'UNP felt it would be in power forever'

Chief Government Whip and Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena presenting five Bills in Parliament to streamline the local government structure castigated the Opposition, the UNP for introducing the highly controversial preferential voting system.

In the absence of Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister A.L.M. Athaulla, Minister Gunawardena moved the Municipal Councils (Amendment) Bill, Urban Councils (Amendment) Bill, Pradeshiya Sabha (Amendment) Bill, Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Bill and Local Authorities Filling of Vacancies (Special Provisions) (Amendment) Bill. Before the Bills were presented in Parliament, Opposition parliamentarians expressed displeasure over Provincial Councils and Local Government Deputy Minister Indika Bandaranayake's failure to explain to the House the objectives of the Amendments to the five Bills.

DNA parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake raising a Point of Order told the House that the relevant Minister or the Deputy Minister should explain the contents and the objectives of those Amendments to Parliament. Dissanayake told the Deputy Minister that he cannot just sit down after introducing the Bills but explain the contents of the Bills. After presenting the five Bills, Minister Gunawardena asked Deputy Minister Bandaranayake to open the debate on behalf of the Government.

Minister Athaulla who was not present arrived in the Chamber later. The Deputy Minister presented the Bills in the House for debate. It led to an uproar among the Opposition members who shouted that the five Bills had already been introduced and asked the Deputy Minister to speak on its contents. Deputy Minister Bandaranayake, however, stressed the need to amend the current Bills. He told the House that the Amendments need to be introduced to overcome the present shortcomings which had led to chaotic situations in some local government institutions when their budgets were defeated.

UNP MP Joseph Michael Perera, opening the debate on behalf of the Opposition criticised the absence of the Minister to move the Amendments. He said that the Deputy Minister was clueless about the Amendments and added that it was unfortunate that the Government kept on amending the laws in a haphazard manner. Minister Gunawardena who joined in the debate said that he regretted some of the remarks by MP Perera as he was also a former Speaker. The Minister said there is no consensus among the Opposition and they have five ideas on one particular issue. Minister Gunawardena in an aggressive tone said that it was absurd on the part of the UNP Government at the time to introduce the Proportional Representation system thinking that they would be in power forever. However, they were sadly mistaken. The Minister told the House that it was the incumbent Government which introduced a Bill to make the National Identity Card compulsory at voting to prevent election abuses.

MP Joseph Michael Perera attempted to give the impression that the number of days allocated for the Budget debate had been curtailed. He said this has deprived the right of the Opposition members to air their views in the Budget debate. However, the party leaders who met on Friday decided to increase the number of days allocated for the Budget debate. Budget 2015 will be presented in Parliament by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on October 24. According to the consensus reached at the party Leaders' meeting, the Second Reading of the Budget is scheduled to commence on October 25 and continue till November 1. The vote on the Second Reading will be taken up on November 1. The Third Reading of the Budget which will commence on November 3 will continue till November 24. The vote on the Third Reading will be on November 24.

The Bill to be moved by UNP MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe to amend the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Act No.27 of 2006 was defeated in Parliament on Friday by a majority vote. Minister Dinesh Gunawardena who expressed the Government's strong protest over the Bill said that MP Rajapakshe should not be allowed to move the Bill as it is against the law. This led to a heated argument between the Government and the Opposition members. Amidst the uproar UNP MP Sajith Premadasa seconded the motion. Minister Gunawardena said that the Government is against permission being granted to introduce the Bill.

Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakkody said that if both parties cannot come to an agreement, there is a procedure that could be adopted. At this stage Minister Gunawardena called for a division. When thirteen Opposition members voted for the Bill and 27 Government members voted against the Bill was defeated with majority votes.

Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakkody on Thursday refused to grant permission to DNA MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake to make a special statement on the issue of assault on Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to the UK Chris Nonis. The Deputy Speaker was of the view that the statement could not be permitted under the Standing Orders. He told the MP if he wanted to raise the issue, he had to do it by way of a substantive motion. However, the MP asked the Deputy Speaker permission to make the statement under 23/2 of Standing Order which says "A matter of public importance may be asked at the conclusion of questions by the Leader of the Opposition or a leader of a recognised political party after due notice has been given to the Minister concerned."

The Deputy Speaker advised the MP to amend the statement and present it if he so wished. He told the MP that the Speaker's ruling on the MP's statement had been delivered to his official address. The following day too MP Dissanayake inquired from the Deputy Speaker whether he would be permitted to make his statement. The Deputy Speaker again told the MP that he could only raise the issue by way of a substantive motion. However, MP Dissanayake who moved an adjournment motion on the Divi Neguma Department later made certain remarks on this incident during his speech.

UPFA parliamentarian Thilanga Sumathipala requested the Education Deputy Minister Mohan Lal Grero to conduct an investigation on the incident where a UNP Provincial Councillor in Colombo was alleged to have engaged schoolchildren in uniform during school hours in political propaganda. The UNP parliamentarians also made a big hue and cry in the House over this incident as they really didn't know that the Provincial Councillor concerned represents their own party. At this stage, Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga, UNP MP Sajith Premadasa and several Opposition members demanded MP Sumathipala to disclose the name of the politician and the political party he belongs to. MP Sumathipala told the House that the particular Provincial Councillor represents an Opposition political party but he didn't mention his name. As the Opposition members insisted, the MP said that it was UNP Provincial Councillor Marikkar who had used schoolchildren for political propaganda. The Deputy Speaker said that schoolchildren should not be used for political propaganda by any political party. Deputy Education Minister Grero said that he would instruct the Ministry Secretary to inquire into the incident.