If proof is needed, here it is in simple arithmetic
Parliament met this Friday morn at 10.30 to decide on the composition of the new Parliamentary Select Committee. UPFA demanded that they be given seven seats on the basis they were the government and that they, as Mahinda Samarasinghe had boasted the day earlier, commanded the majority of the seats.
But Speaker Karu Jayasuriya thought otherwise. And in fairness to all, granted UPFA five seats, the UNF five seats and the TNA and the JVP a seat each. This was to be put to a vote but before it, the entire UPFA group walked out in protest. The vote took place and the UNF, together with the TNA and the
JVP voted with an overwhelming 121 out of the total of 225 seats. Thus proving for the third time that the UNF and its new found partners fighting for democracy, held the majority; and the bogus regime did not command the confidence of the
House and was a sham government whatever the President, in his opinion might seem or care to think.
If proof was needed, here it was spelt out in calculus: In plain simple arithmetic. Or for those MPs unable to count one that could be arrived at on a Chinese abacus or a cheap calculator.
If anyone had doubts as to whether the voice votes had proved that the UNF had the majority, here it was taken name by name. But Dinesh Gunawardena refused to accept the verdict and declared at a press conference held on Friday that UPFA had decided to boycott parliamentary sessions until Speaker Karu Jayasuriya acted according to the Constitution, Standing Orders and parliamentary tradition.
Whose loss? But as they say if you can’t stand the heat of defeat, stay out of the kitchen.