Failure to appoint Consultative Committees:

Inefficiency of Opposition - Chief Govt Whip

Irangika RANGE, Sandasen MARASINGHE and Disna MUDALIGE

Chief Government Whip and Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told Parliament yesterday that appointment of Consultative Committees of the Seventh Parliament hit a snag owing to the inefficiency of the Opposition. An undue delay was caused because the Opposition had failed to submit the list of their nominees for these Committees. The Minister said that the delay was caused by the inefficient Opposition and this resulted in the delay of work of the Consultative Committees.

He requested the Opposition not to blame the Government for not appointing Consultative Committees.

The Government had submitted its list of nominees but these weeks had lapsed without the Opposition sending its list of names, he said.

Minister Gunawardena made those observations in response to accusations levelled at the Government by Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga, who said that the Government has failed to appoint Parliamentary Consultative Committees.

MP Amaratunga said that four months have lapsed since the beginning of the new session.

There were 44 ministries and there should be 44 Consultative Committees.

The delay in the appointment of these committees have caused a lot of problems since the MPs do not have a place to forward their problems related to these ministries.