Motion to reinstate Fonseka’s privileges moved

A motion seeking to re-establish the pension, allowances and the privileges of the United National Party (UNP) lawmaker Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka was moved yesterday in Parliament. The motion will be presented to the Parliamentary Committee on Ethics and Privileges.

Minister of Public Enterprise, Kandyan Heritage and Kandy Development and Leader of the House of Parliament Lakshman Kiriella moved the motion with the permission of Speaker Karu Jayasuriya based on the issue MP Fonseka raised in Parliament.

The Committee on Ethics and Privileges consists of 10 lawmakers nominated by the Committee of Selection. The Committee examines every question of privilege and matters relating to the breach of rules of conduct and etiquette that may be referred to in a motion moved and approved by Parliament. It determines with reference to the facts of each case whether a breach of privilege on the rules of conduct and etiquette has been committed and if so, the nature of the breach, the circumstances leading to such breach and its recommendations as the Committee may deem fit.

Raising a privilege issue on Wednesday in Parliament, Fonseka challenged the Rajapaksa regime-led military tribunals for cancelling his pension due for the military service, the allowances and the privileges as a lawmaker.

Field Marshal Gardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, MP, rcds, psc, commonly known as Sarath Fonseka, was the 18th Commander of the Sri Lankan Army. Under his command, the Sri Lankan Army ended the 26-year Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009, defeating the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. He thereafter briefly served as the Chief of Defence Staff. After retiring from the Army with the rank of General, he entered politics as the common Opposition candidate in the 2010 Presidential election, contesting against President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Following his controversial defeat in the Presidential election, he was elected to Parliament in the General election that followed. Soon after, he was made a political prisoner and lost his parliamentary seat.

Fonseka supported common candidate Maithripala Sirisena in the 2015 Presidential election and following his victory, the newly appointed President Sirisena gave Fonseka a full pardon, reinstating his civic rights, military rank and decorations. Later he was promoted to the newly created rank of Field Marshal on 22 March 2015, becoming the first Sri Lankan Army officer to be promoted to the rank.

On 9 February 2016, he was appointed to Parliament as a national list candidate and served in the Cabinet of Ministers from 2016 to 2018 as Minister of Regional Development, and thereafter as Minister of Wildlife and Sustainable Development until the 2018 Sri Lankan Constitutional Crisis.

(AH)