The Island Editorial

Rumpus in the House

09 March 2017

Parliament was thrown into turmoil once again yesterday following Speaker Karu Jayasuriya’s order that Joint Opposition Leader and UPFA MP Dinesh Gunawardena be removed from the Chamber. Tempers flared when the Speaker ruled that National Freedom Front (NFF) could not leave the UPFA and act independently in Parliament. That ruling caused NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa to let out a stream of invective and Gunawardena to launch into a diatribe against the Chair. Police were called in to assist the Sergeant-at-arms and his staff in the task. Joint Opposition (JO) members circled the wagons. MP Gunawardena was, subsequently, suspended for one week. Rs. 4.6 mn, being the cost of one parliamentary sitting, thus went down the gurgler.

It was some moons ago that Weerawansa first made known his intention to break ranks with the UPFA. The government chose to drag its feet on the issue because it saw through the NFF strategy, which was inimical to its interests.

There are arguments for and against the NFF move to leave the UPFA. Those who endorse the Speaker’s ruling point out that the NFF did not sign an MoU with the UPFA prior to the last election. However, if the NFF cannot be officially recognised as a constituent of the UPFA due to the absence of a formal agreement between them, then one may argue that the legality of the present government is also in question. For, the basis for the formation of the so-called national unity government is an agreement between the UNP and the SLFP and not the UPFA, which contested the 2015 parliamentary polls. The 19th Amendment provides for a coming together of the winner and the runner-up in a general election to form a national government so as to overcome the constitutionally prescribed limit on the number of ministers. The party which obtained the second highest number of seats was the UPFA and not the SLFP, which did not contest the last general election as a separate party.

Why the ruling politicians are opposing the NFF move to leave the UPFA is understandable. The disintegration of the UPFA is bound to weaken President Maithripala Sirisena’s position in the SLFP greatly and strengthen that of the JO loyal to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. True, the UNP is bent on clipping the President’s wings, but it, at the same time, wants him to remain strong enough to shore up the present government till 2020. If the President is seen to be weak, more of his backers will defect to the Rajapaksa camp, which is striving to regain control of the SLFP. This is a worrisome proposition for the UNP and hence it is all out to prevent the UPFA from falling apart.

So, it is only wishful thinking that any of the UPFA constituents will be able to act independently in Parliament. Similarly, if the government thinks it can remain in power by manipulating Parliament instead of facing and solving the problems it is beset with, it is mistaken.

 Cake-cutting privilege

National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa has got into another controversy. On Tuesday, having been taken from remand prison to Parliament, he was seen celebrating his birthday in a parliamentary restaurant. The event has not gone down well with some people; the cake cutting has, in fact, left a bad taste in their mouths.

The matter has already been raised in Parliament and referred to the Speaker; it is best left to him. Courts will decide whether Weerawansa’s birthday party amounts to a violation of the conditions on which he is allowed to attend Parliament.

Birthday celebrations are common in prisons though it is doubtful whether Opposition MPs behind bars are allowed to throw parties. We have reported some instances where rich inmates celebrated their birthdays. They are never short of expensive liquor, cigarettes and tasty comestibles in their cells. Only the poor prisoners languish in prison.

Meanwhile, the question is why those who have welcomed Weerawansa’s prolonged stay in remand prison for allegedly abusing public property and are demanding severe action against him for his birthday party don’t call for the arrest of pro-government lawbreakers. Those responsible for the biggest ever financial crime, the Central Bank bond scam, which has caused a loss of billions of rupees to the state are moving about freely and even sighted in the exalted company of government leaders while the Opposition politicians are remanded for lesser offences. Are the government politicians and their cronies ‘more equal’ than others before the law?

Weerawansa must be made to face the consequences of his action if he has been on the wrong side of the law. Likewise, the law has to apply equally to the government politicians and their backers who have committed far more serious offences than he.