Mayantha resigns as COPF Chair 

• Informs Speaker of his decision to step down in writing
• Claims he offered to resign if the appointment would lead to a rift in the party
• Slams tweets against him and says he is not afraid of mudslinging or attacks 

Samagi Jana Balawegya (SJB) MP Mayantha Dissanayake has announced his decision to resign as the Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) just five days following his appointment to the post. 

Dissanayake told journalists he would inform Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardane of his decision in writing shortly. Accordingly, the MP officially informed his decision to the Speaker later in the day. 

In the letter to the Speaker Dissanayake noted that it was the intention of the legislature when approving the standing orders relating to Committees that an Opposition Member of Parliament nominated by the common opposition should be appointed as the Chairman of the COPF. He, therefore, requested the Speaker to respect the intention of the legislature in appointing a new Chairman. 

According to Dissanayake, he received a call from MPs asking if he would accept the post if there was a unanimous agreement to which he agreed given his experience in the COPF previously. “Having always worked according to my conscience to serve the people I said I would accept the post if the decision was unanimous,” he said. 

Slamming those who questioned if he had the necessary experience to head the COPF, he said his father Gamini Dissanayake was not an engineer but he was able to obtain the necessary advice and commence the accelerated Mahaweli project. 

“As I had worked in the COPF I believed I had a responsibility to get together as the opposition due to the country’s current situation and to speak up as a member of the COPF if any wrong is being committed by the Government,” he said. 

Dissanayake said he decided to resign from the post following a discussion with SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday morning. “I am taking this step as we must have come to a common agreement as an opposition and we need to handle that responsibility under the leadership of the leader of the opposition,” he said. 

He refuted claims he had entered into a deal with the Government and he had requested the post from the President as insinuated by some on Twitter. “I was regularly in contact with leader Sajith Premadasa and general secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara. I told them if the decision would cause a rift in the party I am prepared to resign at any given moment. I am not afraid of attacks and mudslinging,” he said. 

Following his appointment former COPF Chair Harsha de Silva tweeted on 23 February that all Government MPs have backed the appointment of Dissanayake overruling the former’s original appointment. “Goes to show how low people can go,” he had said.