JVP turns down invitation to attend meeting at PM’s office

• PM has invited all 225 MPs from last Parliament to a meeting on Monday at TT
• JVP says such meeting will not bear any results
• Says constitutional conflicts should either be resolved by reconvening Parliament or seeking opinion of SC
• Suggests that President and PM formulate a common mechanism for COVID-19-related relief activities with party leaders

JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday informed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa that no member of his party will be attending the meeting of MPs scheduled to be held at Temple Trees on Monday morning.

The Prime Minister’s Office has invited all 225 MPs of the former Parliament to attend a meeting at Temple Trees on Monday morning.

While turning down the invitation, the JVP Leader said that instead of summoning Parliament so that a legitimate discussion on the situation in the country can be held, summoning all 225 former MPs to meet at the Prime Minister’s official residence is not acceptable.

“The JVP and most other parties have called on the Government to set up a common mechanism to address the current situation but holding a meeting of all MPs without any such mechanism in place will not bear fruit. The best way to discuss what measures can be taken to assist people who have been affected by the pandemic would be for the President and the Prime Minister to hold a meeting with all party leaders and address the situation,” he said.

The JVP Leader said he had attended the party leaders meeting with the Prime Minister earlier this month and had made known the JVP’s views on how to address the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

He added that questions have been raised about the constitutional issues that could arise with regards to the spending of State funds without parliamentary approval. “If the meeting with 225 MPs is intended to find a solution to this constitutional conflict, it will not materialise,” the letter said.

The JVP Leader said if the Government wants to resolve constitutional conflict, the President should either use the powers vested in him by the Constitution and reconvene Parliament or seek the opinion of the Supreme Court on the matter.

“There is no use in appraising MPs about a constitutional conflict that has come about as the Government is not acting according to the Constitution, and hence the JVP MPs from the last Parliament, including myself, will not be attending this meeting,” the JVP Leader said.