Parliament

Emergency hastily passed amid TNA tantrums
House appoints Wijedasa Rajapakse to chair Standing Committee to look into Prohibition of Forcible Conversion Bill
By Chandani Kirinde, Our Lobby Correspondent
Parliament sessions were brought to an abrupt end amidst chaotic scenes on Friday after three uneventful days of sittings, with MPs of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) disrupting sittings of the House during the debate on the extension of the state of emergency.

The sudden outburst by the TNA Parliamentarians came soon after news reached them of the killing of V. Vigneswaran, head of the Trincomalee District Tamil People’s Forum, a man who had been tipped to replace slain TNA Batticaloa district MP Joseph Pararajasingham.

Party leaders had decided to debate the emergency ahead of the scheduled day and get it approved before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, after which Parliament will take a month-long break till May 9.

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake who began the emergency debate on Friday morning said the Government was preparing for the second round of talks with the LTTE on April 19 and said everyone needs to make a commitment to peace in the New Year.

However, the Premier said killings were continuing in the north and east and the emergency needed to be further extended and asked all parties to support it.

Chief Opposition Whip Joseph Michael Perera, who opened the debate on behalf one the Opposition, spoke on another kind of emergency. He said the setting up of the Constitutional Council was also an ‘emergency’ and all parties should get together to expedite the process.

He said the UNP would support changes to the 17th Amendment to the Constitution if the Government agreed to strengthen the independent commissions.

It was while Mr.Perera was on his feet that the TNA MPs disrupted sittings which led Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara to suspend proceedings for ten minutes. Some of the senior TNA parliamentarians such as Suresh Premachandran and Mavai Senathirajah, prompted by some Government and Opposition legislators, tried to get some of the protesting MPs to return to their seats but they did not heed their call.

When the House was re-summoned, some of the errant MPs refused to return to their seats which led to the emergency being hastily approved and the House being adjourned.

Another thorny issue came up unexpectedly in Parliament last week after lying dormant for several months. The Speaker announced that Minister Wijedasa Rajapakse would chair the Standing Committee that had been appointed to look into the Prohibition of Forcible Conversion Bill on Wednesday. During the past few months, several MPs had refused to head the committee because of the controversial nature of the subject it has to deal with.

The following day, JHU MP Athuraliye Ratana Thera – whose party had presented the Bill to Parliament last year, which went before the Supreme Court and was referred back to the Legislature - said it was inaction on the part of the Speaker which had delayed the Bill being brought before the House.

The Thera said that even though the Supreme Court had suggested amendments to the Bill, it should have been put to a vote by the Speaker.
“After we presented this Bill, the Government said it was bringing a similar Bill but where is it today? Rathana Thera queried. He said the Bill was being sidelined due to the influence of interested parties though he did not name who they were.

The Speaker said that since the standing committee had been appointed, once its work was completed the Bill would be brought before the House. Parliament on Monday also approved the Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties and Safeguards Measures Bills in keeping with the World Trade Organisation’s agreements signed by the Government.

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