Parliament row dashes hopes of dignified debates

In the new legislature, hopes of parliamentary debates being civil and dignified were dashed on the first proper day of business on Friday, when an ugly spat erupted between Galle District Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Manusha Nanayakkara and State Minister Nimal Lanza.

The exchange occurred after the SJB MP told Parliament that 29 percent of all Government institutions have come under members of the Rajapaksa family. He questioned whether this meant the "Sahodara Samagama" was back in force.

Clearly irritated by Mr Nanayakkara's speech, Mr Lanza, who spoke immediately afterwards, referred to Mr Nanayakkara's family history and accused him of neglecting his wife and children. Mr Nanayakkara in turn, accused Mr Lanza of running a prostitution ring.

The SJB vehemently protested Mr Lanza's remarks and asked that they be struck from the Parliament Hansard, the official record of the House proceedings.

There were many new MPs in the House at the time of the exchange and one wonders what they would have felt seeing these two MPs hurl such ugly personal insults at each other instead of debating the matters at hand.

Mr Nanayakkara also took aim at a comment by the former Supreme Court Judge and Northern Province former Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran, who referred to the Tamil language being the oldest living language in the world. Mr Nanayakkara wanted that reference expunged from the Hansard saying it was a violation of the sixth Amendment to the Constitution that debarred espousing a separate state.

The new Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene had to deal with the hot potato on his lap on his first day on the hot seat, saying he will look into the matter.