No
more stink wanted
Parliament was suspended on Friday evening for five minutes after
MPs complained of a stench emitting into the Chamber. As the smell
got stronger and some MPs said it smelled like gas, the Speaker
suspended the House for five minutes and asked all MPs to vacate
the Chamber. Once the doors leading to the Chamber were opened wide,
the smell gradually got less and less. One minister was heard saying,
" With all the stink already inside the House, the last thing
needed was more stink from outside."
No
stink here !
The stink episode ended without anyone finding out what
caused it but soon after sittings ended, all MPs were gifted with
several kilos of fish to be taken home with them. All this courtesy
the Fisheries Ministry. And there was no one complaining of a stink
in this instance.
Christmas
party instead
However the customary post-Budget dinner hosted by the
Speaker at his residence was not held this year. As less than half
the 225 MPs invited usually turn up, much of the food go waste and
hence this year it has been cancelled. Instead a Christmas party
has been planned for the Parliament staff.
Taking
a cue
The children's Parliament that is featured on state-run
TV seems to have taken a cue from the local legislature. The MPs
on the government side introduce a Bill and those on the Opposition
benches oppose it. And there is no consensus even when the Bill
seeks to do something positive towards society. With both the real
ones and the actors adopting similar methods, politics of co-habitation
seems a distant dream.
Politicos
better actors?
Several visitors were leaving the public gallery of Parliament
with the Budget debate ending amidst lots of sounds and action.
One of them quipped that the feeling one had while leaving the gallery
was the same as one has when leaving a cinema hall. It's obviously
becoming more and more difficult to distinguish whether politicians
or the real actors are better at their job.
Nothing
missing
After the tug-of-war that took place when a group of UNP
MPs tried to remove the Mace, rumours started that two of the blue
sapphires on it had gone missing in the melee. Not so announced
the Speaker to Parliament two days later. Nothing was missing despite
the manhandling. |
