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Friday, 24 May 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Nuwan Senarathna
The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) yesterday said it would not be part of the Parliament Select Committee (PSC) appointed to investigate allegations levelled at Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen as it feels the PSC will only divert attention from recent political developments and seek to whitewash the minister.
Speaking to media at Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) head office, UPFA General Secretary MP Mahinda Amaraweera said UPFA and SLFP members have taken a collective decision not to be part of PSC but UPFA will join the No-Confidence Motion debate against Bathiudeen.
“We don’t think the PSC was appointed to find a solution over the allegations mentioned in the No-Confidence Motion against Bathiudeen,” he added.
He noted UPFA will not accept the decision to appoint the PSC and therefore will not be part of its membership. Amaraweera sent a letter to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on Wednesday, which was seen by Daily FT, stating seven points why UPFA refused to be part of PSC. In the letter, Amaraweera noted the PSC was appointed to look into Easter Sunday attacks, which does not have any connection to the No-Confidence Motion against Bathiudeen.
“The majority of UPFA MPs and the public believe the purpose of the PSC was to whitewash Bathiudeen and prevent the No-Confidence Motion taking for a vote in the House,” he said in the letter. Amaraweera argued that if PSC clears Bathiudeen parliamentarians who signed for the No-Confidence Motion will lose the opportunity to present their evidence during the No-Confidence Motion debate.
Speaking to media, Amaraweera also said Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa had also agreed to not to be part of PSC. He said the UPFA decision to not to be part of PSC was not an attempt to protect Bathiudeen.
However, SLFP National Organiser MP Duminda Dissanayake said on 16 May that the party had not taken any decision whether to support the No-Confidence motion.
Rajapaksa also said on Wednesday that he will “examine his conscience” on whether or not to be part of PSC, as the Government can defeat any effort by the JO. Rajapaksa pointed out that the majority of the PSC will consist of Government MPs, and therefore he was not confident the Committee would be transparent or effective.
Speaking in his turn, MP Duminda Dissanayake said the SLFP proposes a framework to fix institutions and duties under key ministries so they cannot be changed based on preferences of the Government in power.
“The 19th Amendment to the Constitution limited the size of the Cabinet and that is a positive move and we believe this would help to reduce complexities in ministries,” he added.
He argued if number and the subjects of the important ministries such as Defence were clearly laid out, then they could formulate national policies that could be carried out over an extended period of time without being changed by different governments.
“If we have a national policy for national security we could have prevented the Easter Sunday attacks. In the aftermath of the attacks the reason different politicians shifted blame to each other is because the duties of their ministries are not clearly laid out,” he said.
