We are ready to face NCM brought by UNF - Mahinda Samarasinghe

The motion handed on Friday to Secretary General of Parliament was also controversial. Therefore, we have no intention to let it debate. If the UNF brings the NCM, we can agree, yes we are ready for that

If the alliance led by the UNF brings the No Faith Motion, that would not violate the Constitution and Parliamentary Standing Order, the government was ready to face it, take up for debate and vote, Cabinet Spokesman, Ports and Shipping Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said yesterday.

“What the NCM must simply say is that they do not have faith in the present government,” he said.

Minister Samarasinghe told the weekly cabinet news conference that the alliance led by the UNF since October 26, had done the wrong and not the right in and out of Parliament, and therefore, no solution could be found until they resort to do the right thing.

“The first No Confidence Motion (NCM) was unconstitutional as it had challenged the authority of the President. The second was also the same. The motion handed on Friday to Secretary General of Parliament was also controversial. Therefore, we have no intention to let it debate. If the UNF brings the NCM we can agree, yes we are ready for that,” he said.

Minister Samarasinghe pointed out the question where there would be any unwarranted incidents in Parliament would be decided on the behaviour of the UNF led alliance and added the government’s representation in the sub committee must be the majority.

Governments with the majority of members in the opposition have been given the majority representation in the subcommittee in the past. We demand we need majority representation though we have only 102 members. The UNF does not have 122 as they claim.

“When members to the Select Committee are appointed, we would give separate representation to other opposition parties like the TNA and JVP separately with we will be maintaining a majority because the government automatically should be given the majority representation despite the opposition having the majority in the House,” Minister Samarasinghe stressed.