Opposition parties should nominate PSC members - Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva

by P.Krishnaswamy

The Speaker has appointed the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) and called upon all political parties to nominate members for discussions to evolve a solution to the problems of those in the North and East, but the TNA’s reluctance to do so has caused a stalemate, Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management Nimal Siripala de Silva told the Sunday Observer.

It is the obligation of the TNA and all Opposition political parties represented in Parliament to nominate members to the PSC because this is the Government’s main focus, he said. The PSC was appointed by the Speaker and the TNA’s reservations to appoint its members to the PSC, citing certain decisions reached earlier at Government-TNA talks, has deterred progress in this regard, the Minister said.

He was responding to TNA leader R.Sampanthan’s position that the Government had not fulfilled its undertakings which were reached at previous talks and recorded in the minutes of the talks.

The question of inviting the TNA to join the PSC talks also does not arise because the TNA has not appointed its members to the PSC. First of all they should appoint their members to the PSC, he said.

Whatever understanding reached at the Government-TNA talks will be placed before the PSC for detailed discussions before reaching a common consensus among all political parties on a workable solution which alone will facilitate the implementation process, Minister de Silva said.

Sampanthan told the Sunday Observer that his party would take a decision on attending the PSC talks if the Government extended an invitation to them.

Their previous talks with the Government proceeded to the seventh round.