By Saman Indrajith

The government yesterday did not provide to the House the amendments it would introduce to the Electricity Amendment Bill, scheduled to be taken up for debate today (06).

When the main Opposition SJB questioned this in Parliament yesterday, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said that the amendments to be introduced to the draft Bill would be provided to the Opposition MPs by the Sectoral Oversight Committee.

Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella said that the draft Bill deemed inconsistent with the Constitution by the Supreme Court was taken up at the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Tuesday itself. “We submited some amendments. There are already other amendments recommended by the Supreme Court. The government is now planning to take the Bill for debate in a day. Yet, we have not been given the list of amendments to be introduced at the committee stage. The Opposition has not been informed what amendments the government would introduce and what it would leave. We demand that the amendments be given to us during Wednesday (05) if we are to participate in a meaningful debate tomorrow, Thursday (06),” Kiriella said.

Kiriella said that the Opposition had a right to know which amendments the government would select out of the amendments the Opposition has submitted. “If we rush this through Parliament then there is a danger of amendments that have not been approved by the Supreme Court being introduced to the Bill in the manner the government did with the Online Safety Bill.”

Minister Wijesekera said that Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, too, attended the Sectoral Oversight Committee meeting held on Tuesday. “We as the government would not bring any amendment except those recommended by the Supreme Court. Then there was a proposal at the Sectoral Oversight Committee to change the interest limit of one item from 50 percent to 15 percent, we agreed to incorporate tha, too, as an amendment. All is set for the debate. The Opposition could get a copy of amendments from the sectoral oversight committee,” Wijesekera said.

SJB Colombo District MP Dr. Harsha de Silva attempted to speak of amendments but he was not given the microphone by the Deputy Speaker, who told Dr. De Silva to state whatever the latter wished to state today during the debate.