Week in PARLIAMENT

Govt, Opposition unite in Pensions Bill

Another futile attempt by the UNP to table the report of the APRC without the approval of its Chairman was thwarted in Parliament on Tuesday after the Government Members opposed it on grounds that they had no authority to do so.

The attempt made by the UNP National List MP R.Yogarajan to present the APRC report in Parliament led to arguments between the Government and the UNP members. UPFA National List MP A.H.M.Azwer stressed the point that MP Yogarajan had no authority to table the report without the approval of its Chairman, Technology and Research Minister Prof.Tissa Vitharana.

The Chief Government Whip and Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardene and the Economic Development Deputy Minister Muthu Sivalingam too supported MP Azwer's position that a Committee Member of the APRC could not table a report in Parliament. Minister Gunawardene maintained the position that all members of the APRC need to sign the report before it is submitted to the House. Deputy Minister Sivalingam was of the view that MP Yogarajan was representing the CWC then when the latter had signed the document and as such he has no right to table same as he is no longer in the CWC.

The internal crisis in the UNP was thrown open to the House when the UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake moved an adjournment motion in the House. The MP presenting his adjournment motion told the House that according to the number of electors registered for the year 2009 in nine polling divisions of the Colombo Electoral District have decreased when those details compared with the previous year.

Leader of the House and Irrigation and Water Management Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva who responded to the MP said thousands of Colombo based UNP supporters are frustrated and disgusted about the ongoing crisis and consecutive losses of the UNP in 18 elections. Therefore they don't register themselves in electoral lists and this has resulted in the decrease in the number of voters in the Colombo district in the electoral list. The Minister alleged MP Karunanayake has presented distorted figures and requested the Speaker to Hansard all the documents presented by the MP.

The Minister in his reply to the MP emphasised that various clashes are raging in the UNP for its party leadership. Amidst these huge clashes how can the UNP go to the villages and ask their supporters to register in the electoral lists? The UNP should find a good leader and make reforms within the party by moving towards to a people's friendly program.

The Minister said the UNP Leader dresses and walks according to the foreign style. But we are happy Ravi Karunanayake has switched to the national dress. He should also identify the pulse of the common people. At present the UNP is grieving their consecutive defeat of the elections. The country also needs a powerful Opposition. The people won't vote for a Opposition which has been divided without any unity among its members.

The Government fulfilling another long-felt need introduced the Widows' and Orphans' Pension Fund (Amendment) Bill and Widowers' and Orphans' Pension (Amendment) Bill. All Opposition political parties also extended their fullest support to these amendments moved by the Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister W. D. J. Seneviratne.

Minister Seneviratne told the House that this amendment has suggested a widow should be given 50 percent of the pension if she remarries. The Minister informed the House this move was taken for the benefit of young wives of three Armed Forces and Police personnel who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the country at the military operations launched to eradicate terrorism. As another benefit granted through this amendment is that both male and female orphans would be given the pension of their mother or father until they reach the age of 26.

The UNP MP Karu Jayasuriya said this move is a long awaited move and these amendments would immensely benefit the family members of the war heroes who sacrificed their lives at the battle front. These amendments will sort out the problems of most of the widows, widowers and orphans who had the right to the pension of their spouses and parents. The MP said the UNP would extend its fullest support to pass these two bills.

Social Services Minister Felix Perera said in a situation where some countries have suspended to pay pensions owing to the economic recession, Sri Lanka has posed a very good picture to the entire world on how we treat our public servants and pensioners. Technology and Research Deputy Minister Lalith Dissanayake said as a Government which maintains 1.2 million public servants, it is very important to bring these amendments. When former UNP Government attempted to repeal the State service and curtail the pension benefits, this UPFA Government could prevent all such moves by taking a series of measures for the welfare of the public servants.

UNP MP Sajith Premadasa raised an oral question from the High Ways Minister on a road which is in a dilapidated condition in the Beliatta Divisional Secretariat Division. Deputy Highways Minister Mervyn Silva who replied the question with humour said that road is not in a dilapidated condition as the MP claims. The Deputy Minister said MP Premadasa always asks questions on various roads and suggested that if the MP wants he would also join with him to go and inspect that road.

The Government in Parliament also showed its commitment to overcome the salary issue of the academic staff members in universities. Responding to a statement made by the JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Higher Education Minister S.B.Dissanayake informed the House the Government has drawn up a new salary structure for academic staff members in universities which would place their upper limit salary at Rs.200,000 and lower limit salary at Rs.72,000 per month.

MP Dissanayake in his statement requested the Government to amend the salary scales of the academic staff members in universities. The MP said low salaries were causing a brain drain. Minister Dissanayake admitted that and said the country was losing its valuable human resources to foreign countries which pay seven to eight times more than in Sri Lanka for academics. The Minister said great difficulties have been encountered in retaining academics in Sri Lanka. The Minister saluted those who choose to remain here despite the shortcomings.

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa in response to a Privilege matter raised by the DNA Leader MP Sarath Fonseka informed the House he would look into why MP Fonseka was prevented from attending two consultative committee meetings held in Parliament on July 16.

The MP alleged that the Army Commander had refused permission for him to attend the Consultative Committee Meetings of the Ministries of Health and the Public Administration and Home Affairs, of which he is a member.

The House was informed the total amount of loans including the Treasury Bills that should be paid by the Government as at March 31 this year stood at Rs.4,246,520 million. Of this amount Rs.1,770,365 million were foreign loans while Rs.2,476,155 million were domestic loans.

Deputy Finance Minister Chandrasiri Gajadeera told Parliament in response to a question raised by UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake.