UNP hails Speaker’s stand on current status quo

• Welcomes the statement, albeit late
• Quoting former Speaker’s ruling, says President has only administrative power regarding prorogation of Parliament
• Calls MPs not to ‘prostitute’ people’s vote by crossing for money

By Chathuri Dissanayake

The United National Party yesterday hailed the statement issued by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, calling for democracy to prevail.

UNP Parliamentarian Dr. Harsha de Silva welcomed the statement given by Speaker Jayasuriya “albeit a bit late”.

“The Speaker has said that all the appointments that were made after October 26th are all null and void. And in the preamble to this, he says, that the President promised him twice to reconvene Parliament. In fact, we all recall former President Mahinda Rajapaksa saying that Parliament was to be reconvened on the 5th, that is, today. Later, the President told the Ambassadors that Parliament will be reconvened on November 7,” Dr. De Silva said, speaking at a press conference held at Temple Trees.

Accusing the President of aiding the Mahinda Rajapaksa camp to “purchase the eight or ten Parliamentarians” needed to show a majority in Parliament, the MP called the incident the “ugliest episode of kicking the faces of the voters in this country.”

“There were voters protesting during the last few days, holding placards, saying that their votes should not be prostituted, and that their vote is not for sale. So if anyone is thinking of crossing over, let me again remind them, that they are crossing over to a Government that does not exist, and are being lured by empty promises and dirty money,” he claimed.

Dr. De Silva said Speaker Karu Jayasuriya goes back to the ruling by former Speaker Joseph Michael Perera, when the then-President decided to prorogue Parliament arbitrarily. Quoting part of the ruling, which reads: “This makes it clear that this aspect of the President’s power is not an attribute of his executive power, set out in Article VII, but rather an administrative function vis-à-vis Parliament,” Dr. De Silva said that there is a big difference if it is an executive power or administrative power that has been utilised.

“He [the President] doesn’t have the power he assumed to have on the 26th of October, when he took this arbitrary decision,” the Parliamentarian highlighted, reiterating that that the President’s power to prorogue Parliament is not absolute.