Speaker’s behaviour in Parliament would set a bad precedent: Bandula

The Speaker did this in callous disregard to the Standing Orders that govern parliamentary businesses

The government charged yesterday that Speaker Karu Jayasuriya’s behaviour in the ad hoc conduct of parliamentary businesses would set a bad precedent. Addressing a press conference on behalf of the government, International Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardane said the Speaker carried a separate chair for him to be seated in a corner of the Chamber and addressed the session using a wireless microphone. “The Speaker did this in callous disregard to the Standing Orders that govern parliamentary businesses,” he said. He said the former Unp-led government planned for the enactment of constitutional amendments in the smilax fashion.

“If not for the change of the government, a Federal constitution would have been enacted in the same ad hoc manner followed in passing the no confidence motion. Nowhere in the world, had a Speaker acted in such an arbitrary manner like this,” he said. He said the government MPS misbehaved in the House as a mark of protest over the failure on the part of the Speaker to take action against two UNP MPS who brought in knives to the Chamber ostensibly to harm anyone.