News
SJB blames capricious act of Speaker and previous Leader of House for present crisis
by Saman Indrajith
The main Opposition SJB yesterday said the Speaker and Leader of the House had conspired to deprive the Opposition of the chairmanship of the Finance Committee in Parliament and they must be held responsible for the present crisis situation, prevailing in the country.
Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office, in Colombo, Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella said that his party had been demanding the chairman post of the Finance Committee, since the commencement of Parliament, after the general election, in August 2020.
“As per the Standing Orders, governing the conduct of Parliament, the post of Finance Committee is reserved for an MP from the Opposition. It is the rule in all parliamentary democracies because that would ensure checks and balances. Instead, the Speaker, and the then Leader of the House, hatched a plot to take that post to the government. For the bad luck of the country, and its people, they were successful in enacting their conspiracy.
What they did was an appalling act against democracy. They suspended the Standing Orders and chose a government MP for the post. If we had the chance, we could have chosen Dr. Harsha de Silva, who is a senior economist. He could have foreseen the inevitable crisis two years back. We could have gone to the International Monetary Fund years ago. Then the people’s lot would have been much better than the present plight. It was prevented by the Speaker and the Leader of the House. Therefore they should be held responsible for the present crisis,” Kiriella said.
SJB Kurunegala District MP Nalin Bandara also addressed the press.
The Colombo Stock Exchange (GL 12) has contributed LKR 25 million to the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund.
The cheque was handed over to the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake by the Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange, Dimuthu Abeyesekera, the Chief Executive Officer Rajeeva Bandaranaike and Senior Vice Chairman Kusal Nissanka at the Presidential Secretariat.
News
Karu argues against scrapping MPs’ pension as many less fortunate members entered Parliament after ’56
Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressing concerns over the proposed abolition of MPs’ pensions.The letter was sent in his capacity as Patron of the Former Parliamentarians’ Caucus.
In his letter, Jayasuriya noted that at the time of Sri Lanka’s independence, political participation was largely limited to an educated, affluent land-owning elite. However, he said a significant social transformation took place after 1956, enabling ordinary citizens to enter politics.
He warned that under current conditions, removing parliamentary pensions would effectively confine politics to the wealthy, business interests, individuals engaged in illicit income-generating activities, and well-funded political parties. Such a move, he said, would discourage honest social workers and individuals of modest means from entering public life.
Jayasuriya also pointed out that while a small number of former MPs, including himself, use their pensions for social and charitable purposes, the majority rely on the pension as a primary source of income.
He urged the President to give due consideration to the matter and take appropriate action, particularly as the government prepares to draft a new constitution.The Bill seeking to abolish pensions for Members of Parliament was presented to Parliament on 07 January by Minister of Justice and National Integration Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara.
Five suspects, including former Minister Johnston Fernando and his two sons, who were arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), were further remanded until 30 January by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The former Minister’s , sons Johan Fernando and Jerome Kenneth Fernando, and two others, were arrested in connection with the alleged misuse of a Sathosa vehicle during Fernando’s tenure as Minister.
Investigations are currently underway into the alleged misuse of state property, including a lorry belonging to Lanka Sathosa, which reportedly caused a significant financial loss to the state.
In connection with the same incident, Indika Ratnamalala, who served as the Transport Manager of Sathosa during
Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade, was arrested on 04 January.
After being produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court, he was ordered to be remanded in custody until 09 January.The former Sathosa Transport Manager was remanded on charges of falsifying documents.
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