• Wimal slams SLPP Govt. for wasting Rs. 9 mn on debating Prez statement instead Gevindu Cumaratunga calls postponement a conspiracy PM Dinesh seeks Opposition’s support for Amendment

BY Buddhika Samaraweera Amidst fierce objection from the Parliamentary Opposition and “independent” Parliamentary groups, Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena informed Parliament yesterday (6) that the debate on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill, which was scheduled to be held yesterday, will be held during the next Parliamentary session, while the speech made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday in Parliament was taken into debate instead. As the President's speech was taken into debate yesterday, Abeywardena informed Parliament that the debate on the said Bill will be held at the next Parliamentary session, while Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena requested the support of all political parties in Parliament, including the main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), to pass the proposed Amendment to the Constitution. However, while commenting on yesterday's incident to The Morning, President of the Yuthukama National Organisation, which represents the Supreme Lanka Coalition (SLC), “independent” MP Gevindu Cumaratunga claimed that the fact that the ruling party prevented the debate on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill from being held is evidence of a conspiracy. He claimed that there is a suspicion that President Wickremesinghe also supported the said conspiracy by choosing yesterday to make a statement that is not of much importance. "Parliament met throughout this week and the President was well aware that the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill was to be debated yesterday. In such a background, why did he come to Parliament yesterday to make a statement about his foreign trips and the discussions held with Heads of State during those trips? We feel that the interest he had in reducing the powers of the Executive President when he was the Prime Minister no longer exists after he became President. It is disgusting that people’s policies change according to the positions they hold. There is no way that the 22nd Amendment Bill was acceptable when he was the Premier, and it is not passable when he is the President. Wickremesinghe didn’t mention a word about the 22nd Amendment Bill during his speech, which makes it clear that he doesn't have an interest to bring it up soon," he charged. Cumaratunga also claimed that the MPs representing the Ruling Party were the first to query whether a debate would be given on the President's statement, and through that he said that it was clear that there was a conspiracy within the Ruling Party to prevent the debate on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill. He also mentioned that due to the fact that the Opposition was also working in a way so as to create the necessary environment for the postponing of the said debate, it is apparent that both the Ruling Party and the Opposition want to keep the powers of the Executive Presidency as they are. SLPP MP Madhura Withanage questioned yesterday in Parliament as to whether there will be a debate regarding the President's statement in the Parliament on the current situation in the country. At that time, the Leader of the House and Minister Dr. Susil Premajayantha stated that the Ruling Party is ready to give a debate on the matter if an agreement is reached within the Parliament. At this point, Chief Opposition Whip and SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella requested Premajayantha as to whether the debate on the President's statement would be held yesterday, adding that if so, the Opposition was ready for it. He also queried whether the debate on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill would not be held yesterday, as previously planned. In response to that, when Premajayantha said that the decision regarding the holding of the debate on the said Bill could be made depending on the time that would have to be spent for the debate on the President's statement, it was observed that Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa and other Opposition MPs were laughing sarcastically. Addressing the Parliament at that time, Premier Gunawardena stated that the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill was submitted to the Parliament after months of discussions with all parties including the Opposition and independent Parliamentary groups. He said that former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had held a discussion on the said Amendment last March by calling all the parties. “When the current President Ranil Wickremesinghe was the Prime Minister, the representatives of all the political parties were called to the Prime Minister's Office to discuss this matter. I, as the Leader of the House at that time, Prof. G.L. Peiris as the SLPP Chairman, and members representing other political parties and independent MP groups participated in those discussions. After that, the draft that has been submitted to the Parliament was moved," he said. After the election of Wickremesinghe as the President, the Premier said that the draft was discussed in the Cabinet of Ministers and that the relevant gazette notification was issued by Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, President’s Counsel Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe. He also said that after several processes such as several parties submitting petitions to the Supreme Court (SC) and the SC announcing its special determination, the Bill in question is scheduled to be debated in the Parliament. "On Wednesday (05), we discussed this matter with Premadasa, Kiriella, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader and SJB MP Rauff Hakeem and Tamil Progressive Alliance Leader and SJB MP Mano Ganesan. After reaching an agreement on some basic points during that discussion, they informed us that they could support the passage of this Bill, and also said that they would confirm their decision by the evening of that day," added Gunawardena. He further stated that after that discussion, he and the Ruling Party's Chief Organiser, Minister and Chief Government Whip Prasanna Ranatunga had discussed this Bill with representatives of the SLC, which is made up of MPs representing political parties and groups that recently left the SLPP and since declared themselves as ‘Independent’ MPs. Gunawardena said that the group including Democratic Left Front Leader and MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara informed them that they could support the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill, and that if there is any change, they should be informed about it in advance. “Accordingly, we were waiting for the decision of the Opposition on the evening of Wednesday. When I met Kiriella that afternoon, he said that it was difficult for them to support this Bill due to the negotiations with several other political parties of the Opposition. We are worried about it. I told him at that time that we should all work together to pass this Amendment Bill. Then, I informed the Ruling Party and the President that the situation which existed on Wednesday morning and afternoon has changed and transformed into a different situation.” Noting that President Wickremesinghe, during his speech, has said that all parties should join hands without any division to overcome the existing challenges, Gunawardena said that it would be best if the Opposition could notify the Parliament as to whether the position of the Opposition that it is difficult for them to support the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill has changed. He also mentioned that through that, the Government, the subject Minister, and the Leader of the House will be able to carry out the related work easily. Following the Party Leaders' meeting which was held after Gunawardena's statement, Speaker Abeywardena informed the Parliament that it had been decided to hold the debate on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill at the next Parliamentary session. Weerawansa, who addressed the Parliament after the relevant notification by the Speaker, stated that the decision to hold the debate on the President's statement instead of the planned debate on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill was a unilateral decision made by the Ruling Party, and added that no one had asked for a debate regarding Wickremesinghe's statement. "It costs Rs. 9 million a day for this Parliament to meet. Today, we came to the Parliament to discuss the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill as it was on the agenda. A meeting of the Party Leaders was held about it a little while ago. During that meeting, it was decided to debate the said Bill, and to hold the relevant vote in such a way that someone who likes it can vote in favour of it and someone who doesn't like it can vote against it. However, now, the Ruling Party has decided unilaterally to hold a debate on the President's statement instead of what was agreed upon," he claimed. He said that no one has asked for a debate regarding the President's statement, and mentioned that if the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill is not debated, the Parliament should be adjourned without spending Rs. nine million in vain. He mentioned that at a time when the people are going through an extremely difficult period in the face of the current economic crisis, it is absolutely unacceptable to waste public wealth in such a way, and added: "Children are starving in schools without food. Rs. nine million is being spent for nothing. Is this the money of the SLPP General Secretary and MP Sagara Kariyawasam? How can only the Ruling Party decide to postpone this debate? If decisions are made like this, there is no need for a Parliament." In response to Weerawansa's statement, Deputy Chairman of the Committees of the Parliament, Angajan Ramanathan said that the Speaker had already announced the decision made at the Party Leaders' meeting, but that he would inform the Speaker of Weerawansa's objections regarding the matter.