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| Thursday, 20 May 2004 |
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Politics | |
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| Turmoil in the House over abducted monk by Ranil Wijayapala and Bharatha Malawaraarachchi The House was thrown into turmoil yesterday when Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara ordered the speech made by Freedom Alliance MP Wimal Weerawansa be expunged from the Hansard. The Speaker subsequently adjourned the House for June 8. The commotion started when Weerawansa, raising a point of order stated that the Speaker had failed to duly inform the IGP about the arrival in Parliament of abducted Buddhist monk Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera to tender his resignation. From the commencement of sittings yesterday morning, the controversy surrounding the abduction of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), MP, Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera, continued in the House with Government members lodging their protests to the Speaker for accepting the resignation letter from the monk. Speaker Lokubandara told the House he had informed the IGP that the Buddhist monk who was reportedly abducted had come to the Parliament complex. Continuing with his point of order, Weerawansa maintained that the Speaker had informed the IGP about the Buddhist monk only after the latter left the Parliamentary premises. The House was thrown into chaos with several opposition MPs including UNP's T. Maheshwaran expressing their views and making comments on the issue. In the ensuing commotion, Speaker Lokubandara ordered the speech made by Weerawansa to be struck off from the Hansard leading to several angry Government Members storming the well of the House to protest the Speaker's ruling. They shouted various slogans at Speaker Lokubandara who urged Members to return to their seats since he could not hear anything clearly. At the time, there were only a few opposition MPs in the House and both the Leader of the House Maithripala Sirisena and Chief Opposition Whip Mahinda Samarasinghe were seen in conversation with the Speaker in an apparent bid to settle the issue. Members who gathered in the well did not respond to the repeated requests made by Speaker Lokubandara to take their seats to commence the day's adjournment debate on the Kandapola incident. Finally, around 2.30 pm, the Speaker adjourned Parliament for June 08. The House first erupted yesterday morning when Speaker Lokubandara read out the resignation letter from Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera. Raising a point of order, Deputy Minister Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi, said the issue concerned should be taken very seriously since many views had been expressed over the abduction of the JHU monk. "Therefore, I urge you not to accept this resignation letter and hold a full scale inquiry into this incident," he added. The Speaker said he had also been present in the Parliamentary Complex, when Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera tendered his resignation along with Ven. Kolonnawe Sumangala Thera. "Ven. Rathanaseeha Thera denied any harassment. The Thera also said he was not influenced and suppressed by anyone," the Speaker said. Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle asked as to how the Speaker accepted the resignation letter from Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera when a matter of privilege had already been referred to the Privileges Committee regarding the abduction of the JHU monk. "There is a privilege matter concerning this abduction. But you have referred the resignation letter to the Elections Commissioner," he added. In response, Speaker Lokubandara said the privilege issue will be inquired into in the future. "Any Member of Parliament can produce his resignation at any time he wants to do so," he said. The House went berserk at this moment with many Members from both sides expressing views on the issue. At this point, JHU MP Ven. Kolonnawe Sumangala Thera said they are ready to present Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera to any committee for inquiry. Leader of the House and Minister Maithripala Sirisena said the IGP was investigating this abduction. "Under these circumstances, we express our protest and dissatisfaction for accepting this resignation letter as the police investigations are still continuing," he said. "However, Speaker Lokubandara said: "Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera has informed that he was tendering his resignation on his own and not due to pressure from any quarter." At this stage, JVP's Wimal Weerawansa questioned the Speaker whether he informed police that Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera had come to meet him in Parliament. "Yes, I informed the IGP who then told me that those two Buddhist monks from the JHU had refused to obtain police protection," the Speaker added. Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said the Speaker should have acted as a judge in this issue before accepting the monk's resignation. "But you did not act in such a manner. Therefore, we have a suspicion about your conduct," he added. Speaker Lokubandara who noted that a serious allegation is being levelled, said accepting the resignation letter was not his duty and but that of the Secretary General. Chief Opposition Whip Mahinda Samarasinghe said there was nothing wrong in the procedure followed in this instance. However, Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle said it would have been much more appropriate if the Speaker spoke to the monk alone. "You should have spoken to Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha thera alone and not in the presence of Ven. Sumangala Thera," Minister Fernandopulle told the Speaker. |
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