By Saman Indrajith

Opposition members yesterday demanded that the government table the IMF staff-level agreement in Parliament.

Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa said that the government had reached an agreement with the IMF. If the government needed its support for the IMF-recommended economic reforms, the Opposition needed to know the contents of the agreement at issue.

Premadasa said that Parliament had authority on public finance, and therefore the staff-level agreement with the IMF, should be tabled in Parliament.

Chief Opposition Whip and SJB Kandy District MP Lakshman Kiriella said that the IMF recommended reforms envisaged the sale of public ventures and the government had no mandate to privatise state enterprises.

“People voted for the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour, which pledged not to privatise public enterprises. That was the mandate those in the government received. If they now try to restructure the public enterprises, they are acting against the mandate. We know that some state institutions have been listed for privatisation. There are people of over one million families serving in them. We are ready to support the process of restructuring the loss-making institutions, but you have to keep Parliament informed of this process,” Kiriella said.

SJB Colombo District MP and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance, Dr. Harsha de Silva said that the government would not be able to get the Opposition’s support to implement IMF-recommended economic reforms without appraising Parliament of the contents of the agreement.

SLPP dissident MP and Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises, Prof Charitha Herath said that Parliament had the authority on public finance as per Section 148 of the Standing Orders, and the government should table the staff-level agreement with the IMF in Parliament. “I do not think the government could table the agreement in its entirety, but it needs to inform the House of the framework of the contents of the agreement,” Prof Herath said.

SLPP dissident MP Gevindu Cumaratunga said that former Finance Minister Ali Sabry kept informing the House of the government’s financial agreements with other countries. “As it was transpired at the recent meeting with the Central Bank Governor in Parliament, there had been many such agreements where Parliament had been kept in the dark. The decisions must be taken after informing this House because finally if it would become the responsibility of the 225 MPs here,” Cumaratunga said.

Badulla District SJB MP Chaminda Wijesiri said that when Sri Lanka had started talks with the IMFRanil Wickremesinghe was an Opposition MP. “As an Opposition MP, Wickremesinghe asked the government to table all documents pertaining to negotiations with the IMF. Basil Rajapaksa was the Finance Minister and did not table the IMF documents.”

Leader of the House and Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said that the request would be put forward to the President and Prime Minister and the latter would keep the House informed on the staff-level agreement, as promised.