SLPP scrapes through;Prez’s plan to accommodate Opposition in Cabinet fails

Sabry gives up finance portfolio, ready to quit NL seat

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) yesterday managed to retain a simply majority in Parliament. It has 114 MPs on its side, including those who previously crossed over to the government.

In the wake of the swift rejection of the President’s proposal by the SJB, TNA and the JJB, comprising 67 members, government sources said that they hadn’t been able to reach a consensus on how to deal with the issues at hand.

Forty-two government members belonging to different political parties represented in SLPP coalition, declared they would function independently, from yesterday. The SLPP parliamentary group initially consisted of 145 elected and appointed MPs. Several other MPs crossed over to it subsequently.

Except Jaffna District MP Angajan Ramanathan, all SLPP MPs contested the last general election on the SLPP ticket or were appointed via the National List.

Dissident lawmaker of the Communist Party Weerasumana Weerasinghe said that the SLPP led government on 22 Oct. 2020 have proved it had a 2/3 majority in Parliament. The 20th Amendment to the Constitution received 156 votes in favour whereas 65 opposed, Matara District Communist Party MP Weerasinghe told The Island. The Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill that received 149 votes in favour on May 20, last year, too, proved The government suffered another setback when Ali Sabry, PC, resigned within 24 hours after accepting the finance portfolio. Sabry told The Island that he had informed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of his readiness to give up the National List slot if the President desired to bring in a person from outside to fill that vacancy. However, Bandula Gunawardena was immediately sworn in as Sabry’s replacement as the government discussed ways and means of overcoming the crisis.

MP Weeerasinghe said that the dissidents believed the government should reach consensus on an interim arrangement with all political parties and sacrifices were inevitable.