Sittings suspended for 10 minutes over uproar between govt. and Opposition

By Saman Indrajith

Parliament sittings were suspended on Thursday (08) for 10 minutes following an uproar over an argument between the government and the Opposition members over the debate on the Annual Report of the Central Bank, scheduled for yesterday.

The JVP and SJB MPs protested against what they called a government attempt to act in breach of an agreement reached at the party leaders’ meeting.

JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that it was he who had to move the House for a debate on the Annual Report of the Central Bank and charged that the government was now trying to open the debate in contravention of the agreement made by the party leaders. “I ask for a debate on behalf of the Opposition. I do not want someone else to open the debate. That was the agreement we reached at the party leaders’ meeting.”

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa:

I endorse MP Dissanayake’s position. At the party leaders’ meeting we agreed that he should open the debate. How come the govenrment is acting in contravention of that agreement? What is the purpose of holding party leaders’ meetings if the government acts on its own and works contrary to the agreements we made at those meetings. Is this democracy? I confirm what Dissanayake said.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena:

We will take a decision in this regard at the next party leaders’ meeting.

However, Opposition Leader Premadasa rejected the suggestion stating that the debate was scheduled for Friday. Premadasa insisted that Anura Kumara Dissanayake should open the debate and demanded that agreements reached at the party leaders’ meeting be honoured.

“Do not undermine the party leaders’ meeting. It is not good for you as the Speaker either. If you act in contravention of the party leaders’ meeting agreements, then there is a ground to think that you are being controlled by an outside force. The Speaker should not be a puppet,” the Opposition Leader said.

Leader of the House Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that during the party leaders’ meeting Anura Kumara Dissanayake had asked for a debate on the Central Bank report and the government had agreed to allocate a date this month. The report was debated every year and that this year’s debate should follow the same format.

Opposition Leader Premadasa, however, claimed that Gunawardena was lying.

At this point, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga alleged that the Opposition Leader had become a puppet of the JVP leader and he had no right to call the Speaker a puppet.

Both the Opposition and government members started shouting and levelling accusations against each other.

Opposition Leader Premadasa:

There may have been Opposition leaders who were puppets. But I am not ready to be a puppet of anyone. Minister Prasanna Ranatunga is speaking of himself when he talks about puppets.

The Speaker:

There is a mistake here.

Jaffna District TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran:

Anura Kumara Dissanayake asked for this debate. Therefore, he should be given the chance to open the debate. That was the agreement reached at the party leaders’ meeting.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake:

The Speaker should act according to his conscience. The tradition is that the government tables the annual report of the Central Bank and the Opposition asks for the debate. That is the tradition.

Speaker Abeywardena:

There is some confusion here. We can hold a party leaders’ meeting at lunch time and discuss the matter there.

Chief Government Whip Highways Minister Johnston Fernando:

We are ready for the debate. We have no problem with who opens the debate.

(Government MPs shout at Opposition MPs)

The Speaker suspended the sittings for 10 minutes for a party leaders’ meeting.

At the party leaders’ meeting held with the Speaker presiding it was decided not to hold the Adjournment Debate on the Annual Report of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for the year 2020 yesterday (9).

It had been decided to hold the debate in the first week of August, said Parliament Secretary General Dhammika Dasanayake.