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COPE chief asks Speaker to name new members to replace regular absentees
View(s):Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) Chairman D.E.W.Gunasekera has written to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa asking him to consider appointing new members to the Committee in place of some existing members, some of whom have put in less than five per cent attendance in the past two years.
Mr.Gunasekera who attached a copy of the attendance record of members of COPE for 2012-2013 said that “as many as 11 members have put in less than five per cent attendance.”
“A number of Members have expressed their desire and willingness to serve in the COPE. I feel that it is unfair to deprive them of their need to acquire knowledge and gain experience on public finance,” Mr.Gunasekera said in the letter.
According to the attendance record, four members namely Minister S.M.Chandrasena, Deputy Minister Weerakumara Dissanayaka, UPFA MP Aturaliye Ratana Thera and TNA MP E.Sarvanapavan have not attended a single meeting of the main committee. Ministers Pavithra Wanniarchchi, Chandrasiri Gajadeera and UPFA MP M.T.Hasan Ali have attended one meeting each. UPFA MP Namal Rajapaksa has attended three meetings, Ministers Mervyn Silva and Susil Premjayantha four meetings each and UNP MP Rosy Senanayaka five meetings .
Minister Gunasekera has attended 88 meeting which is over 80 per cent of all the meetings held in the past two years, while others who maintained a high attendance for committee meetings were Minister Mahinda Amaraweera (72) Minister Lasantha Alagiayawanna (67), Ex-UNP MP Dayasiri Jayasekera (59) UPFA MP A.H.M.Azwer (58) TNA MP A.Vinyagamoorthy (46) UNP MP Eran Wickramaratne (50) and Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena (50).