Thursday, 20 February 2014 00:00
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By Ashwin Hemmathagama
Our Lobby Correspondent
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s official tours around the world generated heated discussions in Parliament yesterday, after Government members attempted to avoid questions submitted by the Opposition.
With Government Members taking refuge under the Standing Orders to dodge the question, the Opposition lawmakers held such action cannot be constituted unless the particular question criticises the conduct of the President.
Despite the Government justifications and elaborated prior examples, Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa held that the particular question “does not violate the Standing Orders” but merely seeks some specific information and statistics relating to the President’s foreign tours.
Speaker Rajapaksa in his decision held that the Opposition could resubmit the question “since the question does not talk about the President’s conduct or criticise his behaviour”.
The particular question for oral answers was submitted by MP Tissa Attanayake calling on the Minister of External Affairs to divulge the number of foreign tours the President has participated in since 2005, the names of the countries he has visited, the expenditure for such travel, the number of persons who travelled with President in his entourage, the reasons for such travel or the deliberations held and agreements signed in each of those tours and the benefits enjoyed, are being enjoyed or expected to be enjoyed by Sri Lanka.
