By Shamindra Ferdinando

The Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) has suggested that Labour and Foreign Employment Minister, Manusha Nanayakkara be summoned before the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) over his recent outburst against the Parliamentary Watchdog Committee and Auditor General W.P.C. Wickramaratne.

Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman made the suggestion on behalf of the main Opposition party at a special session of the all-party committee, chaired by its Chairman Prof. Ranjith Bandara, on 05 January.

The former UNPer has pointed out that unless tangible action was taken against Minister Nanayakkara other ministers, too, would start publicly attacking the COPE and the AG.

Having switched allegiance to Sajith Premadasa following a split in the UNP, both Rahuman and Nanayakkara contested the last general election in August 2020, on the SJB ticket.

COPE member Rahuman has told the committee Nanayakkara’s attack should be dealt with, also taking into consideration of his previous role as a member of the watchdog committee. MP Nanayakkara accepted a ministerial portfolio, in May last year, in spite of the SJB’s decision not to accept the then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s invitation to join his government.

MP Rahuman has alleged that perhaps Nanayakkara’s attack was meant to tarnish the AG’s image. Had his Ministry, or an institution, under him, not done anything wrong, there was absolutely no need for him to go on the offensive, MP Rahuman said.

The top SJB spokesperson told The Island that Minister Nanayakkara challenged the COPE and the AG at the National Productivity Award ceremony, held on Dec. 15, at Temple Trees, under the auspices of Premier Dinesh Gunawardena. Actually, the Premier as the leader of the government parliamentary group should have pulled up the Minister, MP Rahuman said. Perhaps, Minister Nanayakkara’s angry response reflected the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government’s attitude towards, not only the COPE, but the Committee on Public Accounts and Committee on Public Finance.

Declaring that ministers couldn’t challenge COPE, under any circumstances, AG Wickramaratne has told the January 05 meeting that the controversial speech by Nanayakkara was made in the Premier’s presence.

MP Rahuman stressed the urgent need to clarify the status of watchdog committees, in the wake of Minister Nanayakkara’s declaration that the COPE didn’t have the authority to issue such directives.

The Auditor General, however has reminded COPE that in terms of the Standing Orders it could even make recommendations to Parliament. The intrepid official has stressed that Secretary to Labour and Foreign Employment Ministry R.P.A. Wimalaweera was yet to address their concerns.

“We have decided to summon Ministry Secretary, Wimalaweera, on January 17. Let us see whether Wimalaweera, in his capacity as the Chief Accounting Officer of the Labour and Foreign Employment Ministry, abides by COPE directive,” MP Rahuman said.

Responding to another query, MP Rahuman said that once the watchdog took up the matter with President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and the Cabinet-of-Ministers, the public could realise whether Minister Nanayakkara was pursuing an agenda.

Minister Nanayakkara is on record as having alleged, at the Temple Trees meeting, that the AG and COPE undermined measures taken by the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) to expedite sending workers to South Korea. The Minister questioned COPE and AG for finding fault with special payments made to employees to speed up the process.