Ranil sure to lose next Prez election - MP Tiran Allas

A group of Government Parliamentarians who signed the impeachment motion against Chief Justice Shirani A. Bandaranayake on Friday welcomed her appearance before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) and this shows the cordiality between the judiciary and legislature. The Government MPs who held a press briefing at the Parliamentary complex said that the Chief Justice's appearance before the PSC showed her willingness to appear before the PSC. Government legislators also hailed this as a sign of re-emergence of traditional goodwill between the executive, the judiciary and the legislature.

Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake told journalists that they hope the judiciary would act in the best interests rather than hold protests and demonstrations. The group of Government Ministers, Deputy Ministers and MPs who participated in the press briefing said that they wished to have an opportunity to appear before the PSC and vindicate the charges in the motion.

Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne said that the judiciary should refrain from making public statements on the PSC and demonstrate its respect for Parliament. He said the Government has taken a decision that MPs would not, speak about the members of the judiciary and make statements that would obstruct the functioning of the PSC. The Minister said that they expect members of the judiciary to follow suit.

Even before the commencement of the inaugural sittings of the PSC on Friday, the impeachment motion on the Chief Justice came into light on floor of the House due to certain remarks by Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe during the third reading of the Budget. The Opposition Leader attempted to point out the existing Parliamentary Standing Orders pertaining to Impeachment Motions are outdated and stressed the need to amend them to ensure that justice. He was of the view that the Sri Lankan Parliament had to take examples in this regard from other Commonwealth countries such as India and Australia. The executive, judiciary and legislature should coexist without influencing each other, he said.

Commenting on the PSC decision to summon the Chief Justice to the Parliamentary complex to show cause regarding the charges preferred against her, the Opposition Leader said that three Chief Justices had appeared in Parliament earlier and two of them did so after being summoned by the Parliamentary Select Committees while the third had come with a woman at night unannounced. When Wickremesinghe made these remarks some members who interrupted him said that the third Chief Justice actually did not come to Parliament but was under some bushes near Parliament road. However, the Opposition Leader who responded in lighter vein said nevertheless it all covers the precincts of Parliament. He said Parliamentarians are duty-bound to safeguard the judiciary but they are not there to protect individuals.

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena who joined the third reading debate of the budget referred to some remarks made by the UNP MP Joseph Michael Perera in his speech on the independence of the judiciary. The Minister said the 1978 Constitution has boomeranged on the UNP, the architects of it. The sole purpose of the UNP in introducing the 1978 Constitution was to prevent the SLFP-led Opposition coming to power.

Those who raised their hands in support of this Constitution today query which is supreme - the executive, legislature or judiciary. The Minister said the people are well aware how this Constitution functioned during the 12 year regime of President J.R. Jayawardene and 6 year regime of President R.Premadasa. He also reminded how the UNP repressed its political opponents and deprived Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Minister A.H.M. Fowzie of their civic rights under the 1978 Constitution. The Minister also commented on the lukewarm conduct of the Opposition during the budget debate without being involved in any heated or productive debate.

A tense situation arose on the floor of the Chamber on Monday during the maiden speech of DNA MP Tiran Alles at the third reading of the Budget. He dealt a severe verbal blow on Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. Alles in his hard-hitting speech described Ranil Wickremesinghe as the only Opposition Leader who had cost the highest amount of public funds for his stay in office. Participating in the third reading stage of the budget debate on the provision made for the office of the Opposition Leader, the MP said the budget 2013 has allocated Rs 86 million for the Opposition Leader's office. He said, he believed that in the parliamentary history of the entire world, there was no Opposition Leader such as Wickremesinghe who was maintained by public funds so long. Instead of fighting the Government, the incumbent Opposition Leader attacks his own MPs in the Opposition and has deprived several UNP MPs of speaking in the House.

MP Alles also referred to certain remarks made by the Opposition Leader who said that he should be given a special award for breaking a world record in not speaking so far in Parliament. Alles also recalled some of the world records set by the Opposition Leader. He is the one and only Opposition Leader in the world who had continuously lost 20 elections and become the record-holder for losing two Presidential Elections and become the third one. Alles said that Ranil will lose even the next Presidential Election if he contests. The MP told the House that Wickremesinghe is also the one and only Opposition Leader who lost his 60 MPs to the Government. Alles said if he continued to speak of his records, it would take the entire day as the list is so long eventually he would win lots of prizes and awards.

After MP Alles wound up his speech, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the Opposition had functioned well without complaints except for a single MP who does not speak in Parliament despite being paid his salary and provided a vehicle. Wickremesinghe said that he got an MP to talk. Even the Leader of the House could not do it. However, the presiding Member AHM Azwer did not allow the Opposition Leader to continue but called upon National Languages and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara to address the House.

The next day Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe brought it to the notice of the Speaker that he was not allowed to respond to DNA MP Tiran Alles on Monday. The Opposition Leader told the Speaker that if he asked time to respond, it was against Standing Orders. But he said that he would like to know how the DNA Parliamentarian was given an additional five minutes by Chair without informing the Chief Opposition Whip.

The Speaker told the House that he would like to apologize for not allowing the Opposition Leader to speak and the manner the presiding member in Chair involved in a verbal exchange with the Opposition Leader. The Speaker said he would look into whether any member nominated to chair the committee stage of budget 2013 had abused his powers and become a hindrance to proceedings and issue guidelines to them as to how they should function when carrying out their duty. At this point UPFA MP A.H.M. Azwer said he allocated an additional five minutes to MP Alles after DNA Leader requested him in writing to allocate him more time.