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| Sunday, 25 April 2004 |
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JHU swings it Vi Jay Mu's way : Long poll for lone post In Parliament by Lalith Edirisingha All the elements of a dark drama were enacted with the revenge tradition invoked to resolve the conflict that had built up for over eight hours when the thirteenth parliament met in inaugural session on Thursday 22 for the important ritual of electing a Speaker who would thenceforth conduct proceedings of the House in keeping with hallowed tradition upholding the rights of members in this supreme legislative body.
When Sergeant-at-Arms Palliyaguru made his way to place the Mace on the lower brackets beneath the Table of the House the victors at the recently conducted hustings appeared to be in high spirits having gained entry to this exclusive club either to sit in the Treasury benches or in Opposition. There was no hint of the turmoil that would eventually engulf the august body tossing layman and bhikkhu alike into hot debate and cold calculations. Loud accusations and soft manoeuvres were made when the final result appeared to be a neck and neck affair with venerable members of the Maha Sangha destined to play a deciding (some called it a sordid) role in the show of strength in a House that did not mirror the actual mandate of the people. Proceedings began when the Secretary General in her maiden role of conducting the business of electing a Speaker called for the name(s). As was expected the United National Front (UNF) put forward the candidature of their nominee W.J.M. Lokubandara and the Government proposed and seconded D.E.W. Gunasekera one of whom would be the third distinguished citizen according to the table of hierarchy when elected Speaker. Their initials were to muddle the result of the first count when a mismatch of the initials with the surname led to the rejection of a vote from the Opposition for the Government nominee that would have sealed the issue for DEW, had ViJayMu not imposed itself in the mind of a nervy voter. The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) had pledged to trod high moral ground and abstain from voting making out that such petty quibbling was not for the clergy who had received higher ordination. A closer examination of this claim revealed that on a head count the Government with 106 votes was a sure loser in a House of 225, and JHU abstentions would clear the way for an easy Opposition victory. But that scenario was not to be. The first diversion was when two JHU members remained in their seats in obvious rebellion as the seven others took measured steps and filed out of the chamber by implication leaving the lesser folk to battle it out among themselves. A hawk-eyed Government member had however spotted two ballot papers issued to the departing Bhikkhus had changed hands and were now in the custody of an Opposition member so as to equalise, as it were, the votes of the rebels in the JHU ranks in the event of their voting. Vociferous objections were made and countered. The Maha Sangha would surely not engage in such disreputable conduct, so as to encourage impersonations. Be that as it may the first round was called off even before it began. The stage was now set for the unfolding of the dark events that led to a marathon session of Parliament - a long poll for a lone post as round after round of ballots were handed out when at long last as the sun went down and the shadows lengthened polling stopped at near 7.00 pm a good nine hours after sittings began. Chief Opposition Whip Mahinda Samarasinghe kept up a persistent call for adherence to Standing Order five giving a literal interpretation to the requirement that the Secretary General should 'Collect the ballot paper from each member' which went unheeded for SG abided by Standing Order four that spelt out that 'whenever there is a poll each member will be given a ballot to write the name (of the candidate of ones choice) and the paper to be signed by the member concerned.' Calls for the name of the voter to be entered led to a general commotion with Government members Wimal Weerawansa and Sarath Amunugama leading the frontal attack on the proposal. Minister Jeyraj Fernandopulle and MP Rauf Hakeem among others joined in the fray until it was decided that each member would be called and a ballot paper given. Fears that two or more ballots may be given and vote rigging was a possibility were quelled. Objections were raised over the issue of fresh ballots and calls for complete transparency which meant showing the marked ballot were shot down until after much haggling the turbulence cleared when a bhikkhu called on SG to declare the modalities of the election and the members to act accordingly. At long last the calling of names commenced with Anuradhapura's Duminda Dissanayake leading the way and members on the Government side and then the Opposition responded to the roll call until 217 members including the two 'rebel' JHU members had cast their vote while one TNA absentee Kingsley Rajanayagam who had not sworn the Kilinochchi Oath had kept away and the seven JHU each announced absentation. There were mild diversions and asides that kept everyone awake while each member walked up to collect the ballot, mark it and then deposit it in the ballot box now placed prominently in the well of the House. There were mild twitters and sighs of relief when the voting ended at 1.00 pm a tiresome three hours after the call bell was rung. Not many would have expected the unprecedented result of a tie that the SG announced. A dead heat-disbelief at the result of a contest so keenly fought led to silence until the full effect sank in and murmurs then chattering meant wild guesses were being made, on and off the mark verdicts given, as to who had committed the foul deed of breaking ranks with the Opposition and voted or spoilt the show wittingly or unwittingly in an inexplicable way for a lawmaker. But the deed was done and the ordeal of a redeal of the ballot was announced. There was no other way, no adjournment could be announced with the Speaker's chair vacant and the weary way was resumed. Frenzied canvassing to ensure a result was launched with only the JHU able to swing it either way. Of course as events unfolded that high moral ground had to be trod again. To negate the effect of the two who voted with the UPFA, just two, no more no less, from among the seven abstainers would vote the other way in revenge for exercising one's free will to ensure that the people's mandate be honoured. Avenge the defeat, gang up with even the devil and derail all attempts to let the majority will prevail seemed to be the rationale. As the second ballot resumed the Opposition seemed to be cock-a-hoop and the secret ballot was openly flaunted until Government members whose objections went unheeded grabbed the ballot box and called for a halt of the mockery of secrecy. The tragi-drama of a ballot box now sat on and surrounded, was enacted while there was much hair splitting over the impasse. Famished members were seen deserting the chamber until that round too was declared invalid and a fresh poll called for. The ballot box, was duly retrieved and placed on high in proximity to the Speaker's Chair and screened away for voting to begin at 5.00 pm now a tedious seven hours after sittings began. Two hours later the much harried members sat expectantly until the ballots were counted and the result announced. Wild scenes ensued. Enraged Government members vent their spleen on the venerable sangha who received a veritable fire baptism. Appeals to respect the saffron robe went unheeded. The Kilinochchi Oath taken by TNA members now in the hands of Government MPs were thrown at the Bhikkhus who it seemed had made common ground with the separatists. 'The JHU has split', 'JHU's Dharma Rajya and the Tiger's Bedum Wadhaya are one 'Divisions were apparent. Tempers ran high. There was more to follow when congratulatory words were showered on the newly elected Speaker who had shown no reluctance when escorted to the Chair by proposer and seconder Joseph Michael Perera and Rauf Hakeem. The Speaker referred to his 27 year record as a Member of Parliament after swearing his oath and wished that he had been returned uncontested but vowed to fulfil his duties upholding the traditions and the standing orders that are there to guide him. Party leaders were quick to bury the hatchet and congratulate the Speaker who had emerged victorious after a long drawn out battle and won by a mere single vote. When the TNA leader grabbed the chance to make a political speech loud protestations ensued and the freshers were given a full taste of what was in store for them when tempers rose and thorny issues dealt with. It was perhaps sheer fatigue and the urge to get away that brought the sessions to a close as the curtain came down on the first session of the thirteenth parliament with the Speaker now led away by the Sergeant-at-Arms with the heavy Mace on his right shoulder. Members and others all poured out of the precincts of the House in the Lake to return on May 18 when business will resume, with each side vying to outplay the other in their bid to keep their audiences, and widen their support bases for events to come. |
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