Dpty. Speaker reconfirms De Silva’s leadership status

By Ashwin Hemmathagama Our Lobby Correspondent

Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakkody confirmed that Nimal Siripala de Silva was the Opposition Leader in response to a question raised by JVP Leader Anura Dissanayaka as to who held the post, during a heated debate in Parliament yesterday.

“The Opposition Leader has become the Prime Minister, the former Leader of the House is now the Opposition Leader, some SLFP members are seated in the Opposition while some are with the Government holding ministerial positions, creating an unusual situation in Parliament. We have the right to know the Opposition Leader who will be appointing members to the Constitutional Council and who will also be a member in it. With the passage of the 19th Amendment, the post of Opposition Leader has become a special position. The Speaker is yet to give his decision and in the absence of his decision we shouldn’t continue this Parliament but dissolve it,” Dissanayake said. 

Deputy Speaker Weerakkody, responding to Dissanayake, said De Silva was to continue as the Leader of the Opposition. 

“UPFA Secretary General Susil Premajayantha proposed that the current Leader of the Opposition, Nimal Siripala de Silva, continue. So the Speaker decided to keep Nimal Siripala de Silva as the Opposition Leader in this Parliament,” said Deputy Speaker Weerakkody. 

However, Dissanayake also said that Parliament should be dissolved soon, allowing the people to decide. 

“If this was within the 100 days we could have let it continue. But this has exceeded the 100 days and the Parliament has not been dissolved. The UPFA General Secretary has no right to talk on behalf of other political parties,” he said. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, joining the heated debate between the Deputy Speaker and Opposition lawmaker, agreed in principle that the Opposition had brought in a no-confidence motion against both the Opposition Leader as well as the Prime Minister in the current Parliament.