Party leaders gun for Deputy Speaker

By Saman Indrajith

When sittings re-commenced yesterday party leaders took turns to find fault with Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapkashe for having suspended sittings until some Ministers, who were on their way to Parliament, reached there.

Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District MP Lakshman Kiriella said that the decision to suspend sittings on the grounds of absence of speaker for the debate was irrational and against Standing Orders. “We have an agreement to debate a Bill and regulations by the government and put them to vote at 4 pm. It is the duty of the government to ensure that their speakers listed for the debate are present. This is government business, it is their responsibility to conduct the debate,” Kiriella said.

JVP/NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that neither the debate could recommence nor the vote should be taken as both were against the Standing Orders and the traditions. “The tradition is that the Chair should adjourn the House if there are no MPs for debate. The Chair cannot suspend sittings till some Ministers arrive in Parliament to take part in the debate. This would set a wrong precedent,” he said.

Matara District MP Dullas Alahapperuma said that to the best of his knowledge no such thing as suspending sittings for want of Speakers had happened in the House since the 1988-1990 period. The Chair should have rung the quorum bell if the quorum was not there the debate should have been stopped and the House adjourned,” Alahapperuma said.

Deputy Speaker Rajapakshe said that there had been 21 MPs from the Opposition and 11 MPs from the government listed for the debate. The Bill could not be put to a vote as there was no Cabinet Minister in the chamber.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake: That is the crux of the problem. How come a Cabinet Minister was not present? This is a government Bill and it comes from the Ministry of Finance of which the President is the Minister. If there was no Cabinet Minister, then the Chair should have adjourned the House without suspending it until a Minister came.

MP Weerasumana Weerasinghe said that his privileges had been breached as he lost the opportunity to speak in the debate. “My name was the last on the list. I was at a committee meeting when the House was adjourned,” he said.

The Deputy Speaker said that the MPs should give priority to the Chamber business.

SLPP dissident MP Prof. Charitha Herath said that Sections 139, 140 and 140 (2) of the Standing Orders did not give discretion to the Chair to put off a debate.

MP Gamini Waleboda and Minister Susil Premajayantha said that on hearing that MPs listed for the debate were not there, they rushed to the Chamber, but the sittings had been suspended at the time of their arrival.

Kiriella demanded that all Opposition MPs should be given time to speak and sittings should continue till 6 pm.

After the government agreed to continue sitting till 5 pm, SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva resumed the debate from the Opposition side.