Motion to be moved to suspend Diana and two SJB MPs today

• The decision made by the privileges committee was criticized by opposition MPs including Rohana Bandara 

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana  

A motion is to be moved in Parliament today to suspend State Minister Diana Gamage and two Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MPs Sujith Sanjaya Perera and Rohana Bandara for brawling near the MPs library in the House.   

The report of the privileges committee which was presented to the House by its member Chamal Rajapaksa had recommended that all three members should be suspended for a month.  

Serjeant at arms Narendra Fernando told Daily Mirror that the motion will be presented to the House today.  
The decision made by the privileges committee was criticized by opposition MPs including Rohana Bandara.  
MP Bandara said the committee appointed by the Speaker to look into the incident with regard to the State Minister had recommended that Ms. Gamage should be suspended for a month while he and MP Perera should be suspended for two weeks. “However the privileges committee had decided to suspend all three of us for one month. The charge against me was releasing the videos of the brawl to social media. The Privileges Committee had acted in an unfair manner,” he said.  

Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella questioned as to why the Speaker included MP Chamal Rajapaksa to the special committee which was appointed to investigate the incident. “How can Mr. Rajapaksa be in the special committee being a member of the privileges committee at the same time?” he questioned.  

“Why did you appoint a special committee to probe the incident if the final decision of the privileges committee is to be implemented? You should have referred the matter to the privileges committee straight away,” he told the Speaker.  

Speaker who responded said the decision of the privileges committee will be implemented.  
The total number of MPs who have been suspended for misbehaviour during the past few weeks will come to seven if the motion is adopted in the House today. MPs Wasantha Yapa Bandara, Nalin Bandara Jayamaha, Ajith Mannapperuma and Sarath Nishantha were suspended earlier for misbehaviour.