One-time Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) DEW Gunasekera yesterday (21) said that he was disappointed by the disruption of the vital House committee over the appointment of SLPP lawmaker Rohitha Abeygunawardena as its head.

Kalutara District MP Abeygunawardena was elected Chairman, COPE, on 07 March, this year by a majority vote. The SLPPer defeated Gamini Waleboda, MP, a member of the National Freedom Front (NFF), who also contested the last general election on the SLPP ticket.

 The former Communist Party General Secretary told The Island that he wouldn’t comment on MP Abeygunawardena’s suitability nor the circumstances he succeeded Dr. Ranjith Bandara but was really sorry that the whole process suffered a serious setback due to the Opposition decision to boycott the proceedings.

 The COPE consists of 31 members. The ex-MP Gunasekera said that COPE reflected the party composition in the House and had been established under the Standing Order 126 at the beginning of each parliamentary session and the Chairman elected by the members of the Committee at its first session. Its quorum is four.

 In the absence of Opposition MPs, the COPE proceedings would never be the same, the ex-MP said, urging the political parties, represented in Parliament, to address this issue without further delay. The CP veteran pointed out that the Parliament, as the supreme institution, owed the public an explanation on how it intended to resolve this matter.

 “This issue cannot be delayed pending presidential polls or have they decided to put this on the back burner,” the former Minister said, adding that President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Finance Minister, should get involved in the issue at hand.

 Auditor General W.P.C. Wickremaratne, who attends COPE and COPA (Committee on Public Accounts) declined to comment on the dispute. Asked to explain the AG’s role, as well as that of his Department in the proceedings, Wickremaratne said that in terms of the Standing Orders 119 and 120, his responsibility was to assist the COPA and the COPE, respectively.

 Wickremaratne emphasized the importance of AGD’s role when its reports were taken up at the two House Committees.

 Former MP Gunasekera said that the Parliament, as an institution, should be seriously concerned over the disruption of the COPE for nearly two months. Responding to another query, Gunasekera said that if the Parliament allowed the COPE to deteriorate it would cause a debilitating setback to, what he called, a critically important parliamentary oversight on the state sector waste, corruption, irregularities and mismanagement.

 Gunasekera said that the first investigation on the 2015 Treasury bonds scam was conducted by the COPE. That should be sufficient to underscore the importance of the watchdog committee, the ex-MP said, adding he wouldn’t be surprised if some political parties felt COPE existence was nothing but a hindrance (SF)