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In Parliament on Friday the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) members voiced concern that one of its members was not given his full quota of time to take part in the Budget debate.

A few days ago there were similar scenes at the Sri Jayawardenepura-Kotte Municipal Council when the Budget was taken up for vote.
Opposition members accused the Mayor of not allowing them to express their views before the vote.

Instead, 21 members of the ruling Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna (SLPP) raised their hands and it was recorded that the Budget was passed with 21 members voting for it, while 17 Opposition members were not given time to express their views.

Opposition members are now planning to complain to the Local Government Commissioner on the issue.

Blackout Friday generates jokes in Parliament

When there was a countrywide power cut on Friday, the Parliament was debating the Budget allocation to two ministries – the Defence Ministry and the Public Security Ministry.

The session went on till 3.00 pm on a backup generator run by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) – national service provider given the task to ensure a continuous power supply. When the generator stopped, the chamber lights were on “dim mode”

Later, Government Chief Whip and Minister Johnston Fernando urged the Parliament not to outsource the power supply operations to a third party, even if it be to another state institution like the CEB. He said Parliament should take steps to ensure its power supply by hiring an electrical engineer of its own.

Lobby correspondents who were reporting on the debate took note of it with one declaring that citizens also should follow suit by getting a generator for their own usage rather than depending on the CEB.

Another responded sarcastically saying there is a shortage of generators in the market as well, and whatever is available, is sold at an exorbitant price.

South Africa physically distances itself from Omicron

Ever since COVID-19 was reported to have originated in China, its muted variants were identified along with the names of those respective countries. This led to the condemnation of those countries. The precedent was set by controversial and unpredictable Donald Trump, former President of the United States. He infamously declared COVID-19 as the ‘Chinese virus.’

Later, the World Health Organisation (WHO) came up with Greek names for COVID-19 variants, and the latest which causes many concerns these days across the globe is omicron which was detected in South Africa.

As expected, the new variant was identified along with the country name. Sri Lanka this week reported its first case of the muted variant from an individual who returned from Nigeria.

On Monday, South African High Commissioner Sandile Edwin Schalk was in Parliament to take part in the meeting of the Sri Lanka – South Africa Parliamentary Friendship Association and the selection of new officials. The High Commissioner tried to use the event to “untag” his country’s name from the new variant.

The High Commissioner said although South African doctors were the first to discover the omicron variant, it had not originated in South Africa and he urged the media not to link his country specifically with the new variant.

Gas: Ministers cook their own goose

It is not only ordinary citizens who are afraid of gas cylinder linked explosions, but Ministers and MPs also.

Media Minister Dullas Alahapperuma told the Cabinet media briefing that his wife is also fearful over operating the gas cooker because of the recent incidents involving cylinders of Litro Gas.

Highways Minister Johnston Fernando, when questioned by journalists, said “It is not just the people who are afraid. Even we are afraid. Even we use cooking gas in our residences,” he said.

State Minister Nimal Lanza meanwhile, said he usually woke up at 3.00 am.

“I’m the one who makes tea and every time now, I’m afraid when I turn on the gas cooker. If it is like that for me, I can imagine how fearful the people are.”

Meanwhile, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MPs also raised concerns in Parliament this week. They complained to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena that the main cylinders of gas
in Parliament were located next to the MPs’ canteen.

Omicron in Lanka: Ministers afflicted by quack comments

One would think that politicians would have learned by now not to make bold statements regarding COVID-19.

In the days following the detection of the highly infectious “Omicron” variant of COVID-19, some Government Ministers have tried to assure the people that the country is well-equipped to handle the situation.

That much is fine, but there were others who claimed the country had rigid systems in place to prevent the variant from entering the country. Clearly, they seem to have ignored comments by medical experts that it is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ such a variant would be detected in Sri Lanka.

The ‘when’ became last Friday, when the Health Ministry announced that a Sri Lankan who had returned from Nigeria was infected with the new variant.