PM criticises absenteeism at sessions

Parliament should meet only once in three months if MPs are absent frequently, Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne said yesterday.

Speaking during the second reading debate on the Budget in the House, Mr. Jayaratne said the sessions should be held only once in three months so that the millions of funds that are spent for the sessions can be saved.

“I see empty seats all-around me and there is no point spending millions of rupees for the sessions if members are frequently absent and I suggest that Parliament should meet only once in three months so that the funds won’t be wasted,” the Prime Minister said.

However the criticism by the Prime Minister was more or less directed at the opposition more than the members in the government benches, as only one member of the Tamil NationalAlliance (TNA) and a few members from the ruling party were present at the chambers at that time. “The budget does not belong to the government alone, but to the opposition as well, as the members of the opposition also have a role to play in the budgetary process,” he said stressing that the opposition has a duty to show the shortcomings in a budget.