No parliamentary debate on bond report today

• JO, JVP demand report be tabled despite Government excuses
• JVP requests other Presidential Commission reports be tabled as well
• Party leaders’ meeting in Parliament to decide bond report debate date and time 

 

By Skandha Gunasekara

A decision was reached at yesterday’s party leaders’ meeting that the bond report would not be debated in Parliament today, despite the calls of Opposition parties for a debate.

Leader of the Joint Opposition in Parliament, MP Dinesh Gunawardena, told the Daily FT that following repeated requests from the Opposition, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya had agreed to have the bond report tabled in the House during today’s special session of Parliament.

“The request of the Joint Opposition and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) was that they table the report in Parliament. They gave various excuses as to why they cannot do so such as the fact that it was only available in the English language, but finally the Speaker decided to obtain the report from the President’s office and table it in the House,” MP Gunawardena said.

In addition, Gunawardena said that the JVP had requested that reports of other presidential commissions that have been released, such as those of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges (PRECIFAC) also be tabled in the House today.

“However, as they are all Presidential Commission reports, the Speaker can only make a request that these other reports be tabled so it is not certain if they would be tabled but the bond report will definitely be tabled in Parliament,”

Furthermore, MP Gunawardena disclosed that party leaders had decided that soon after tabling the report, another party leaders’ meeting will be held in Parliament to discuss the agenda of the House.

“A party leaders’ meeting had been called for after the bond report is tabled. The dates and times to debate the bond report will be decided at the party leaders’ meeting. We will also decide if Parliament will continue for the rest of the week of it will adjourn and recommence on a later date,” he added.

Cabinet erupts over bond debate

• Nimal, Susil and Dayasiri say cannot have a parliamentary debate without knowing contents of the report
• Kiriella shoots back that debate was granted following requests from SLFP and other parties

A heated argument broke out during yesterday’s Cabinet meeting over the parliamentary debate on the bond commission report scheduled for today, with Sri Lanka Freedom Party ministers stressing on the futility of the exercise if the report was not made available.

SLFP ministers who raised concerns were at the receiving end of scathing criticism from United National Party (UNP) stalwart Minister Lakshman Kiriella.

“Did you not know that to debate a report you have to table it first before you demanded a debate?” Kiriella is reported to have asked the SLFP ministers who raised the issue.

The Minister had pointed out that the report had been in the possession of President Maithripala Sirisena, the leader of the SLFP.

“It was with your leader,” Kiriella was quoted as having said to the SLFP ministers.

SLFP senior Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva had first raised the issue at the beginning of the Cabinet meeting stating that it was not practical to hold a parliamentary debate on the bond commission report when no one was aware of its contents.

SLFP ministers Dayasiri Jayasekara and Susil Premajayantha also supported de Silva’s argument, the Daily FT learned. This resulted in a strong riposte from Minister Kiriella who claimed that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe agreed to a debate on the matter only because there were requests from other parties.

“I told them that they called for the debate only to gain political mileage, now they are saying there is no point because the political trick has backfired on them,” Minister Kiriella told the Daily FT.

The ministers were not able to agree on the issue despite the argument and left without a clear understanding of what it is to take place in Parliament today.

“I don’t know what will happen, we know nothing about the content of the report. How can we have a debate? We will have to see how it goes,” one SLFP senior told the Daily FT.

(Daily FT)