UNP MP sets petition record in House

• Lawmaker Buddhika Pathirana moves 33 public petitions in one sitting

United National Party (UNP) lawmaker Buddhika Pathirana yesterday made a record by moving the highest number of public petitions presented by an MP in Parliament at a single sitting.

Moving a record number of 33 public petitions, MP Pathirana revealed his plans to set another record as an MP. 

“I would set a Guinness World Record by becoming the Parliamentarian who raised the highest number of questions for oral answer in the Parliament of Sri Lanka,” he said. According to sources, Pathirana has broken the previous records of 20 and 18 petitions per day held by MP Vasudeva Nannayakkara and MP Gamini Lokuge respectively. 

The public petitions received by lawmakers are being moved in Parliament on a daily basis during the sitting week immediately after sittings commence. Such petitions are then passed down to the Public Petitions Committee, a special purpose committee established to consider the petitions sent by the public and referred to it by Parliament and to report back to Parliament its opinion on the action to be taken in respect of such petitions. This committee has the power to summon before it and question any person, call for and examine any paper, book, record or other document and to have access to stores and property.

The Public Petitions Committee of the 8th Parliament is headed by Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe. The members of the committee include lawmakers Wajira Abeywardana, Susantha Punchinilame, Douglas Devananda, Salinda Dissanayake, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Nihal Galappaththi, Bimal Rathnayake, Ranjith Aluvihare, Anura Sidney Jayarathne, Lakshman Ananda Wijemanne, K. Thurairetnasingam, Ramesh Pathirana, Vidura Wickramanayaka, Kanaka Herath, Mylvaganam Thilakarajah, Muhammad Ibrahim Muhammad Mansoor, Thusitha Wijemanna, Chaminda Wijesiri, Shanthi Sriskandarasa and S. Sivamohan. (AH)