Of dissolution and 'kitchen cabinet' bombshells

Amidst speculation by Government and Opposition Members during the sitting week from June 23 to 26, Parliament was dissolved by President Maithripala Sirisena in a special Gazette notification issued at midnight on Friday. The dissolution announcement was made a couple of hours after the House was adjourned, winding up its final debate.

The dissolution of Parliament was one of the key demands by the UNP and a few other Opposition parties in and outside Parliament over the past couple of weeks. However, the main Opposition UPFA, which had maintained divergent views reiterated its stance on passing the 20th Amendment to the Constitution first and dissolving Parliament later. During the past few days, the UPFA had also hinted that Parliament would be dissolved due to the Government's failure to face two No Confidence Motions against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake.

They also cited the ongoing COPE investigation on the Treasury Bond issue as yet another reason for them to resort to such a hasty decision.

Dissolution

The dissolution of Parliament completely did away with the two No Confidence Motions scheduled to be debated in the House and also the findings of the 13-member COPE subcommittee appointed to investigate the Treasury Bond issue. Before opening the final debate on the Regulations under the Licensing of Shipping Agents Act on Friday, UPFA parliamentarians, Prof. G.L. Peiris, Dinesh Gunawardena, Bandula Gunawardane and Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha drew the Speaker's attention to the fact that while speculation was rife that Parliament would be dissolved during the sitting week, the much awaited COPE report on the Treasury Bond issue had not been presented before the House.

When MP Dinesh Gunawardena pointed this out after heated arguments on the floor of the House, the Speaker directed the COPE to conduct a special investigation on this matter and submit its report within two weeks.

The UPFA rebel MPs alleged that the ruling given by the Speaker had not been implemented because even after a lapse of one month, COPE has failed to present its report in Parliament. UPFA MP Bandula Gunawardane said the special COPE committee had completed that investigation with a lot of commitment and interest. The MP told the House if Parliament was dissolved due to the government's fear of releasing the COPE report, it would create severe doubts in the public on their conduct. But the dissolution of Parliament has also put an end to the antics of UPFA rebel MPs in Parliament who demanded that their No Confidence Motions against Prime Minister and the Finance Minister be taken up and the Central Bank Governor removed from his position.

Leader of the House and Plantation Industries Minister Lakshman Kiriella said that the government did not in any manner interfere with the COPE investigation, and called upon the Opposition MPs to refer their question to COPE Chairman D.E.W. Gunasekara as he was also an Opposition MP. The Speaker told the Opposition members he would direct the COPE to present its report when Parliament meets on July 7. At this point, what the Opposition MPs queried whether the present Parliament would continue until July 7, the Speaker said that he could not answer that question.

Hakeem's bombshell

Urban Development Minister Rauff Hakeem who joined the adjournment debate on the 20th Amendment to the Constitution on Tuesday dropped a bombshell when he said that in their haste to get rid of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, they have got themselves into a bigger muddle. The Minister in his controversial remarks alleged that the country was being run by a 'Kitchen Cabinet' of the President. Minister Hakeem hit out at an unnamed Cabinet colleagues who had prevented him from expressing his party's stance on electoral reforms at Cabinet meetings. He gave a clue that certain Ministers with presidential aspirations were suppressing his right to express his view at the Cabinet. Thus the Amendments he proposed had not been incorporated.

MR's security

A comprehensive reply given by the Prime Minister on Thursday completely debunked the myth created by UPFA MP Dinesh Gunawardena that adequate security had not been provided to former President Rajapaksa. Refuting MP Gunawardena's claim, the Premier said that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was using more security apparatus including a highly sophisticated bullet-proof Mercedes Benz S-Class that even the incumbent President Maithripala Sirisena does not have.

The Premier told the House that 105 policemen including three ASPs and 104 soldiers including an Army Colonel had been deployed for the security of the former President. Both former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga have been provided with more security facilities than they are entitled to under the provisions of President's Entitlements Act, the Prime Minister said. MP Gunawardena told the Prime Minister that even after the lapse of five months, the former President has not yet been given an official residence.

The Prime Minister told the MP that he would discuss the matter with the President and provide an early solution. He told Gunawardena in lighter vein, that the former President can be given any other official residence than President's House.

Responding to the adjournment motion moved by UPFA parliamentarian Prof. G.L. Peiris on the recent US State Department report on the LTTE renewing its operations, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera reiterated that the government continues to intensify intelligence networks abroad and has gained access to real time information from these sources about LTTE activities. He noted as to how the statement issued by State Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene had rejected the claims made by some Opposition politicians and former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on the country's national security.

The Defence Ministry has noted that previous security measures being sustained and under the present leadership the Tri-Forces and the intelligence services are active and effective as never before.