Lobby

Parliamentary democracy is alive and kicking in Sri Lanka, at least it seemed like that last week. When sittings began on Tuesday, several prominent members raised interesting issues prompted by unpleasant personal experiences; but they were also a reflection of some of the disquiet building up in society in recent months.

The breakdown of the UNP-SLFP MOU prompted the Leader of the Opposition to make a special statement in Parliament, (quite an achievement given the fact he did not participate in a single debate during the last Budget), alleged telephone death threats prompted Minister Anura Bandaranaike, a day before his removal from his portfolio on Friday night, to accuse persons close to the President of trying to silence him as well as question what kind of security an “appuhamy” could expect when a minister was not free to speak and minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle accused a policeman escorting a colleague’s vehicle of harassing him while on the way to Parliament and asked how an ordinary person would be treated when he being a minister was not free from harassment on the roads. Amidst these voices were also those who had no qualms about speaking up to hold onto their front row seats in the Legislature.

Mr. Wickremesinghe began February’s first day of sittings by making a special statement to on the breakdown of the MOU between the UNP and the SLFP. He said, “I stand with great sadness in my heart to inform MPs of the circumstances leading to the dissolution of the historic MOU.” He effectively blamed President Mahinda Rajapaksa for its destruction by swearing in UNP MPs into his new Cabinet. His sadness was understandable because seated right across him were senior UNP MPs including Karu Jayasuriya, G.L. Peries, M.H.Mohamed and P.Dayaratne who had just days earlier taken oaths as Cabinet Ministers .

Other than this disheartening sight, it was hard to understand why he was lamenting over an agreement which was more like a marriage of convenience entered into by the two parties but was never consummated.

The defectors’ earlier claim that the MOU was hurried into by the UNP leadership to prevent them from crossing over seemed to gain some credence from Mr. Wickremesinghe’s own statement because he seems to have been under the impression that the MOU had closed the door on such a possibility. “This (swearing in of UNP MPs) is contrary to the MOU which stated, that the modalities of collaboration will be implemented at an early date after further direct discussion between the two leaders and acceptance by the appropriate bodies of each of the two parties,” Mr.Wickremesinghe said.

The sight of UNP members occupying the front row on the government side caused much unrest among other members as well. First on his feet was Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, who had been shifted from the front row to the second row and who asked the Speaker W.J.M.Lokubandara on what basis the seats had been allocated.

Soon the JVP as well as UNP MPs seized on the issue with JVP parliamentary group leader Wimal Weerawansa taking the lead in asking why senior members were being pushed back to accommodate new entrants to the government. “Those seated on the front row do not represent the mandate that the President received in 2005. Those who discredited the Mahinda Chintanaya are seated before us now. It’s an unpleasant sight and the Speaker must intervene and have the seats changed,” he said.

The UNP too latched onto the issue and both Chief Opposition Whip Joseph Michael Perera and Kandy district MP Lakshman Kiriella said the allocation of seats was improper.

“Mr. Gunawardena is a party leader and he has been moved back, Mrs.Fariel Ashraff is a party leader and she too has been moved back. On what basis were seats allocated?” Mr.Kiriella asked.

The Speaker said the decision was left to the Leader of the House and the Chief Government Whip and tried to wash his hands off the issue. But continuous protests by the Opposition members resulted in the House being adjourned for more than half an hour to settle the issue but it was only the next morning that the seats were re allocated with the UNP ministers being allocated only two front row seats (Karu Jayasuriya and M.H.Mohamed) from the initial four seats, while Mr.Gunawardena, Mrs. Ashraff returned to their front row seats. Two front row seats were also given to the JHU Parliamentary group leader Ven. Aturaliye Ratana Thera and SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem.

While many were shouting for their front row seats, there was an exception in the new JHU member Champika Ranawaka who took his oaths as an MP on Tuesday. Unlike others he wanted to shift from the third row to the last, because he did not want to sit there while Party leader Ven. Ellawala Medananada Thera was occupying a seat in the last row. His wish was granted and for the first time, a Cabinet Minister occupied a seat in the rear end of the House.

After the seat issue was somewhat resolved, Mr. Bandaranaike dropped a political bombshell in the House raising a matter of privilege and accusing “sections of the government” for being behind calls he had received. He alleged that that the caller had threatened that both he and minister Mangala Samaraweera, (who too was removed from his portfolio on Friday night), would be killed and hung from lamp posts if they opposed the President.

With Mr.Samarawwera seated closeby, Mr.Bandaranaike said, they would not be intimidated by such threats and said it would only make them tougher. His hard hitting speech, with indirect accusations at the President himself, brought into the open the festering rift in the SLFP which has erupted with the induction of the UNP MPs into the government.

Another minister unafraid to speak his mind, Mr. Fernandopulle, too raised a privilege issue and strangely it was directed at a policeman escorting an unnamed colleague of his while he was on the way to Parliament.

The Chief Government whip said his vehicle was stopped near the Borella roundabout for the traffic lights when a policeman on a bike had arrived on the scene and asked the driver to move the vehicle. Mr. Fernandopulle said he had instructed the driver not to do so and the driver was verbally abused by the policeman. “How can an ordinary person go on the road when I being a minister is treated like this,” he asked. At least his personal experience had prompted Mr. Fernandopulle to speak out on an issue which has become a nightmarish experience for motorists as well as pedestrians.

With all the political bickering, the LTTE, which is normally the main subject of discussion especially on days when the emergency is being debated lost some of its prominence. It is the enemies from within that each Party is trying hard to deal with at present and without exception, the SLFP, the UNP and the JVP are likely to face a trying time to keep their parties intact.