Disunited Unity Govt's validity questioned in the House
Opposition demand for debate on commission reports strengthened by President's challenge to MPs for same
As President Maithripala Sirisena steps into the third year of his presidency, that all is not well within the Government of National Unity, is becoming ever more apparent. While the rumblings from the President are being heard loud and clear from one political stage to another, some UNP lawmakers too, have been voicing antagonistic views regarding the man they worked very hard to bring to power in 2015. It is this public display of disunity within the Government of National Unity that prompted Opposition MPs in Parliament to question the validity of the Government of National Unity, in the absence of a formal agreement between the two parties.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in August 2015, between the UNP and the SLFP, valid for two years, which was later extended till Dec.31, 2017. With both parties bracing for the Feb. 10 Local Government ( LG) e l e c t i o n s, the absence of any formal agreement been the two sides that are in Government was raised by both the
Joint Opposition
(JO) group and the
JVP MPs in Parliament this week.
Chief Opposition Whip and JVP Leader Anura Dissanayake said the number of Cabinet Ministers has increased to 48 and the number of Deputy Ministers to 45 under the National Government in power.
However, that has now expired and there has been no announcement of a renewal of the MoU.
“We would like to know whether the Speaker has been informed if the MoU has been renewed between the two parties. The Speaker should be duly informed if the agreement has been extended,” he said.
JO Parliament group and MEP Leader Dinesh Gunawardena too said the number of Cabinet Ministers is in excess of the number stipulated in the Constitution. “The National Government was formed subsequent to a Parliamentary motion in 2015. The UNP-SLFP MoU to work in a National Government expired on Dec.31. As per the Constitution, the number of Cabinet Ministers should be limited to 30, unless there is a National Government,” he said.
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya told the House he has not received any official communication over a new agreement between the two parties or, an extension of the existing agreement.
Meanwhile, there was heated debate in Parliament this week on when to debate the Bond Commission Report, as well as the Report of the Commission t hat inquired into large scale corruption cases during the regime of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
At a party Leaders meeting on Wednesday ( 24), it was decided to hold the debate on Feb.20 and 21, after the end of the LG polls. However, the JVP and the JO are both pushing for a date prior to Election Day, to debate the Reports. JVP leader Anura Dissanayaka wrote to the Speaker on Friday asking him to summon the House before Feb.10.
He has stated in the letter that the contents of the two Reports could have a bearing on the results of the election, if people are made aware through a Parliamentary debate, of the corruption uncovered by the two Commissions.
While the contents of the two Reports are damning for both the UNP as well as many JO group members, who are contesting the LG polls as a separate party under the auspices of the former president, a debate prior to the election is more likely to be a mudslinging exercise, than a real effort to punish wrongdoers.
However, with President Sirisena challenging MPs to debate the Reports before the election, the call on the Speaker to agree to a date prior to polls day, is likely to intensify in the coming week.