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Decision to take legal action up to Speaker Jayasuriya; Deputy Speaker advocates stern repercussions
By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya could take legal actions against Parliamentarians who misbehaved in Parliament during the constitutional deadlock, following the handover of the Special Parliamentary Committee report yesterday.
Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees J.M. Ananda Kumarasiri told Daily FT the decision lies with Speaker Jayasuriya. With the Special Parliamentary Committee report handed over to the Speaker at Parliament, the Attorney General has to be consulted to decide the fate of the MPs who were found guilty by the Committee, which examined the CCTV footage, television broadcasts during the chaos, eye-witnesses’ statements, and assessed damages to public property.
According to the Deputy Speaker, the MPs responsible for the chaos should be punished to set an example to the entire House. “A simple suspension from Parliament for a few weeks will not teach these MPs a lesson. Their actions harmed the lives of other lawmakers and brought disgrace to the entire country,” he said.
Despite the Criminal Investigations Department of Sri Lanka Police taking three months to come out with its report, the Special Parliamentary Committee appointed by Speaker Jayasuriya was capable of concluding their investigations and submitting a report, which will be tabled in the Parliament if the Speaker decided to proceed with taking legal action in consultation with the Attorney General.
“Regardless of the many violations and crimes found in this report, not allowing the Speaker to enter the Chamber and disrupting the proceedings alone is adequate to go to the Supreme Court,” confirmed the Deputy Speaker, who was heading the Special Parliamentary Committee that resorted to the Parliament Powers and Privileges Act to conduct its investigation and to come out with a report.
The committee comprised MPs representing all parties include UPFA MP and former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, UPFA MP Chandrasiri Gajadeera, JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake, UNP MP R. M. Ranjith Madduma Bandara, and ITAK MP Mavai S. Senathirajah.
According to Parliament, replacing the Speaker’s microphone unit and the repairs on iron bars fixed to isolate the Parliamentary Officers’ official room, damaged during the unruly behaviour of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) lawmakers, will cost Rs. 374,628.18. Adding high-tech solutions to the Chamber of the Parliament, the Government replaced the decade old faulty microphone system with a purpose-built special microphone system known as the Chairman Microphone Unit recently, at a cost of Rs.124.7 million. During the clashes, some UPFA lawmakers were seen vandalising parts of the Chairman Microphone Unit installed at the Speaker’s table. In the absence of a suitable State institution to replace the damaged parts of this sophisticated audio system, the Parliament has obtained quotations from different vendors and have entrusted the job to Hayleys Aventura Ltd.
The repairing of the iron bars was assigned to the Department of Government Factory and was carried out at a cost of Rs. 29,670.
