House adjourned till Feb 5

Vijitha Nakkavita and Irangika Range

Leader of the House and Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told Parliament yesterday that Parliamentary sittings have been limited to give an opportunity to both Government and Opposition Parliament members to engage in the Presidential election campaign and the Opposition allegations regarding limited sittings of Parliament were baseless.

The Minister scoffed at Opposition claims and said that they were merely making allegations without basis.

He called upon the Opposition MPs to be pragmatic. Rejecting the Oppositions accusations that the Government has deprived its democratic rights by continuously postponing the Parliament sittings, the Minister said the Government and Opposition members need time to engage in their election campaigns.

Both sides should be given enough opportunities to take their cases before the public once the election was declared. Everybody is busy with the ongoing Presidential election. And, furthermore, this is not something unprecedented.

In the past too, when a Presidential election was on the sittings of the House had been limited.

If you think this is undemocratic, then take your case before the general public, then they will decide who is right, he said.

Speaker W. J. M. Lokubandara said that he is allowed to express his opinions on an issue not agreed by both sides only when a vote was taken and the result was a tie.

The Government’s proposal on adjourning parliamentary sittings until February 5 was passed without any vote.