Govt cannot be blamed for crossovers - Minister

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

The President or the government cannot take the responsibility of building a strong Opposition in Parliament and in the country. It is the sole responsibility of the Opposition leader and the Opposition, Cabinet Spokesman and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said.

Addressing the weekly Cabinet press briefing at the Government Information Department Auditorium, Colombo yesterday, Minister Rambukwella said that the government cannot take responsibility for the decisions taken by Opposition MPs because the government cannot impose any restrictions on their choice.

'They make such decisions because they continue to be subjected to the displeasure of the public,' he said.

'This is because they cannot help the people who voted for them while in the Opposition for years. The number of Opposition MPs who will cross over depends on how many times more the Opposition Leader takeoff his tie. The President will decide what will be offered to the MP who recently crossed over,' he said.

Minister Rambukwella pointed out that the Opposition MPs who crossed over to the government side thought about the future of the country and wanted to serve the public.

They had a vision for the future. That is why they crossed over. The MP who crossed over is a giant in the education sector and his contribution is important.

"Even today all of us talk about the late C.W.W.Kannangara, many years after his death.

But we cannot say that the peak of the development of the education sector took place during his time. It does not mean that his era is bad or negative. He made a significant contribution towards the development of the education sector but we have to move forward.

Then we did not talk about Information Technology, textile technology etc. but today we talk about such new subjects. Development is something that continues and not something that will reach a peak and stop, Minister Rambukwella added.