Rohitha new COPE Chairman; Lasantha heads COPA

By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera
SLPP MP Rohitha Abeygunawardane was elected chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises with majority votes at the inaugural meeting held at the parliament Complex yesterday.
The name of MP Abeygunawardane was proposed by MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage and was seconded by MP Sanjeeva Edirimanna.
Opposition MP Gamini Waleboda was proposed by MP Hesha Vithanage and was seconded by MP Dilan Perera.
MP Abeygunawardane was elected the Chairman with majority votes.
State Ministers Janaka Wakkumbura, Lohan Ratwatte, Indika Anuruddha Herath and MPs Anura Dissanayake, Rauff Hakeem, Dilan Perera, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Eran Wickramaratne, Nalin Bandara, Hesha Vithanage, Sanjeeva Edirimanna, Jagath Kumara Sumithraarachchi, (Major) Sudarshana Denipitiya, Shasheendra Rajapaksa, M. Rameshwaran, Gamini Waleboda, Rajika Wickramasinghe, Madhura Vithanage, Prof. Ranjith Bandara and Prof. Charitha Herath attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna was unanimously appointed as the new Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) Chair by the members representing the government and the opposition.
The first meeting of COPA for the Fifth Session of the Ninth Parliament was held yesterday at Parliament.
The name of State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna was proposed by MP Vajira Abeywardena and Seconded by MP S. Sritharan.
State Ministers Mohan Priyadarshana de Silva, Prasanna Ranaweera, Diana Gamage, Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, as well as Members of Parliament Tissa Attanayake, Vajira Abeywardena, A.L.M. Athaullah, Niroshan Perera, Ashok Abeysinghe, Jayantha Ketagoda, Hector Appuhamy, S. Sritharan, M. Udayakumar, (Dr.) Major Pradeep Undugoda, attended this meeting.