Watchdog committee critical of Labour Minister, summons Secy.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has strongly protested against the executive intervening and undermining the parliamentary process in the wake of Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara’s unprecedented attack on Auditor General W.P.C. Wickramaratne at the National Productivity Awards ceremony held at Temple Trees last month.

Minister Nanayakkara has also challenged the powers exercised by COPE.At a special meeting, chaired by COPE Chairman Prof. Ranjith Bandara, and also attended by his predecessor Prof. Charitha Herath, and AG Wickramaratne, the parliamentary watchdog decided to take it up with President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Director Legislative Services and Acting Director of Communications, Janakantha Silva, in a statement issued in Sinhala, on the evening of Thursday (05), disclosed that Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment R.P.A. Wimalaweera, would be summoned before

COPE on January 17. Wimalaweera is the Chief Accounting Officer of the Ministry.Manusha Nanayakkara is one of the two Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) lawmakers who switched allegiance to the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government last May.

Several weeks before the attack on the AG and COPE, in the presence of Premier Gunawardena, Minister Nanayakkara, during the Committee Stage debate, on the 2023 Budget, slammed the parliamentary watchdog committee. Communist Party MP Weerasumana Weerasinghe hit back hard at Minister Nanayakkara at that time.

Minister Nanayakara didn’t answer calls to his hand phone. Ministry Secretary Wimaraweera didn’t respond to a message sent to his official e-mail.During Thursday’s COPE meeting, Prof. Herath went to the extent of recommending the sacking of Ministry Secretary Wimalaweera, a presidential appointee, who represented the President and the Minister concerned.

COPE Chairman Bandara told The Island that no previous Auditor General has lodged such a complaint in parliamentary history. “We are determined to go the whole hog,” Prof. Bandara said, adding that the special meeting was summoned following a written complaint received from the AG.Prof. Herath said that had Parliament taken tangible measures, in respect of reports submitted over the years by successive AGs, the country wouldn’t have been in the current predicament.

Prof. Bandara succeeded Herath in early Oct. last year as Head of the parliamentary watchdog. The academic comfortably defeated SJB nominee Eran Wickremaratne by receiving 15 votes to the former UNPer’s seven votes.At the commencement of the January 05 meeting, COPE decided to appoint four sub-committees, comprising three members. According to the statement issued by Parliament, this move was meant to enhance their participation in the overall COPE process.

The COPE also decided to summon public sector enterprises and carry out re-examination of enterprises under the guidance of the AG. Subsequently, the watchdog committee has taken up Minister Nanayakkara’s issue with AG Wickramaratne pointing out how such irresponsible statements violated his constitutional rights in the performance of duties and responsibilities. The outspoken official has declared that by undermining the faith in the public sector, the public, as well as MPs, had in the AG, Minister Nanayakkara seriously harmed the Parliament objective in financial discipline.

AG Wickramaratne has dismissed assertions that he threw his weight behind COPE, tasked with enhancing financial discipline, operating outside Standing Orders of Parliament.

Having deemed there is no basis for Minister Nanayakkara’s statement, made at the National Productivity Awards, COPE condemned the Labour and Foreign Employment Bureau Minister for setting a bad precedent. COPE regretted Minister Nanayakkara’s unsubstantiated statement and apologized to the AG and his staff.In addition, COPE decided to complain to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and forward a copy of that letter to Premier Gunawardena and other members of the Cabinet.

In a hard hitting statement, Parliament emphasized that Labour and Foreign Employment Secretary Wimalaweera would be asked to explain, within two days, the progress achieved in respect of recommendations made at his last appearance before COPE. Accordingly, the Ministry Secretary would be told that all previous recommendations in respect of Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) stand when he appears before COPE on January 17, Janakantha Silva stated.The COPE also decided to submit a comprehensive report, based on proceedings in respect of the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB).