COPA proceedings open to media; COPE meetings may be out of bounds

• New COPA Chairman Tissa Vitarana says journalists can cover proceedings
• Chief Govt. Whip insists previous COPE proceedings turned into media circus, says there will no repeat
• Opp. says both Committees should be open to media

SLPP National List MP Tissa Vitarana, who was named Chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) yesterday, said the proceedings of the Committee would be open to the media.

The Department of Communications of Parliament said journalists will be allowed to cover COPA proceedings, continuing a practice begun under the previous Government.

However, there was uncertainty if the proceedings of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) would be open to the media, after Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando informed Parliament that live coverage of the COPE proceedings would no longer be allowed.

“The proceedings for COPE were used selectively under the previous Government to tarnish the image of opponents, including public officials. We will not allow the Committee proceedings to be turned into a media circus,” he said.

However, Opposition MPs said that the decision on whether to open proceedings to the media is up to the new COPE Chairman MP Charitha Herath, and he had made no such decision.

Fernando said the matter was discussed at the Business Committee of the House and the Opposition members on the Committee had not objected to the Government position.