to send it within a week and asked the members not to create a rift between him and the President. At this point Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe stood up to make a statement.
Mr. Gunawardane raised objections saying the Prime Minister should not be allowed to make a statement in the absence of an overall debate. However, the Speaker allowed the Prime Minister to go ahead with his statement. At this moment, the members of the JO started demonstrating displaying posters and condemning the bond scam. They walked into the Well of the House and moved towards the Speaker. Just then Polonnaruwa district UNP MP Sydney Jayaratne and some others like Hector Appuhamy confronted the protesting MPs and snatching their posters. It led to a tense situation, leading at times to the members on both sides of the House exchanging fisticuffs. UNP MP S.M. Marikkar had nearly exchanged fisticuffs with JO MP Gamini Lokuge. Amid the din the Prime Minister made his statement and subsequently, the House was adjourned.
Meanwhile, there was further tension after Mr. Marikkar who arrived in the Chamber after the House was adjourned and slapped Mr. Lokuge who was standing in the aisle. UNP MP Chaminda Wijesiri also began to hit Mr. Lokuge provoking the other JO members to thrash Mr. Wijesiri.
Fisticuffs were seen being exchanged by MPs Appuhami, Johnston Fernando and Prasanna Ranaweera whose shirt was apparently torn in the melee. (Kelum Bandara and Yohan Perera)
Video by Susantha, Sanjeewa
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