Speaker directs Prison officials to bring convicted MP to Parliament

Saturday, 29 August 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

SLPP MP elect Premalal Jayasekera is awaiting permission to take oaths as an MP
Sentenced to death for his role in a murder before election but elected with 140,000 preferential votes

By Chandani Kirinde

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday directed the Prisons Department to facilitate Ratnapura District SLPP MP-elect Premalal Jayasekara, who has been sentenced to death for murder, to attend Parliament.

The Prisons Department had earlier been directed to bring Jayasekara to Parliament to enable him to take oaths as a new MP but the officials had failed to do so.

SLPP Colombo District MP Premanath C. Dolawatte raising a point of order brought to the attention of the Speaker yesterday that depriving Jayasekera of the chance to attend Parliament amounted to depriving people of Jayasekera’s electorate their representation in Parliament.

“Jayasekera had polled over 140,000 preferential votes at the last General Election. Following his sentence, he had appealed to the Court of Appeal against the sentence. He is not allowed to come to this House. There is no Court order preventing him coming to Parliament. There is a possibility he will be cleared of the sentence at the end of the Appeal Court case. You have powers to issue an order to the Head of the Prisons to bring him to Parliament,” Dolawatte said.

He brought to the notice of the Chair a ruling given by former Speaker Anura Bandaranaike on a similar issue on 20 June 2001 that Parliament process was not bound by a Court order. “I call on you not on behalf of the person Premalal Jayasekera but on behalf of the Ratnapura people’s interests. You have powers to bring him here and we hope the Speaker will take actions necessary for this purpose,” MP Dolawatte said.

Speaker Abeywardena said that his office had not been informed of the appeal by Jayasekera. “Not permitting him to come to Parliament is wrong for him and people who voted for him. Therefore I order the Prison administration to bring him to Parliament,” the Speaker said. He also said arrangements will be made for Jayasekera to be brought to parliament on 8 September when the House next meets.