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Countdown begins for election of Speaker
By Chandani Kirinde and Nalaka Nonis

JHU monks win hearts of staff
The newly elected Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) parliamentarians were much in demand when they visited the Parliamentary complex this week to register themselves.

The monks were carrying with them 'Priith nool' and many of the staff members rushed to get their blessings.
The demand was so high that they ran short of 'pirith nool'.

With the first session of the thirteenth Parliament of Sri Lanka scheduled for next Thursday, arrangements have been made to help new MPs familiarise themselves with the business end of the legislature and lay the groundwork for election of Speaker.

With a consensus for the important post of Speaker of parliament appearing unlikely, the UPFA and the UNF are talking to the smaller parties in a bid to win support for their choice of candidate.

While the United National Front is expected to propose the name of senior politician and former Minister W.J.M. Lokubandara for the post of Speaker the Freedom Alliance is tipped to nominate its National List parliamentarian D.E.W. Gunasekera.

Mr. Lokubandara told "The Sunday Times" that he was confident of being elected. "There will be a secret ballot and even some of the government MPs are backing me", he said. It was former Speaker Joseph Michael Perera who proposed Mr. Lokubandara's name for the post. Prior to the election of the Speaker, the Secretary General of Parliament will read out the proclamation of the President summoning the meeting.

After the election of the Speaker, the official Oath of Affirmation will be administered by the Secretary General of Parliament to all members present and will be followed by the election of the Deputy Speaker and the Deputy Chairman of Committees. The previous Parliament functioned from December 2001 to February 2004 and conducted its business without a Deputy Speaker as the UNF government which was in office at the time insisted that an opposition member be nominated for the post. With no agreement forthcoming the post continued to remain vacant for more than two years. Whenever the need arose the Speaker was assisted by the Deputy Chairman of Committees and members of the Speaker's Panel.

The Speaker's Panel is nominated at the commencement of every parliamentary session consisting not less than four members to act as temporary Chairman of Committees at the request of the Deputy Speaker or in his absence by the Deputy Chairman of Committees. The Jathika Hela Urumaya with nine members has said it was likely to abstain from voting which means the Tamil National Alliance, the Ceylon Workers Congress and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress will be the deciding factors on who will occupy the chair of Speaker in the new parliament.

The TNA is still undecided as to whom the party would support for the post of Speaker but was expected to make up its mind after meeting with the LTTE's Wanni leadership. There are more than 55 new members to parliament this year and last week, they were given the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the rules that govern the legislature. Some 35 of them were invited to parliament last week for the familiarisation visit. The briefing given them included matters relating to Standing Orders, Powers and Privileges Act and the dress code when attending parliament sittings.

The personal data of the new MPs were also compiled by parliament officials and were briefed on what they needed to do on the first day in Parliament. A parliament official said the MPs who require official accommodation were asked to fill in an application and were told that housing would be allocated on a first come first served basis. However he said there had been no applicants so far. With nine members of the Buddhist clergy entering parliament, special arrangements are being made to provide a separate rest room as well a dining area for their convenience. The monks are to be served meals out of a new menu now under preparation. The monk MPs are to be served their lunch earlier than the others.

One of the items of the agenda for the new Parliament will be the appointment of consultative committees for each ministry. There were also several important select committees of Parliament with unfinished business when the legislature was suddenly dissolved and it is likely these select committees will be reconstituted after the new Parliament meets. The unfinished business of the previous select committees include electoral reforms, the administration of justice and the codification of the law relating to contempt of court.

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