Parliament focus

Parliament, which has now become the centre of attention, was the scene of an unusual event yesterday when the group of Parliamentarians who support MP Mahinda Rajapaksa, and were seated in the Government section of the House, staged a walkout in protest of a vote taken to decide the composition of the Selection Committee. This could well be the first time that Parliamentarians who refer to themselves as the Government have removed themselves, rather than the Opposition, in protest.   

Under normal circumstances, a vote to appoint the Selection Committee after the reconvening of Parliament would not have garnered much attention. The Selection Committee is important, but its composition is commonly seen as a forgone conclusion because the group with the largest majority in Parliament is given the larger percentage of seats. However, since the unprecedented events of 26 October, every event linked to Parliament is being watched with riveted attention by the public, and this vote proved to be a moment worth witnessing. 

The disheartening brawls during the past week, where Parliamentarians supportive of MP Rajapaksa hurled file folders, dustbins, water bottles and even the Constitution at Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, had come to an end, at least for the moment. Instead, the last Parliament session was conducted with relative calm. Yesterday, when party leaders met with Speaker Jayasuriya to decide on the Selection Committee, the United National Freedom Alliance (UPFA) had submitted seven names to the 12-member body. 

However, when sessions began, Speaker Jayasuriya clearly told the House, despite objections from UPFA, that his decision was to give five slots to pro-Rajapaksa Parliamentarians and five to the United National Party (UNP). Two slots each were given to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), who have banded with the UNP to uphold the sovereignty of Parliament to round out the dozen. Unhappy with this outcome, the pro-Rajapaksa Parliamentarians decided to walk out from the well of the House and the final count on the vote was 121 with no objections. The numerical difference between the 121 and the previous 122 that supported the vote on the no confidence motion was later explained by UNP MP Dr. Harsha de Silva as due to the late arrival of MP Chathura Senaratne. 

As Parliament majority remains firmly unchanged, the public may have to look to the courts to provide a change in the stalemate. The 122 MPs have filed a Writ Quo Warranto at the Court of Appeal, challenging MP Mahinda Rajapaksa on what authority he continues to hold the Office of Prime Minister after a no confidence motion had been passed in Parliament against him. Reports have indicated that it could be taken up as early as next week or the first week of December, and if that is the case, then the decision could see a shift in the dynamics within Parliament. 

The strong speech made by JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Parliament, where he severely criticised both the Governments led by MP Rajapaksa as well as President Maithripala Sirisena and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, would perhaps best reflect the sentiments of the bulk of the public. The stark reality that faces Sri Lankans who believe in democracy and wish for an honest Government but have few options to build it with is a damning indictment of politicians of different hues and their reprehensible actions that have ended with the public losing faith in Government.