ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s opposition parties slammed a move by the ruling party to oust Harsha de Silva from the Committee on Public Finance and replace him with a person of their choice.
Opposition legislators also called on Mayantha Dissanayake, who had been named by the ruling party to chair the public finance committee to resign.
Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kirirella protested that the Speaker had already accepted the collective nomination of de Silva as the Chair for the COPF but instead the government had put Mayantha Dissanayake to the post.
According to standing orders the Public Finance Committee should have an opposition member. But Dissanayake though an opposition member was put forward by the government.
It had happened despite the Speaker agreeing at an earlier meeting to the nomination of de Silva, Kiriella said.
Opposition member Rauf Hakeem said Dissanayake himself told that the Speaker himself had called him on the telephone and requested that he take up the post.
“Your allegation is totally wrong,” Speaker Mahinda Abeywardene said. “I remember that Mayantha is the one who called me.”
Hakeem insisted that Dissanayake had made the statement in the presence of another member Kabir Hashim.
Sri Lanka Freedom Party legislator Dayasiri Jayasekera said Dissanayake was an opposition member, but de Silva was named by the opposition.
“The ruling party cannot use the standing orders as they wish. When the opposition had already named Harsha de Silva, how can the government put an opposition member that they want?”
“And that you spoke to him, is an even more serious matter. In that case the government may as well appoint their own member.”
JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said Mayantha Dissanyake should resign from the post and another person be appointed with the agreement of the opposition.
Breakaway Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna legislator Vasudeva Nanayakkkara said when a person is nominated by the government side the presumption is that he is friendly (hithawath).
Instead to remaining in the post on a technical point, Dissanayake should resign he said.
SLPP legislator Nimal Lanza said since both were from the opposition they should resolve it themselves.
“It seems to be an internal matter (mandalaye kachal),” he said. (Colombo/Feb24/2024)
