Parliament sittings were adjourned for several minutes on Thursday (April 8) following a heated exchange of words between Government and Opposition lawmakers over the decision on unseating of SJB Parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake.
Opposition MPs were seen wearing black bands to protest against the Speaker’s decision. Later, a tense situation erupted in Parliament during a heated argument between SJB MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka and Minister Chamal Rajapaksa. The Minister and the SJB MP challenged each other for a brawl outside the Parliament Chambers.
Fonseka said, “I was sentenced by the Army in a court. I was imprisoned for eight months and was in remand custody. When that sentence was handed down, we appealed to three courts. Despite all three appeals, the Speaker who had been sitting here since the day I was sentenced did not allow me to come to Parliament.”
Responding to Fonseka’s allegation, Minister Chamal Rajapaksa said, “I allowed you to come to Parliament. Your decision was made after considering the decision in the books. Were we not allowed to convene Parliament because you were not present?” However, after Parliament proceedings were resumed, Minister Chamal Rajapaksa said that he regretted the incident that took place in Parliament.
Seat rendered vacant
Tensions rose when the Speaker told Parliament that the Secretary General of Parliament had acted in accordance with the Constitution when he informed the National Election Commission on Wednesday (April 7) that Ramanayake’s seat has been rendered vacant owing to his extended absence.
Responding to the Speaker’s statement on Thursday (April 8), Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament that Ramanayake will challenge the Court of Appeal’s decision in the Supreme Court. He urged the Speaker to recognise his colleague’s right to challenge the Court of Appeal’s decision.
Premadasa said, “Ranjan has every right to appeal the decision and until the appeal process commences and an ultimate final verdict is provided by the Supreme Court, he should retain his seat.” Later the Speaker who issued a statement denied all the allegations levelled against him by the Opposition concerning his decision on MP Ranjan Ramanayake. He said that the Opposition is trying to create a wrong opinion among the people regarding the decision taken regarding Ramanayake’s Parliamentary Seat.
Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said demonstrations will be staged if legal action is not taken against the perpetrators of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks before April 21. “We will take to the streets if the law is not enforced before April 21. We will not remain silent on this. Remember that,” the Cardinal told reporters following the Easter Sunday mass on Sunday (April 4).
He insisted that appointing multiple committees to investigate the attacks does not serve any purpose. “If they are planning to protect certain individuals by appointing multiple committees, that would mean that this is a lawless state.” He also accused former President Maithripala Sirisena of shirking his responsibilities and acting irresponsibly over the April 21, Easter Sunday attacks that occurred under his presidency.
Crocodile tears
Indigenous Medicine Promotion State Minister Sisira Jayakody told the Parliament the Opposition members who held press briefings without any guilt in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks are now shedding crocodile tears.
The State Minister was responding to SJB MP Ajith Mannapperuma during the Adjournment Motion on the report submitted by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) on the Easter attacks. He said that the Yahapalana Government had enough opportunities to prevent the attacks, but allowed nearly 300 people to die.
He said that those who did not take any action to prevent the attacks were equally responsible as those who carried them out. Jayakody said that those who wanted to come to power in any way were assisted by extremists and separatists to bring about destruction.
The State Minister said the former Government tactically took over the Parliamentary Committees and extremists were appointed to Commissions, thereby weakening national security. During the former Government’s tenure, room was created for separatists and Islamic extremists funded by foreign sources. He said, “These are the serious damages caused by the UNP and their Yahapalana Government.”
Falsehoods
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that the group which spread falsehoods about white vans, crocodiles and sharks are now trying to propagate falsehoods and misconceptions with regard to the environment after their failure in their previous attempt.
At the “Discussion with the Village” program at the Vavuniya district recently, the President said that people should counter these organised local and foreign forces that circulate these falsehoods against him and his Government to protect the ideology of the people that brought him to power.
The President said, “I always maintain that; the individual Gotabaya Rajapaksa is not important. What matters is the ideology and forces that brought me here. We should protect that ideology.” He said, “The aim of the false propaganda now being carried out by the hostile forces is to defeat this ideology. I will fulfill the promises I made to the people.”
Disappointed
Former President Maithripala Sirisena has expressed his regret over a statement by Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith on Easter Sunday focusing on him.
He told the media following an event in Colombo, that he was disappointed by the Cardinal’s statement. SLFP General Secretary State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara said the former President has no intention of contesting elections again adding that a statement he made in the past has been misinterpreted.
He said the report by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on Easter Sunday attacks has not found former President Sirisena guilty of any wrongdoing, adding that the Commission has inquired from the Attorney General of the possibility of filing legal action on claims of negligence.
He expressed his disappointment with the Cardinal for misunderstanding the content in the report. Jayasekara said former President Sirisena didn’t carry out the suicide attacks on the April 21, 2019, highlighting that it is important to identify the true masterminds of the attacks.
Beyond 2025
Plantations Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said the Sri Lanka Pudujana Peramuna (SLPP) will rule the country not only till 2025 but also beyond 2025.
“Trade unionists took the lead to overthrow the Yahapalana Government and bring the SLPP Government to power under the leadership of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He is a classic leader who carries forward the policies and ideals of the SLPP, which originated under the leadership of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and SLPP National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa,” the Minister told a SLPP trade union conference in Galle recently.
“The SLPP will develop the country and lead the progressive movement. The Government will remain in power until 2025 and the SLPP will definitely rule this country even after 2025. People’s problems may not have been solved. So, let’s go on that journey together. The people will eventually reap the benefits of that journey. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa became the Head of State on the promise of defending Sri Lanka and protecting the four corners of the country,” he said.
Former Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Parliamentarian Sunil Handunneththi said the public should always elect people who love this country and have a definite plan and a set of good policies to develop it as their political representatives. He said it was not possible for a single person to take this country forward.
He was addressing a public gathering in Deniyaya.
Handunneththi said that the country is now ruled by a group of businessmen who have gone beyond politics and the political authorities are dancing to their tune taking decisions regarding the country’s resources and the people’s tax money as required by those businessmen.
He said that the politician will go to their electorates and become a fellow member of the village only during the election campaign period and after victory the people will have a hard time finding their political representative.
British citizen?
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has commenced an investigation against Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) National List Parliamentarian Diana Gamage over a complaint that she is a British citizen residing in Sri Lanka without Dual Citizenship status.
The CID has commenced investigations into this incident subsequent to a complaint lodged by Oshala Herath who contested the 2020 General Election under the UNP ticket from the Colombo District.
Herath had made a written complaint with CID on November 2, 2020 alleging that Parliamentarian Diana Gamage had fraudulently obtained an official Sri Lankan passport without disclosing her British citizenship.
The CID told the court that they have already recorded a statement from the complainant in respect of his written complaint and further said his statement was accompanied by supporting documents.
The Anti-Human Smuggling Investigation Bureau (ASIB) attached to CID has launched an investigation against Parliamentarian Diana Gamage over the complaint that she had obtained a Sri Lankan passport after furnishing false information to the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration.
The United National Party (UNP) Working Committee has decided not to hold a May Day rally this year. It has been decided to hold a meeting on May Day to commemorate the founding members of the party without much public participation and to broadcast it live on the internet.
The decision has been taken with the safety of the people in mind as the Covid-19 situation is yet to subside. The UNP celebrated May Day last year with a low-key event which was broadcast online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sworn in as MP
Former State Minister Ajith Mannapperuma sworn in as a Member of Parliament before the Speaker on Friday (April 9) to fill the vacancy left by MP Ranjan Ramanayake in Parliament. The Election Commission announced in an Extraordinary Gazette Notification on Thursday (April 8) that Ajith Mannapperuma, is to replace Ranjan Ramanayake in Parliament as an MP for Gampaha District.
The Gazette Notification confirmed that this move was made to fill the vacancy created by the loss of Ranjan Ramanayake’s parliamentary seat.
Mannapperuma is the next in line in the Gampaha District preferential vote list of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). He came in fifth among the SJB contestants from the Gampaha District obtaining 47,212 preferential votes in the 2020 General Election.
State Minister Susil Premajayantha said the members of the former Yahapalana Government that did nothing to find the culprits of the Easter Sunday attacks are alleging today that the Government used the incident to come to power.
Joining the Adjournment debate on the report of the PCoI on Easter Sunday attacks, he said that as the report of the PCoI pointed out that the conflict within the Yahapalana Government weakened national security, paving the way for the attacks.
Premajayantha said the people had understood that the economy, development, and the security of the country had collapsed under the Yahapalana Government long before the Easter Sunday attacks and expressed their feelings by bringing the SLPP to power.
Premajayantha added that at the time of the attacks, there was no intention to hold elections in the country under the previous regime. He said that the Presidential Commission was appointed seven months after the attacks.
He said the enthusiastic nature exhibited by the Good Governance Government in setting up of the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) through Gazettes to arrest and file cases was not exhibited in taking action against the Easter Sunday suspects.