News
Ranil gets stumped on Standing Orders
By Saman Indrajith
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday (20) informed Parliament that the amendments tabled by UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) tabled against Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila could not be accepted.
The Speaker informed the House that the amendment was against Standing Orders.
UNP Leader Wickremesinghe on Monday (19) proposed that the NCM, tabled by the SJB against Minister Udaya Gammanpila, be amended as a no-faith motion against the government.
The Speaker yesterday said: “I wish to make a ruling on the amendment to the no-confidence motion which was handed over to the Secretary General of Parliament by Ranil Wickremasinghe MP yesterday.
“The no-confidence motion which was given notice of by 43 Members of the Opposition is in respect of Udaya Gammanpila, Minister of Energy, and the notice relating to the motion was handed over to the Parliament Secretariat on the 22nd of June, 2021 and was included in the Order Book of Parliament on the 23rd of June, 2021. The Committee on Parliamentary Business on the 5th of July, 2021 decided to take up the Motion for debate on two consecutive days including a special sitting day on the 19th of July 2021 and the 20th of July, 2021.
“The notice of the substantive motion of no confidence had no indication that it could finally be converted into a no-confidence motion on the Cabinet of Ministers which is the government. The Committee on the Parliamentary Business was also not informed that an amendment would be moved to convert the no-confidence motion against the Minister of Energy to be a no-confidence motion against the government. Furthermore, the debate that took place yesterday in the House was very much focused on the no-confidence motion against a single Minister namely, Udaya Gammanpila.
“The legal effect of the amendment handed over to the Secretary General of Parliament by Ranil Wickremesinghe is to convert the no-confidence motion moved against Udaya Gammanpila to assume a new status as a No confidence Motion against the Cabinet of Ministers which is the Government. This was not intended at any stage since notice was given on the Motion.
Standing Order 43 (4) states as follows; ‘An amendment to a question shall be relevant to the question to which such amendment is proposed’.
“According to this principle, the proposed amendment must be relevant to the Motion and fall within the scope of the original motion moved in the House. According to the Indian authority ‘Practice and Procedure of Parliament’ by Kaul and Shakdher sixth edition page 705 ” In order that an amendment to a motion may be admissible, it must satisfy the following conditions; An amendment should be relevant to, and within the scope of the motion to which it is proposed. It should not introduce new or foreign matter or widen the scope of the motion”. Accordingly, an amendment which seeks to convert a No Confidence Motion against a Minister to that of a No Confidence Motion against the Cabinet of Ministers is certainly not within the scope of the original motion and nor it is relevant to the original motion either.
“The Standing Order 43 (5) states as follows; An amendment shall not raise any question which, by the rules of Parliament can only be raised by a substantive motion after notice.”
“We are well aware that a No Confidence Motion against the Cabinet of Ministers could only be brought forward by a substantive motion after due notice is given. Any attempt to subvert this process by bringing an amendment to that effect to an existing No Confidence Motion against a Minister is out of order and contravenes the Standing Orders.
“In the above circumstances, I rule that the proposed amendment to the No Confidence Motion against Udaya Gammanpila, Minister of Energy handed over to the Secretary General of Parliament by Ranil Wickremasinghe MP is out of order, and cannot be accepted.”
Interdicted Deputy Director at the National Hospital, Sri Lanka (NHSL) Dr. Rukshan Bellana yesterday (29) alleged that the powers that be moved against him for seeking the CIABOC (Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption) investigation into a massive fraud at the NHSL laboratory.
Dr. Bellana said so in response to The Island query regarding the circumstances the Health Ministry interdicted him on 18 December, through a letter, as directed by the Health Committee of the Public Service (PSC) Commission. “That letter has been signed by an Additional Secretary, as Health Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe was overseas,” Dr. Bellana said.
Dr. Bellana stated that the government had paid for reagents, contaminated or close to expiry dates, obtained from a leading local medical supplier, since 2022. He emphasised that his complaint to the CIABOC, and subsequent complaint to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), were entirely based on the issues raised by the National Audit Office (NAO).
Responding to another query, Dr. Bellana said that the public funds, amounting to Rs. 900 mn, had been spent on chemical reagents past expiry dates. Regardless of the intervention made by the NAO, the NHSL continued to procure supplies from the same company, Dr. Bellana said, adding that he had received the unconditional support of the civil society. Among them were Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, President of Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA), President of Academy of Health Professionals Ravi Kumudesh, and leader of Mage Rata Sanjaya Mahawatta.
Dr. Bellana said that he had complained about the scam to the CIABOC in June this year.
Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, who also lodged a complaint with CIABOC, regarding the same matter, is on record as having said in September this year that the reagents had been procured over a three-year period without the proper approval of the Medical Supplies Division of the Ministry. Dr. Sanjeewa has alleged that some of the reagents were either contaminated or close to expiry dates, while contracts had been given to a single company at unapproved prices.
Dr. Bellana said that had there been a proper system for CIABOC and law enforcement authorities to act on findings made by the NAO they wouldn’t have personally intervened in the NHSL laboratory matter. “Parliament should look into this. Did Parliament take up the NHSL laboratory matter at the relevant watchdog committee or at the Sectoral Oversight Committee that handled health?” Dr. Bellana asked.
Asked whether the letter that informed him of his interdiction gave any specific reason for the action taken, Dr. Bellana said the Ministry had found fault with him for speaking to the media. The irate ex-official said that he never hesitated to take a stand against injustice. “When former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was accused of corruption, pertaining to medical procurement, I condemned the Minister. Lambasted those responsible for wrongdoings.”
Dr. Bellana said that the NAO had dealt with mega crime involving the public and private sector. “That is the undeniable truth. Parliament should look into this as public money is its responsibility. Having vowed to stamp out corruption, the NPP was allowing and encouraging those who had been making money at the expense of the sick, Dr. Bellana said.
Dr. Bellana said that as many as 10,000 tests were conducted daily at the NHSL. The racketeers had been active during Aragalaya as the NHSL and the private supplier reached agreement in 2022 and the process continued even after the last presidential election, conducted in September 2024.
Dr. Bellana said that the long delay in finalising the Auditor General’s appointment exposed the government. If those holding high political office were genuinely interested in fighting corruption, they wouldn’t have allowed that Office of AG stay vacant even for a day.
Dr. Bellana noted the tough statements issued by the Bar Association, Transparency International Sri Lanka and the Committee on Public Finance demanding the immediate appointment of AG.
Health Ministry officials were not available for comment.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
BIA unions, including those affiliated to political parties, are demanding bonuses equal to five months’ basic salaries.
A group of workers yesterday (29) protested outside BIA urging the Airport and Aviation Services Sri Lanka (Private) Ltd to increase their bonuses. They claimed that the Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services Sri Lanka (Private) Ltd., Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Harsha Abeywickrama, had assured them that they would be paid bonuses worth five times their basic salaries.
The SriLankan Nidahas Sewaka Sangamaya (SLNSS) of the airport, the Podujana Sewaka Sangamaya, the Pragathishili Sewaka Sangamaya, the Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya, and the SLNSS of SriLankan Airlines joined the protest.
The Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority has issued an urgent safety warning to residents living along the banks of the Kotmale Oya and the Mahaweli River, as water levels in the Kotmale Reservoir are reaching maximum capacity.
According to a special weather advisory issued by the Department of Meteorology on December 26, 2025, heavy rainfall is expected in the catchment areas over the coming days.
In response, the Mahaweli Authority released a statement on December 27, warning that spill gates may have to be opened to manage the water flow.
Eng. A.M.A.K. Seneviratne, Resident Engineer and Deputy Director of the Kotmale Reservoir, stated that the opening of spill gates would lead to a significant rise in the water levels of both the Kotmale Oya and the Mahaweli River.
Areas on Alert
Residents in the following Divisional Secretariat divisions are urged to remain extra vigilant:
• Nuwara Eliya District: Kotmale West and Kotmale East.
• Kandy District: Udapalatha, Udunuwara, Doluwa, Pasbage Korale, and Ganga Ihala Korale.
Authorities have advised the public in these low-lying and river-adjacent areas to monitor the situation closely and take necessary precautions to ensure their safety and the protection of their property.
By S.K. Samaranayake
Showers expected at times in the Northern, Eastern, Central, North-central and Uva provinces
Dr. Bellana: “I was removed as NHSL Deputy Director for exposing Rs. 900 mn fraud”
BIA unions demand bonuses equal to five months’ basic salaries
People warned of rising water levels at Kotmale reservoir
Lahore Aitchison College students visit Pakistan High Commission, Colombo
GMOA may take up Dr. Bellana’s issue at ex-co
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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