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Anti - govt. posters inside Parliament Opposition UNP members yesterday displayed anti-government posters within the chamber of Parliament causing a major uproar which led to the premature adjournment of sittings just half an hour after proceedings began. Deputy Speaker Anil Moonesinghe adjourned sessions as the protesting Parliamentarians continued to display the posters and shouted slogans notwithstanding repeated warnings from the Chair.As all attempts to restore order failed and the situation worsened,the Deputy Speaker put off sittings until 9.30 am today. The UNP protest,which was a well planned move,focussed on the ‘government's broken promises’ The drama got underway when UNP Moneragala district Parliamentarian Dharmadasa Banda raised a question of privilege pertaining to the special gazette notification published under the hand of the President setting out the suspension of part of a clause relating to the date on which provincial council elections should be held. "In terms of Section 15(Q) of the Constitution Parliament shall make provision to hold elections. The special Gazette notice states that the section dealing with the date for holding PC elections is made inoperative while Emergency law is in effect in areas where Provincial Councils are functioning" the MP said. He asserted that the notice impinges on the provision of the Constitution and that even under emergency law it was not possible to make inoperative any part of the Constitution."It is a very serious breach of Parliamentary privilege",the UNP Parliamentarian told the House. Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle at this stage interjected that the issue was not a point of order. The deputy speaker then observed that the issue had been raised without prior consultation with him in keeping with Parliamentary procedure. Other UNP members sought to make a case for the issue being raised at this stage. UNP MPs John Amaratunga and Tyronne Fernando were also on their feet. Repeated attempts by the Deputy Speaker to restore order proved futile. At that point all UNP members in the chamber got to their feet and displayed anti-government posters causing a major disturbance. Opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe left the chamber shortly before his party members sprang to their feet. The Deputy Speaker then suspended sittings for 10 minutes. UNP MPs stayed within the chamber while most Government members left. Some Government Parliamentarians were seen having a close look at the posters during the time sittings were suspended. Minister Nandamithra Ekanayake even displayed one from Government ranks holding it up for the Opposition. MPs from both ranks intermingled while the suspension was in effect. Parliamentarians including Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Chamal Rajapakse, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, D.M Jayaratne and Nandamithra Ekanayake from the government and Mervyn De Silva, Mano Wijeratne and A.H.M Azwer from the Opposition were seen in conversation during that time. The posters largely concentrated on the election pledges made by the Government. "Are you not ashamed to contest for Presidency which you promised to abolish?", "Has the government been reduced to 20 members as promised?","Why is Chandrika afraid of elections?","Where are the 100,000 jobs promised in the first two years?","Where is the Labour Charter?", "Where is the promised Rs.1500 dole for the unemployed youth","Assaults and bullets instead of media freedom" were some of the slogans displayed on the posters. Earlier Parliament resumed sittings after it was suspended for 10 minutes.Deputy Speaker Anil Moonesinghe ruled that the matter should not be raised at that point of time and it was a contravention of Parliamentary tradition to do so. The Deputy Speaker's attempts to start the oral questions failed with the Opposition MPs springing to their feet once again holding posters and causing a deafening uproar. The Deputy Speaker then adjourned Parliament till 9.30 a.m today. Scholar monk, Ven. Piyadassi Nayake Thera passes away The Chief Incumbent of the Bambalapitiya Vajirarama temple and Sangha Nayake of the Amarapura Maha Sangha Sabawa, Vishva Keerthi Sri Sasana Shobana Thripitakaacharya, Ven. Piyadassi Nayaka Thera died at the ICU of the Colombo National Hospital, yesterday after a brief illness. He was 84 years at the time of his demise. The calm, composed and gently benevolent figure of Ven Piyadassi Thera dedicated his life to the welfare of many. He worked tirelessly propagating the Dhamma here and abroad. His Dhamma-duta missions and his linguistic abilities enlightened the lives of everyone who crossed his path. Ven. Piyadassi thera was a scholarly monks whose innovative and thought-provoking dhamma sermons were much sought after by the local and the international followers of Buddhism. Some of the books written by the Thera were, ‘Buddha’s Ancient Path’, ‘Buddhism — a living message’, ‘The spectrum of Buddhism’, ‘The book of protection’, which were among the popular selections. Ven. Piyadassi Maha Nayaka Thera committed his services to the wellbeing of the community. He gave both moral courage and material support to the wounded soldiers. He was an internationally famed religious figure who was conferred with many honorary titles. He was revered for his life of discipline and commitment to the welfare of all living beings. His life will be an indelible chapter in the annals of Buddhist history. Terrorists posing as rice dealers nabbed in
Peradeniya The two suspects including the one who committed suicide by swallowing cyanide following detections of a haul of explosive from a house at Pahala Aludeniya, Daulagala, had posed off as wholesale rice dealers during the time they were in occupation of the house of the Burgher family, investigations had revealed. However the suspect who committed suicide at the time of the arrest by a joint police army team is believed to have been the main man behind the operation. He had obtained a forged National Identity Card with a Muslim name to move into and share the house with the Burgher family and to carry on his purported trade in supplying rice, police said. According to police investigators no other arrests except the women who had given refuge to the terrorists have been made so far. The woman and the two children are under interrogation with regard to accommodating the two Tigers in their house. Meanwhile a resident of Batticaloa was taken into custody by Peradeniya Police on Monday at the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital where one of the suspects in the explosives detection incident is warded after swallowing cyanide. The suspect has said he had visited a patient in a ward of the hospital. The suspect was remanded till August 25 by the Kandy Magistrate. PLOTE complains of security measures in Vavuniya People's Liberation Organization of Thamil Eelam in a letter to President Kumaratunge says that the new arrangement carried out by the Army in the distribution of gasoline at Vavuniya has caused severe inconvenience to the people, although this measure has been taken in view of preventing gasoline reaching the hands of the LTTE. People in Vavuniya are badly affected by this new measure. Since the major base is Mannar to smuggle goods to LTTE the smugglers don't have to smuggle their goods to Mannar from Vavuniya. Even if gasoline were to be smuggled from Vavuniya there are many check points to pass where this can be detected and prevented easily. We shall like to inform that the gasoline required to Mannar can be supplied from Madawachchi", the letter signed by N, Mannikkathasan, PLOTE Deputy Head added. Fowzie prepared to consider individual appeals of strikers Minister of Transport and Highways, A. H. M. Fowzie said yesterday (18) that he was "prepared to consider individual applications submitted by strikers giving reasons for their action "but" not common appeals made on behalf of all strikers, which would create a bad precedent. A communique issued by him states "the lightning strike launched by some workers at eight depots belonging to the Cluster Bus Companies was no doubt the result of a conspiracy hatched by a few disgruntled elements bent on disrupting bus services in the country and bring the government to disrepute. "The demand for salary hike in spite of action being taken by me in this regard was a ruse adopted to cover up the ulterior motives of these saboteurs. "All major trade unions disowned this strike and the small faction of workers who took part in this illegal action did so at their own risk and therefore they should face its consequences. "It is very important to maintain discipline at work places particularly in the passenger transport sector which affects all people of the country. A responsible government cannot condone cat strikes and put millions of people into inconvenience. "I have to respond to the request made by the Joint Council of Trade Unions to recall strikers back to work in the context of the facts given above. "I take this opportunity to thank the Secretaries of the three major trade unions who issued a statement advising the workers not to fall prey to conspiracies and to await the recommendations of the Salaries Committee appointed by me. Out of the workforce of 36,000 in 93 depots only a handful of workers in eight depots took this disruptive action. I also wish to thank the majority of workers who refused to be misled and performed their duties," he adds. The minister further assures the trade unionists and all workers of Cluster Companies that he is fully aware of their problems and that he is always prepared to listen to their grievances. "Only thing I request from them is a reasonable period of time to sort out the financial problems of the bus companies and make them viable to ensure job security of all concerned," he adds. Meanwhile the Chairman of the Central Transport Board, Ramal Siriwardena speaking to "The island" stated that out of the eight depots six have returned back to work and were now fully operational. "Only the Mattakkuliya and Gampaha depots are non functional. The buses in these depots have been given to other depots to be run," he added. Over 40 buses in the Mattakkuliya depot itself have been thus distributed, according to the chairman. (S.P) Mid-week
Politics UNP National List MP, Anura Bandaranaike quashed speculation that he would join the government last Friday. He met his party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe at the latter's office at Cambridge Terrace for two hours to reaffirm his support to Mr. Wickremesinghe and the party. It was a one-to-one meeting and Cambridge Terrace sources disclosed that Mr. Bandaranaike had told Mr. Wickremesinghe that he would never leave the UNP and there was no other political party for him. Mr. Bandaranaike during the talks with his leader had accused the media of propagating stories about his political future much to the embarrassment of the UNP and its leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. ‘The UNPers say they have uncovered a plan by the People's Alliance government to create a split in the party using the state media. UNP sources said that a cabinet minister from the South has been entrusted with this task. They noted that this cabinet minister was working closely with a young UNP organiser from the deep South in a bid to show that there was a rift in the party between the former first lady Hema Premadasa and Mr. Wickremesinghe. ‘We have warned this young man and we hope he would be careful in the future', said a senior party man. Prior to the UNP National Executive Committee meeting at Hyde Park last week which was followed by a public meeting to oppose the postponement of the Provincial Councils elections, colourful posters appeared on city walls calling for the return of former UNP strongman Sirisena Cooray and Hema Premadasa to the UNP. Party sources disclosed that neither Mrs. Premadasa nor Mr. Cooray had any hand in this poster campaign and accused the PA of making sinister moves to discredit the party. On the eve of the UNP Hyde Park meeting it was a night in the city that looked like election time, claimed the UNP alleging that six jeeps belonging to the armed forces were used to put up posters of Mr. Cooray and Mrs. Premadasa. A group of UNPers who were putting up party posters of the Hyde Park meeting had been set upon by some armed men in these jeeps and had been forced to swallow the paste in the buckets, they alleged. Three of them had been admitted to the Accident Service with injuries as a result of the assault. UNP Chairman Karu Jayasuriya who addressed the meeting at Hyde Park the following day stated that he had in his possession the numbers of the vehicles and accused that those vehicles, belonged to a particular organisation of the armed forces which he named. Mr. Jayasuriya who made a complaint to the Borella Police in that regard later apprised the former Western Province Chief Minister Susil Prem Jayanth about the incident and the scenario on the eve of the Hyde Park meeting. Mr. Prem Jayanth, known as a moderate politician is reported to have expressed shock and regret about the incidents and has told the UNP Chairman that in the past as Chief Minister he ensured that there were no such ugly incidents when he was in office. Both Messrs. Jayasuriya and Prem Jayanth though in rival political camps had been working closely in the city to uphold law and order at all times. The UNP dismissed a report in the state controlled media that the Hyde Park meeting was an impeachment on the party General Secretary Gamini Athukorale. The report said that Mr. Athukorale had acted in an arbitrary manner in selecting the names of the speakers excluding the names of Messrs. Anura Bandaranaike, Karunasena Kodituwakku and Tyronne Fernando. It further noted that Mr. Bandaranaike and Sajith Premadasa had left the platform after the speech of party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to show dissent. UNP sources noted that the list of speakers had been decided upon by the party leadership and Messrs. Bandaranaike and Premadasa had left the platform after Mr. Wickremesinghe's speech to attend a function where both had been invited. The UNP claimed that the PA in its bid to discredit the UNP was now allocating nearly a quarter page on page one in a Sinhala daily controlled by the government, to carry news items to show there was a rift in the United National Party. UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe stated that there was a no division in the party under his leadership and proudly claimed that ninety per cent of the party supporters in Katana, the stronghold of the suspended UNP senior man Wijayapala Mendis had flocked to Hyde Park to attend the meeting last Friday. Meanwhile there is much opposition from SLFP seniors in the government over the move to expel the two commissioners of the bribery commission by way of a Select Committee. A group of senior cabinet ministers discussed this issue last Friday in Colombo. They were of the view that President Chandrika Kumaratunga should take action against those ministers who face allegations of bribery and corruption rather than trying to remove the commissioners. One of them who spoke to this columnist recalled how the President's father, the late S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike appointed the Thalgodapitiya Commission and called upon five of his MPs who had allegations of bribery and corruption to resign to uphold the policy of transparency in his government. ‘I think our President should take a cue from her late father's policy as she is committed to the policy of upholding transparency in her administration', the minister added. He pointed out that the move to remove the two Commissioners in the Commission appointed by the government appeared to bring discredit to the government both at national and international level. The United National Party has decided to take the intended removal of the two commissioners at international level and it would also feature prominently in its campaign. It claims that the government which is now four years old has failed to keep all the promises given to the people in its election manifesto. They question that the government during the last four years have failed to implement a single major irrigation scheme and the so-called Moragahakanda project was still confined to paper. It claimed that during the first three years of the Jayewardene regime, Minister Gamini Dissanayake launched four major irrigation schemes which provided settlements, power and employment to people. In the latest development within the UNP, the so-called Premadasa loyalists who picketed at Hulftsdorp demanding the return of Mr. Sirisena Cooray into the party have now sought a meeting with the party leader to tender an apology. The loyalists of Mr. Premadasa are mediating in this issue to request Mr. Wickremesinghe to pardon these men and women who had been misled allegedly by a government minister. |
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