Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has said that he would convene a party leader's meeting to decide on whether the sittings of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the terrorist attacks should be open to the media or not.
Issuing a statement today (Jun 8), the Speaker noted that officials testifying before the committee have been allowed to reveal controversial matters which could pose a threat to national security, without the presence of the media.
"The Parliament had granted permission to open the sittings of the committee to the media. This isn't an unusual experience for a democratic country," Mr. Jayasuriya said in his statement.
The Speaker's statement comes in the wake of the President's remarks yesterday that he disapproves the disclosure of confidential intelligence information before the media.
Speaker Jayasuriya said that this issue raised by the President could have been resolved internally if opposition parliamentarians had joined the Committee. He explained that the opposition members had not been nominated to the five seats allocated for the opposition in the 12-member Select Committee.
Further, the Speaker took issue with the President's remarks on not tabling a letter from the Attorney General which was sent by him, regarding the PSC.
"Letters from the President are tabled before the Parliament depending on its importance. It is not required to submit a letter sent by the President's Secretary on a select committee, before Parliament," the Speaker noted.
However, Mr. Jayasruriya said he took measures to inform the PSC members of a letter from the Attorney General which was passed down to him from the Presidential Secratariat. This letter had stated that certain information being disclosed before the Committee could affect ongoing investigations and court cases on the Easter Sunday bombings, he noted.
The Speaker emphasised that the matters of the Committee which was appointed by the Parliament could not be stopped at his discretion. It is the Parliament which has the power to suspend the Committee and halt its activities, the statement noted.
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