Opposition storms out of party leaders’ meet

Tuesday, 8 January 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A controversial party leaders’ meeting in Parliament yesterday ended in an angry walkout by the Opposition and a decision by ruling alliance leaders to proceed with the debate on the impeachment motion against Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake on Thursday and Friday (10 and 11 January) with a vote on the resolution to be taken at 6:30 p.m. on Friday (11).

The special party leaders’ meet was summoned to discuss the vote on the controversial Divi Neguma Bill, which is expected to be taken up today after several amendments are moved and to set a date for the impeachment debate and vote.

However, the meeting chaired by Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa erupted after JVP Parliamentary Group Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the Parliamentary Select Committee to probe the impeachment motion had been declared illegal and therefore its findings were void. Dissanayake said that the sole power to interpret the constitution lay with the Supreme Court of the country.

The Government group leaders contended however that they did not accept the ruling by the Supreme Court.

UNP MPs Ravi Karunanayake and Lakshman Kiriella also raised objections saying that the Government could not simply disregard the Supreme Court ruling. They said that the Speaker of Parliament had already declared that it was only the Supreme Court that had the power to interpret the Constitution. The Opposition members argued that there was no point in a debate on the impeachment when the Government had already made it clear they were going to disregard the Supreme Court rulings and proceed with an unconstitutional act.

The UNP Members also raised objections on the basis that 10 and 11 January were not originally days on which Parliament was scheduled to meet.

Dissanayake, Kiriella, Karunanayake, and TNA Member Suresh Premachandran walked out of the meeting in protest of the Government’s moves.

The Government Group leaders made a unilateral decision following the walkout to set dates for the debate of the impeachment motion.