Members named to COPE, COPA

• Each Committee has 22 members, 14 to Govt., 8 to Opp.
• Opp. has sought chair of the committees, but decision will be taken when committees meet
• Both committees were headed by Opposition lawmakers in last Parliament

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday announced names of MPs who will serve on the two-oversight committees of Parliament – the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) and the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA).

Each committee will have 22 members, with the Opposition having eight members while the Government members make up the rest.

The Government members of COPE are Mahinda Amaraweera, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Susil Premajayantha, Jayantha Samaraweera, Dilum Amunugama, Indika Anuradha Herath, Dr. Sarath Weerasekera, D.V. Chanaka, Nalaka Godahewa, Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Premnath C. Dolawatte, Jagath Pushpakumara , and Charitha Herath; while the Opposition members are Rauff Hakeem, Anura Dissanayake, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Eran Wickremaratne, Ranjan Ramanayake, Nalin Bandara Jayamaha, S.M. Marikkar, and Sanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam.

The Government members appointed to COPA are Udaya Gammanpila, Duminda Dissanayake, Dayasiri Jayasekera, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Shehan Semasinghe, Prasanna Ranaweera, Prof. Tissa Vitharana, Mohamad Muzammil, Prof. Ranjith Bandara, Upul Galappaththi, B.Y.G. Rathnasekera, K. Kader Masthan, and Weerasumana Weerasinghe; while the Opposition members are Harin Fernando, Niroshan Perera, Faizal Cassim, Ashok Abeysinghe, Buddhika Pathirana, Sivagnanam Sritharan, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, and Tissa Attanayake.

COPE and COPA were both chaired by Opposition lawmakers in the last Parliament, with former MP Sunil Handunnetti chairing COPE and Lasantha Alagiyawanna chairing COPA.

The main Opposition party, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has requested the Government to give the chair of the two important committees to Opposition members. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said last week the decision will be made by the committees when they meet.

The names of the members to the Committee on Standing Orders and Committee on Public Petitions were announced by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena in Parliament yesterday.

The following members have been appointed to the Committee on Standing Orders: Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Susil Premajayantha, Dilan Perera, Chandima Weerakkody, Mayantha Dissanayake, Charles Nirmalanathan, Sujith Perera, Sagara Kariyawasam, and Dr. Suren Raghavan.

The following members have been appointed to serve the Committee on Public Petitions: Gamini Lokuge, Dayasiri Jayasekera, Nimal Lanza, Janaka Wakkumbura, S. Viyalendran, Thenuka Vidanagamage, Jeevan Thondaman, Imthiaz Bakeer Markar, Jagath Pushpakumara, Dilip Wedaarachchi, Manusha Nanayakkara, K Kader Masthan, Ashoka Priyantha, Jayantha Ketagoda, Thushara Indunil Amarasena, Mujibur Rahuman, Geetha Samanmalee Kumarasinghe, Kulasingam Thileepan, Nipuna Ranawaka, and Rajika Wickramasinghe.

In addition, the Speaker announced MP Dharmalingam Sithadthan as an additional member to the Committee on High Posts.