Speaker says foreign powers asked him to take over Presidency during Aragalaya

By Saman Indrajith

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday revealed in Parliament that he had been asked by some foreign powers to take over the executive presidency while the country was in crisis owing to the Aragalaya protests.

“The objective of those who made that request was to create another Libya or Afghanistan here. They did not want to resolve the crisis or restore law and order to protect this country,” the Speaker said.

Making a speech soon after the defeat of a no-faith motion against him, Abeywardena said during the uprising many parties had pressured him to accept the post of Executive President. He said that there were both local and foreign forces. “I was asked to name a Prime Minister and Cabinet of ministers and rule the country.

“However, I was determined to uphold democracy,” the Speaker said, adding that he was surprised to see some of those who asked him to become the President of the country had signed the no-faith motion against him.

“When I rejected that call, they resorted to intimidation. There were threats too. Among those who exerted pressure on me were leading Bhikkhus and leaders of other religions. The then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa called me and sought my opinion on transferring power to me. However, I knew that if I accepted that position without powers vested in me by the Constitution to do so, this country would end up in anarchy,” he said.

Speaker Abeywardena said that about Rs 45 million had been spent on the debate on the no-confidence motion against him and it was a waste of money.

“This is not the first time a no confidence motion has been brought against a Speaker in our parliament. There were four previous instances. Among the charges against the Speakers in those motions were violating Standing orders and other statutory provisions. But for the first time, there has been an allegation of violating the Constitutional provisions, in the motion against me.

That charge has been levelled on the basis of my conduct at the CC voting to approve the appointment of the IGP.” The Speaker said on that occasion he had acted to safeguard national security as the country needed a permanent IGP.