‘Incumbent speaker elected on SLPP ticket is the worst’

Declaring that Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena had become an extension of the executive, Prof. G.L. Peiris yesterday (18) alleged that the role of the Supreme Court, pertaining to the enactment of new laws, was at stake.

The former External Affairs Minister explained how the discarding of the SC’s specific recommendations in respect of the recently enacted Online Safety Act could make the country’s apex court irrelevant.

Prof. Peiris said that political parties in the Opposition had moved a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against Speaker Abeywardena as they couldn’t tolerate the rapid decline in the democratic processes.

Addressing the media at his Kirula Place residence, Prof. Peiris, who recently aligned himself with the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), said that the SC’s recommendations ended up in the wastepaper basket.

Prof. Peiris said that among the discarded sections were six very important recommendations.

The Parliament will vote on the NCM tomorrow (20) late afternoon following a two-day debate.

Prof. Peiris said that unless the Parliament, regardless of party lines, took a stand on Speaker Abeywardena’s unacceptable conduct, the country would have to pay a huge price.

Prof. Peiris said that the Speaker had ignored the concerns raised by the Human Rights Commission in this regard. Alleging that there had never been a similar situation, Prof. Peiris emphasised that the acceptance of SC’s recommendations was mandatory. Therefore, the issue at hand posed quite a serious challenge to parliamentary democracy and the wellbeing of the people, Prof. Peiris said.

Prof. Peiris added that the manipulation of Parliament had received the attention of the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (SF).