By Saman Indrajith

UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday in parliament referred to the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to inquire into and obtain information pertaining to the alleged incidents of Political Victimisation of Public Officers, Employees of State Corporations, Members of Armed Forces and the Police Service as ‘Pissu Poosa report.’

Raising a privilege issue, the former Prime Minister said: “There is a special Presidential commission appointed to investigate the ‘Pissu Poosa’ report. And the commissioners now want to question some of us on matters which have been discussed in the House, and proceedings of the House. As per the Parliament Privileges and Powers Act the proceedings of the House cannot be questioned by outside agencies. This is a violation of my parliament privileges. No one can question an MP on what he/she speaks in Parliament as per the privileges Act. My parliamentary privileges have been violated by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry which probes the acts of the previous government. I have informed the commission that I will not come before it.”

The Former Prime Minister also noted that the said report had been challenged at the Human Rights Commission and the government should first decide whether it would accept the report or not.

“Secondly, we have been named respondents. I have challenged this report because I was made a respondent there when I was called as a witness,” he said, adding that the commission was not a judicial body.

Chief Opposition Whip Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella, who also made a similar remark, questioned how the government expected the opposition MPs to extend support to resolving the present crisis when they were harassed by asking them to come and testify before the presidential commission probing malpractices of the previous government amidst the crisis which the country was facing at present.