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Prorogue Parliament to settle crisis: UPFA allies
View(s):By Chandani Kirinde
Leaders of three socialist parties, which are coalition partners of the ruling UPFA, have asked President Mahinda Rajapaksa to prorogue Parliament as a way out of the impasse between the Judiciary and the Legislature over moves to impeach the Chief Justice.
LSSP leader and Minister Tissa Vitarana, CP leader and Minister D.E.W. Gunasekera, and DLF leader and Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara have told the President that a prorogation will help ease the escalation of growing tension over the impeachment move and allow both sides to re-think the situation.
The Sunday Times learns that the three ministers have said that as pending business would lapse with a prorogation, such a move would allow the President and the Government to change Standing Orders and make provision for an independent panel to inquire into the charges against the Chief Justice. President Mahinda Rajapaksa had been non-committal to the suggestion, the spokesman said.
Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa in a ruling earlier this month in Parliament rejected the notices issued on him and the members of the PSC by the Supreme Court and had added that his ruling would apply to “any similar purported Notice, Order of Determination in respect of the proceedings of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC). But the Court of Appeal on Friday issued notice on the Speaker, the members of the Committee and the Secretary General of Parliament.
A Parliament official confirmed that the notices had been received on Friday and said the decision on whether the Secretary General would appear before court or not could be taken after consultations with the Speaker.
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