Odds & Ends

Back benches not attractive

Making a quiet entrance to Parliament on Tuesday were the two Government members -Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathy Sooriyaarachachi - who recently lost their portfolios. Both entered the Chamber to a warm welcome by the UNP and more so by the JVP MPs. With their new seats in the last row, the number of friends also seems to have dropped with only a few of their colleagues brave enough to chat with them. The back benches certainly don’t attract the crowds particularly when on the Government side.

Cooling down after warning

Thursday marked the fifth anniversary of the much maligned Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) between the Government and the LTTE. In Parliament, JVP Parliamentary group leader Wimal Weerawansa made a lengthy statement in which he pointed out all what was wrong with the agreement and asked the Government to formally bury it. All hell broke out after he made the statement and in the confusion Trincomalee district JVP MP Jayantha Wijesekera ran off with the Mace. An angry Speaker announced to the House that the Mace has been seized by an MP but he would not allow that to disrupt the proceedings. The Mace was restored to its rightful place a few minutes later followed by a ten minute suspension by which time the JVP MPs had lost their fury and were as cool as cucumbers. Maybe it was the warning from the Speaker threatening action against the unauthorised Mace carrier that made them cool down.

Hothead MP

One TNA MP who loses his cool all too often is Jaffna district Parliamentarian M.K.Sivajilingam. On Tuesday when the Jathika Saviya Bill was being taken up for debate, the MP was angry that the proper Tamil name was not included in the Tamil version of the Bill and in his fury sent many copies of the Bill flying to the Well of the House. The reaction was premature because a Government member was on his feet announcing that the name of the Bill has been changed and a proper Tamil translation to it would be moved during the committee stage.

Fate of the nation?

Also on Tuesday nearly one and half hours was wasted during question time all because the Opposition objected to the person replying to some questions raised by it. The matter came up when Minister Chandrasiri Gajadeera said he was acting for Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Karu Jayasuriya and was answering on his behalf. But the Opposition alleged that he had not been sworn in and it was only after the Speaker received in writing that the member had actually taken his oaths as an acting Minister that sittings got underway.It was amidst all these bickering that the Speaker was heard saying mona karumayakda? Not only his karumey, more like the whole nation’s.