Speaker chides Chief Opposition Whip for making irresponsible statements

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday in a statement said that he had no powers under Parliamentary Standing Orders to suspend its sittings once that had been decided by party leaders at the meeting of the committee on Parliament Affairs.

“In addition, neither the Prime Minister nor the Leader of the Opposition has asked in writing for the suspension of Parliament sittings,” the Speaker has said in his statement issued following Chief Opposition Whip MP Lakshman Kiriella’s communique asking for the suspension of sittings.

Although there were reports that several cases of COVID-19 infections had been detected in some sections of Parliament, none of them had got infected inside the parliamentary complex and that fact had been confirmed during the party leaders’ meeting, where it was agreed to continue the sittings of Parliament, the speaker has said.

Speaker Abeywardena has said that he had not conducted any media conferences but he had stated that the Leader of Opposition had not contracted the virus at Parliament. He said so in answer to a question by a journalist at the end of a discussion on Matara District COVID-19 vaccination project.

It is regrettable to note that a statement of this nature was made by Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella, who is a senior MPs in parliament who is au fait with Parliamentary Standing Orders. “I was shocked by this questionable statement. I wish speedy recovery to all including the Leader of Opposition.”