Speaker violated Constitution: PHU

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has violated the Constitution by inserting a proposal, which was submitted to suspend the expenditure head of the Prime Minister’s Office, into the Order Paper of Parliament, the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) said yesterday.

The United National Front (UNF) submitted the proposal to the Speaker to suspend the expenditure head of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Office for the rest of the year. The proposal was later inserted into the Order Book and it is scheduled to be taken up for a debate on November 29. PHU leader and Minister Udaya Gammanpila said the Speaker may be able to suspend Standing Orders with the support of several MPS, but he could not suspend the Constitution of Sri Lanka.

“According to Clause 152 of the Constitution, only a minister can submit a proposal or a draft which deals with funds after it was approved by the Cabinet. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is greener than the UNP, says there are no ministers in Parliament anymore. He says there are only MPS in Parliament on both sides. If that is the case, MP Dissanayake should enlighten us how a person who is not a minister can present a proposal of this sort,” he said.