• All absentees does not oppose the legislation?  

By Yohan Perera   

Member of Parliament Tissa Vitharana yesterday said he is  not against the 21st Amendment to the constitution though he was not  present at the time of voting,  thus confirming that all 49 MPs who  did not vote for the legislation were opposing it.   

 Professor Vitharana told Daily Mirror that he could not be  present at the time of voting as he had to attend an important meeting.”  There was a meeting of Dr. N. M. Perera Memorial Trust on that day. I  had to attend this meeting as I am the chairman of the trust. Therefore, I  went out at around 4 pm for the meeting, and it went on even after 6  pm,” he said.   

“There is a wrong premise that I absented myself as we  differ from Uttara Lanka Sabaga Alliance of which I happened to be a  member. This is wrong as we strongly support the 21st amendment, though  it was not the best of legislation. We also oppose those with dual  citizenship coming to Parliament,” he said  

Some 45 members of Parliament were absent when the second  reading vote was taken up on the 21st Amendment, while 48 were absent  during the third reading.  

• There is a wrong premise that I absented myself as we  differ from Uttara Lanka Sabaga Alliance of which I happened to be a  member