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Speaker aborts live House telecast after Mangala spat
When Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa spoke at the inaugural trial run of the country’s first live telecast of Parliamentary debates, he was hopeful that uncensored public access to see their elected representatives at work, would make Parliamentary debates more somber. But the very next day, sittings literally began with a bang, with UNP Matara District MP Mangala Samaraweera losing his cool during a privilege question he raised regarding an alleged plot to assassinate him, which in turn made the Speaker too lose his cool, and switch off the live telecast for a while.
Chamal Rajapaksa looks up at the giant screen installed opposite the Parliament ground. Pic by Indika Handuwala
The UNP MP, who is in a spot of legal bother over the Matara clash among two groups of UNP supporters, said he has reliable information about a plot to assassinate him in the run-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo .”A well-known contract killer called ‘Chaku’ and another underworld criminal called ‘ Kota Gamini’ have been assigned the task of carrying out my murder. According to the warped criminal minds of those who want me killed, this is a propitious time to do so, as everyone will assume that the killing carried out just before so many heads of state are in attendance, would embarrass the Government,” he said.
While the Speaker patiently listened to the first part of Mr Samaraweera’s speech, his attempt to read out a part which the Speaker had not given permission to do, was what led to the angry war of words.The Speaker said he was sympathetic to Mr Samaraweera’s concerns and fears, and acknowledged that the UNP MP has been denied the security that all MPs are entitled to, and hence, directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to ensure that equal protection is provided to all MPs.
Quite a few unwarranted exchange of words took place between Government MPs and Mr Samaraweera before the matter was settled, but it may have made the Speaker rethink his idea of allowing live telecasts of Parliamentary proceedings over TV and live broadcast live over radio, after a month of trial limited live telecast on wide screen installed opposite the Parliament ground in Kotte.
Other than Mr. Samaraweera’s startling allegation, the talk of Australia casino kingpin James Packer’s entry into Sri Lanka became a hot topic.The Government may have put on hold plans to introduce regulations that were to be approved by Parliament last week, to give tax concessions to two “casino” related projects in Colombo, by withdrawing them, but that did not stop both Government and Opposition members from speaking on the matter during Parliament sessions.
Opposition MPs were strongly critical of the Government’s move to legalise casinos by approving tax concessions for them through Parliament, while most Government members chose to sidestep the issue, given the volatile nature of the subject. UNP National List MP Eran Wickramaratna said that Parliament is being asked to approve regulations when the full details of these projects have been withheld from the people as well as Parliament. “Governments says these projects will enhance the lives of people, but what we can see is the lives of only a handful of people are getting enhanced,” he said.
JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti too shared similar views on the casino project proposals, saying that the Government does deals, finalises matters and then brings them to Parliament just to give them legitimacy. “The deals have been done with James Packer, he has been allocated land in Colombo for the projects and then you come here to get approval to give tax concession to his project. Why can’t these same tax benefits be given to local investors?
They have to struggle to get even a small concession,” he said.A Government member. Ports Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena had a different point of view on the matter, saying that casinos are already in existence in the country, and those who patronise them are mainly businessmen who have money to throw. “I am personally against casinos, but gambling exists in this country. Whether you gamble with Rs 5 or with Rs 1 million, it is the same thing,” he said.
A word of caution against the introduction of casinos also came from former Sri Lanka cricket captain MP Arjuna Ranatunga. “It is sad that a Government led by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) is attempting to introduce such evils into the country,” he said. The former cricketer also said that the move by James Packer to appoint Australia’s cricket captain Michael Clarke as his brand ambassador to promote his businesses in Sri Lanka, could be a ruse to win the sympathy of locals. “He is aware that Sri Lanka is a cricket-loving nation. He may be trying to use a cricketer to win people over to his side,” Mr Ranatunga said.
He also warned that casinos could become a breeding ground for match fixing. Amidst talk of casinos, Parliament approved Bill intended to combat doping in sports. The law will allow the setting up of an Anti-Doping Agency in keeping with the International Convention against Doping in Sport, Minister of Sports Mahindanada Aluthgamage said.
Rs. 1,542 billion Appropriation Bill 2014 presented to Parliament
Appropriation Bill 2014 was presented to Parliament last Tuesday by Leader of the House Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva.
According to the Bill, total allocated expenditure for 2014 is Rs 1,542 billion, almost 30 per cent higher than the previous year, while the borrowing limit has been set for Rs 1,100 billion.
The Defence and Urban budget has been brought down to Rs 253 billion from Rs 290 billion the previous year.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Finance Minister, will present the 2014 Budget to Parliament on November 21. Debate on the second reading of the Budget will commence the following day and continue till November 29.