News - odds and ends

A group of Muslims ministers and MPs held a press briefing in the Parliamentary complex on Friday to give details of the relief work being carried out by the Government to assist the refugees in Kantale. Watching them closely throughout the proceedings was President Mahinda Rajapaksa loyalist and MP Dallas Allahapperuma.

After the press conference concluded, he was seen shaking hands with the Muslim politicos congratulating them for a job well done.

Petty name calling

Parliament had to be suspended for more than two hours on Friday after Chief Opposition Whip Joseph Michael Perera made a reference to JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe in an unflattering manner. The JVP MPs present in the Chambers pounced on Mr. Perera as soon as he had spoken the words and there was an exchange of even more abusive words between him and the JVP MPs. The Speaker, unable to bring things under control suspended sittings for ten minutes but it took two hours to resolve the issue.

When the House resumed, Mr. Perera expressed his regrets if he had actually made such a remark and things were back to normal. The end result was the important debate on the emergency regulations having to go well past 6.30 p.m. All due to some petty name calling.

Target in House as well

The rivalry between MPs of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the lone EPDP leader Minister Douglas Devananda is not always confined to the exchange of harsh words. On Friday, TNA Jaffna district MP S. Gajendran who was on his feet during the emergency debate got into an argument with Mr. Devananda.

Not satisfied with hurling abuse at the minister, Mr. Gajendran took a thick book and hurled it towards Mr. Devananda. Luckily he missed the target and the book only hit the front of Mr. Devananda’s table.

Very soon they might have to begin sheltering the EPDP member even when he is in the Chambers.

Another post mortem

Controversy rages over the killing of 17 workers belonging to the French INGO Action Against Hunger. An inquest into their killings was held in Trincomalee this week.

However, political circles are buzzing about a move by a politico to lobby the Police to hold another post mortem inquiry in Colombo. Police top brass have refused to back his move on the grounds that it would amount to interference in the legal process.