News

Speaker, Opposition Leader cross swords over special statements

Published

6 years ago

2020/11/23

By Saman Indrajith

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, on Saturday, asked Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa to refrain from causing an affront to the dignity of Parliament. The Speaker said so when the latter attempted to make a special statement after the former denied permission.

The Speaker said that the Opposition Leader had once made a similar statement and raised very similar questions and the Minister of Health and other ministers from the government had responded to them, and therefore it could not be permitted in the House. “In addition the same matter has been raised in various forms in the form of oral questions and as adjournment debates. The most recent instance was on Nov 13 when a debate was held on the same matter and the ministers have responded in detail.”

Opposition Leader Premadasa:

“The Standing Order 36-O states that the same matter should not be raised again and again. I am not raising questions about COVID-19 but problems pertaining to lack of PCR machines and ventilators and antigen tests. I have never spoken about them here. So I have to state the ruling given by the Speaker is wrong. The Speaker deprives us of our right to speak. In addition the Speaker has limited the number of special statements we can make under the Standing Order 27-2 to two a week.”

Speaker Abeywardena:

“The questions raised by the Opposition leader pertaining to the COVID-19 vaccines were answered by Minister Channa Jayasumana. Apart from the similar questions raised by him were responded to on Friday by Minister Namal Rajapaksa. You are trying to disregard the process and procedure in the House. I cannot let you denigrate the dignity of the House.”

The Opposition Leader:

“The Speaker’s opinion is completely wrong. This could be checked with the Secretary General. This is limiting the freedom of speech in the House. Please allow me to make the statement.”

Leader of the House Minister Dinesh Gunawardena:

“The Opposition Leader should learn that a Speaker’s rule is not a matter for debate or questioning. The Speaker has given his ruling on the matter the Opposition Leader intended to raise. His actions cause the time of the House to be wasted. Therefore, I request the House should move on to the debate on the final day of the second reading of the budget 2021.”

The speaker announced that the House should commence its business for the day and Chief Government Whip Highways Minister Johnston Fernando got up to move the House for the debate on budget proposals.

SJB Kurunegala District MP Nalin Bandara, raising a point of order, said the Opposition Leader had attempted to make a statement on a new issue. There could be many problems raised on the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only Minister Namal Rajapaksa, many other MPs in the House have paid their attention to the problem but the problem was yet to be addressed. This is an issue of national importance. If the Speaker would not allow this, it would set a wrong precedence.

SJB Ratnapura District MP Hesha Withanage:

“The number of questions for the backbenchers has been limited. The live telecast of parliamentary proceedings too has been limited purportedly for technical issues. The government has submitted a few questions while the Opposition MPs have submitted over 400 questions to be raised at the time allocated for the Oral Questions session. The number of questions per a day was 15 and now it has been brought down to eight. Today, there is no question time.”

Speaker Abeywardena:

“

Today is Saturday and it has been agreed not to allow questions on Saturday to give more time to the MPs to speak in the debate.”

Badulla District SJB MP Chaminda Wijesiri: “

We agree with the rulings of the Speaker. There is no argument about it. But the Speaker is a senior politician and former senior minister. I hope he will consider the matter that the Opposition MPs have raised over 400 questions on behalf of their electorates and allow more time to raise those questions. The Opposition Leader’s statement too is on a matter of urgent national importance, and we hope that it would be allowed.

Opposition Leader Premadasa:

“I have not raised questions pertaining to rapid antigen tests or antibody tests or injections against the virus.”

Speaker Abeywardena:

“How many times have you raised these issues in this House?”

Opposition Leader Premadasa:

“The Speaker prevents us from raising questions because the government has no answers. The speaker is making use of his power to cover the government’s inability.”

Speaker Abeywardena said that the government’s ability or inability did not concern him.

Opposition Leader Premadasa:

“The Opposition Leader has a right to raise questions.”

Speaker Abeyewardena: “

That right is ensured.”

Opposition Leader Premadasa: “

When would I be able to make a special statement again?”

Speaker Abeywardena:

“You will be given time next Wednesday provided that your statement does not mislead the House.”

Galle District SJB MP Manusha Nanayakkara:

“I demand to know whether the question raised by the Opposition leader is not legal or the government has already decided that people do not need to know the rapid antigen test and antibody treatment because a certain group has already obtained them.”

Leader of the House Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena: “

I request the Opposition Leader and his team of MPs not to disrupt the procedure of the House and respect the Chair. We regret their attempts to disrupt the process of parliament. Today, is the last day of the second reading debate. The Speaker has given a ruling on the matter and it cannot be questioned. The MPs should behave in the House responsibly. We act here in accordance with the agreement reached at the party leaders’ meeting. If the Opposition MPs have not been informed of those agreements then it is a problem of their leaders who attended the party leaders’ meeting.

Chief Government Whip Highways Minister Johnston Fernando: “

No limit has been imposed on the questions. The number of questions has been reduced only during the budget debate and that has been done as per the request of party leaders to allocate more time for the speeches of all MPs. They wanted to give time to each MP to speak in the debate. It was agreed by all party leaders. The Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella is well aware of this agreement. It is not a problem for the government whether the opposition has raised 400 or more than that number of questions.

SJB MP Ranjith Maddumabandara:

The Speaker is a senior MP. He should not be swayed by his party politics or his personal opinions but give the rulings in accordance with the Standing Orders.

Speaker Abeywardena said that he had already given a ruling on the matter and had no intention of changing it.

All News Advertisement

News

Where is Gnanasara Thera?Police pass buck to court

Published

5 hours ago

2026/09/16

Sahan Weerasooriya

Gnanasara Thera

by Norman Palihawadane

Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera’s whereabouts have remained unknown since the Supreme Court, on Monday, annulled a presidential pardon granted to him in 2019.

Prison officers visited the Thera’s temple in Nawala, Rajagiriya, to take steps to return him to prison to serve the unexpired portion of his six-year sentence. However, monks at the temple had reportedly informed the officials that they were unaware of his whereabouts.

Police spokesman ASP F.U. Wootler said a separate court order was required for the police to trace the Thera, or assist in taking him into prison custody. No such order had been issued so far, he claimed.

Meanwhile, sources close to Gnanasara Thera said he was expected to attend a book launch in Colombo tomorrow (17),

The development follows the Supreme Court declaring the 2019 presidential pardon granted to Gnanasara Thera, by then President Maithripala Sirisena, null and void.

A three-member Supreme Court bench held that the pardon had been granted arbitrarily and violated public trust and principles of natural justice.

Gnanasara Thera had been serving a six-year prison sentence for contempt of court when the then President Sirisena granted him the pardon, in May, 2019. He had served only about nine months of the sentence at the time.

With the pardon annulled, the original sentence remains in force and the Thera is now required to serve the balance of his six-year term.

The Supreme Court ruling has raised questions over the procedure to be followed to return him to prison, with police and prison authorities yet to take custody of him.

News

Russian citizens in Lanka to vote in State Duma elections

Published

5 hours ago

2026/09/16

Sahan Weerasooriya

Chandana Ruwan Jayanetti, Director of the Advanced Technological Institute, Galle, presented a copy of his new book POEMS FROM GALLE, to Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya in her office in Parliament last Friday (11). Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, is also in the picture.

Russian citizens residing or temporarily visiting Sri Lanka will have the opportunity to cast their ballots in the elections to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on September 20.

The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Sri Lanka said polling would be held at polling station No. 8338 at the Russian Embassy, 404, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07.

The polling station will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on September 20, according to the Embassy.

Russian citizens aged 18 and above, including those permanently residing in Sri Lanka and those temporarily visiting the country, are eligible to vote, the Embassy said.

Voters are required to visit the polling station during its operating hours and produce documents certifying their Russian citizenship.

The Embassy said prior registration was not required to participate in the voting.

The election will be held to elect deputies to the ninth convocation of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly.

News

Euro 110,000 research drive to tackle plastic waste in food sector

Published

5 hours ago

2026/09/16

Sahan Weerasooriya

Grant agreement signed by Mahmoud Gaballah, Project Manager at Expertise France and Sr. Prof. Pasdunkorale Arachchige Jayantha, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ruhuna

Plastic waste is a growing challenge for Sri Lanka’s food sector, yet important gaps remain in understanding where and how single-use plastics are used, how they move through food value chains, and where interventions could have the greatest impact.

Through the European Union-funded CIRCULAR project, new research will help address these gaps by generating evidence to inform policy, business practices and more sustainable choices. Three research grants, totalling €Euro 110,000, will support university-led studies by research teams from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Ruhuna, and the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Computing at the University of Kelaniya.

Together, the studies will examine the use, flow and impacts of single-use plastics (SUPs) across selected food and beverage value chains in the Colombo and Galle Districts. The research will also seek to identify practical opportunities to reduce plastic use, promote more sustainable alternatives and strengthen circular economy practices.

At present, available data on plastic waste in Sri Lanka, particularly single-use plastics, do not provide sufficient detail on the sectors, sources and types of plastics involved. This limits the ability of policymakers, businesses and other stakeholders to pinpoint where plastic use can be reduced most effectively and to assess which interventions could deliver the greatest impact. The new research will help provide a more detailed understanding of these patterns, supporting more targeted and evidence-based action.

The three research teams will use a combination of data collection, waste-flow mapping, environmental and public health assessments, and life-cycle approaches to examine these challenges from different perspectives. The findings are expected to help identify opportunities to reduce plastic use, improve resource efficiency and promote more sustainable packaging and waste management practices.

The research grants are part of the CIRCULAR project’s broader efforts to support Sri Lanka’s transition towards more sustainable production and consumption in the food sector. Alongside research and evidence generation, the project works to raise awareness, encourage behaviour change and support approaches that move away from the traditional “take, make and dispose” model towards a more circular economy.

Circular Economy in the Food Sector (CIRCULAR) project is a three-year initiative focused on reducing food loss and food waste (FLW) and Single-use plastic (SUP) waste in the Food Sector in Sri Lanka. Funded by the European Union, and partially co-funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the project is jointly implemented by Expertise France (EF), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

By strengthening the evidence base on single-use plastics, the research is expected to provide a stronger foundation for practical action, helping decision-makers, businesses and other stakeholders better understand where change is needed and how more sustainable solutions can be put into practice.