First COPE meeting on Tuesday

• COPE Chairperson to be elected on same day
• SJB seeks chairmanship for an Opposition MP

The first meeting of the Parliament oversight committee, the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), will be held next Tuesday (22 September).

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena named 22 members to COPE last week, with the Opposition having eight members, while the Government members make up the rest.

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SBJ) said it is seeking the COPE chairmanship, saying an Opposition MP should chair this important oversight committee, as was done in the last Parliament when former JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti chaired it.

The Chairperson of the committee will be elected during the first meeting.

The Government members of COPE are Mahinda Amaraweera, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Susil Premajayantha, Jayantha Samaraweera, Dilum Amunugama, Indika Anuruddha Herath, Dr. Sarath Weerasekera, D.V Chanaka, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Premnath C. Dolawatte, Jagath Pushpakumara, and Charitha Herath; while the Opposition members are Rauff Hakeem, Anura Dissanayake, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Eran Wickremaratne, Ranjan Ramanayake, Nalin Bandara Jayamaha, S.M. Marikkar, and Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam.