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President, Parliament on collision course
A confrontation between the Executive and the Legislature paralysing the working of the government — in another worst case political crisis — for Sri Lanka is becoming inevitable.
During a 90-minute emergency Cabinet meeting on Friday night, President Maithripala Sirisena issued the United National Party (UNP)-led United National Front (UNF) an ultimatum to call off sittings of the Parliamentary Select Committee probing the Easter Sunday attacks.
According to highly placed sources, President Sirisena believes that the PSC sittings were a prelude to introducing a vote of impeachment on him. “This is why he is being singularly targeted,” claimed a source. However, a UNP member in the PSC said, “All what we want is to get to the truth – how did the attacks come about.”
If his ultimatum was not carried out, President Sirisena warned he would not chair meetings of the Cabinet. This will also mean he will not swear in ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers for the posts rendered vacant after Thursday’s resignation of Muslim Ministers, state ministers and deputies. He argued that the PSC was pointedly directed at him to hamper investigations and expose sensitive national security matters.
President Sirisena also said he would ask both military and police officials invited to testify before the PSC not to appear.
That is bound to draw accusations of contempt which is punishable. However, arrests of those charged would have to be made by the Police. This department comes under the purview of the President.
After the heated Cabinet session on Friday night cooled down, ministers agreed with President Sirisena to discuss matters further at a meeting on Monday morning. However, there were doubts in some political quarters whether this session would materialise.
The UNP, which was responsible for the PSC together with its proxies, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), were defiant. They want to continue the PSC sittings and have dubbed President Sirisena’s request as a “direct interference” in the working of the legislature. Sections of the UNP who favoured a “softer” approach are being opposed by the TNA and the JVP which are calling for a tough line.
The emergency Cabinet meeting on Friday night came after a telephone call President Sirisena made at noon that day to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. He inquired after a letter directed to the Speaker by the Attorney General Dappula de Livera.
The AG has requested caution during the PSC proceedings on the grounds that it would adversely impact on investigations into the Easter Sunday incidents. President Sirisena was disappointed the AG’s letter was not tabled in the House.
Speaker Jayasuriya had pointed out that there was no provision for him to table such a letter in the House. However, he had informed PSC members of the AG’s concern.
President Sirisena’s concerns grew after the testimonies of former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and the then Police Chief Pujith Jayasundera.
Mr Jayasundera alleged that President Sirisena had asked him to take responsibility for intelligence failures that led to the attacks. He claimed that the President had told him that an inquiry board would clear him and thereafter he would be posted as a Sri Lankan envoy overseas.
Mr Fernando complained he had given up giving intelligence briefings to the President after he was told that the State Intelligence Service chief, DIG Nilantha Jayawardena was doing so.
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