There were heated scenes in Parliament last morning over the appointment of a former Secretary General (SG) of Parliament, Priyanee Wijesekera, to the UNP Working Committee, with a senior government member saying that the appointment compromises the sovereignty of Parliament.
Chief Government Whip Dinesh Gunawardena said former SGs of Parliament were granted many perks and privileges even after their retirement, so that they would not dabble in politics. Besides, it could be harmful to the position of prestige they held in the Legislature.
The matter came up when UPFA National List MP A.H.M. Azwer queried why Ms Wijesekera, who serves on the Parliamentary Scholarship Board, has taken up a position within a political party.“We give special perks and privileges to Supreme Court judges in the same manner, so that they won’t dabble in politics after retirement, and harm the good name of the institution they once represented,” Minister Gunawardena said. However, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe defended Ms Wijesekera’s appointment to the UNP Working Committee saying, “she no longer serves in any government institution. We appoint women professionals to the committee, and she was approached to fill one such vacancy,” the UNP Leader said.
He also said a former Chief Justice has been appointed as an advisor to the President, which ias also a political appointment. “Once a person is retired from public service, there can be no restriction on what he/she does,” he added. UNP Kurunegala District MP Dayasiri Jayasekera pointed out that a former judge of the Supreme Court, Nihal Jayasinghe was sent as High Commissioner to the U.K. |
E-mail
