PM hails election of Speaker by consensus

Newly appointed Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne said the people have given their mandate to this Government to create an environment so that they could live peacefully and in harmony irrespective of various differences. He wished that the Opposition would support the Government to fulfill the same wish of the people of this country.

Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne making this observation at Parliament yesterday congratulating the election of Chamal Rajapaksa to the office of Speaker said that it was a matter of great pleasure that the Speaker could be elected with the support of the Opposition unanimously.

He said the new Speaker hailed from an illustrious family and his father D.A. Rajapaksa was closely associated with S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike who founded the SLFP.

While President Mahinda Rajapaksa who hails from the same family was attempting to steer the country along the development path after the eradication of LTTE terrorism it was a honour for Chamal Rajapaksa to be the Speaker of Parliament.

The Prime Minister also said that the President’s attempt was to make this country one among the developed in the world with the co-ordination of the Opposition. He expressed his hope that the Opposition would support the ruling party during the next six years in the same manner they supported the appointment of the new Speaker. SM