COPE, PAC members appointed

By Skandha Gunasekara

Minor changes have been made to the constituents of several parliamentary committees, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya revealed in Parliament yesterday.

According to the list of appointments made to the Parliamentary Committee tabled by the Speaker yesterday, MPs Abdullah Maharoof and Jayantha Samarawera have been added as new members to the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) replacing MP Weerakumara Dissanayake who was removed.

Members have to be appointed to parliamentary committees if Parliament is dissolved or prorogued, with the April prorogation of Parliament compelling new appointments or reappointments to these committees.

Other members appointed to COPE were the same as those who were part of the committee prior to parliament’s prorogation, including Sunil Handunnetti, who was also COPE Chairman earlier, Rauff Hakeem, Ravindra Samaraweera, Lakshman Seneviratne, Sujeewa Senasinghe, Wasantha Aluvihare, Dr. Harsha De Silva, Ajith P. Perera, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Ranjan Ramanayake, Asok Abeysinghe, Anura Yapa, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Chandrasiri Gajadeera, Mahindanana Aluthgamage, Dayasiri Jayasekera, Sunil Handunnetti, Bimal Ratnayake, Mawai Senathirajah, S. Sritharan, M.A. Sumanthiran, Hector Appuharmy, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, Harshana Rajakaruna and G. Srinesan.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) too saw a couple of additions with MPs Udaya Gammanpilla and Chandima Gamage being newly appointed whilst the others from were from the previous PAC, including Faiszer Musthapha, Mahinda Samarasinghe, S.B. Dissanayake, P. Harrison, Palitha Range Bandara, Niroshan Perera, Sujeewa Senasinghe, Eran Wickramaratne, Chairman Lasantha Alagiwanna, Ali Shair Moulana, Dr. Bandula Gunawardene, Vijitha Herath, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Nihal Gallapathi, Bimal Ratnayake, Buddika Pathirana, S. Yoheswaran, S. Sritharan, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, Dr. Kavinda Jayawardene, Charles Nirnmalanathan, Hirunika Premachnadra, Bandula Lal Bandarigoda and S. Viyalendran.

Meanwhile, the MPs appointed to the Committee on Public Petition were Wajira Abeywardene, Sujeewa Senasinghe, Douglas Devananda, Salinda Dissanayake, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene, Susantha Punchinilame, Nihal Gallappathi, Bimal Ratnayake, Ranjith Aluvihara, Sydny Jayaratne, Lakshman Wijemanne, K. Thureratnsingham, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Vidura Wickramanayake, Kanka Herath, M. Tilakarajah, M.E.M. Mansoor, Dr. Tusitha Wijemanne, Chaminda Wijesiri, Shanthi Sriskandarajah and Dr. S. Sivamohan