Rs 4.8 m supplementary estimate presented in House for Press Council expenditure

Uditha Kumarasinghe and Irangika Range

A supplementary estimate of Rs.4.8 million was presented in Parliament yesterday to pay the salaries of the staff and other recurrent expenditure of the Sri Lanka Press Council which is to be reactivated on COPE recommendations.

Chief Government Whip Urban Development and Sacred Area Development Minister Dinesh Gunawardene moved the Supplementary Estimate on behalf of Information and Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa. The supplementary estimate has been moved to pay salaries, purchase office furniture and other equipment needed by the Press Council due to moves taken to reactivate it.

When the Supplementary Estimate was presented to the House, JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said no recommendation has been made by the COPE report to re-activate the Press Council.

UNP MP Lakshman Kiriella also admitted the fact pointed out by MP Dissanayake.

JVP MP Sunil Handunneththi spoke of the manner in which the Supplementary Estimate was moved on the pretext that the Press Council is to be reactivated following a decision taken by COPE.

Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara said COPE Chairman Power and Energy Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne in his recent statement made to the House has said that there were two opinions on this issue. Therefore, the Opposition can raise this point when this matter is taken up for debate in Parliament.

MP Anura Dissanayake said this will not be debated in Parliament. The Speaker said the Opposition should then force the Government to debate this matter in Parliament.

Minister Dinesh Gunawardene said the details in the COPE report can be checked. "If a majority has accepted a report, it will be accepted, even if goes before the Supreme Court. We can discuss this at the Party Leaders' meeting and see whether the Opposition had opposed the reactivation of the Press Council."