SLPP wants Secretary appointed for MR

Saturday, 12 January 2019 00:08 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) yesterday called for the secretary to Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa to be appointed immediately and criticised the delay.

“The Government is attempting to prevent Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa from performing his duties,” MP Shehan Semasinghe told reporters at SLPP headquarters.

He said the Opposition Leader needed a secretary to coordinate his duties and trustworthiness of the secretary was crucial to perform the Opposition Leader’s duties without any interruption.

“The President appoints a trustworthy and loyal person to him as his secretary, the Prime Minister also consider those factors to select his secretary. Therefore the same principals apply for the Opposition Leader as well,” he added.

Semasinghe pointed out when Ranil Wickremesinghe was the Opposition Leader, he had the opportunity to appoint a person who he could trust and work with as his secretary.

He charged Government was trying to trim privileges of Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa. “Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is blocking this appointment because he was unable to appoint the person he prefers as the Opposition Leader. Prime Minister wanted an Opposition Leader who supports him for the new draft constitution,” he charged.

He alleged Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran had come to an agreement to table draft constitution with a promise of TNA to vote in favour on the Appropriation bill, which is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament this month.