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Opposition requests Chair in COPE, COPA
The Opposition has requested that the posts of Chairmanship of the Parliament’s Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) and Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) be given to them.
The request was made when the Parliament’s Selection Committee met under the Chairmanship of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Friday evening. The Selection Committee is tasked with appointing members to important Parliamentary committees such as COPE and COPA. The Committee on Friday decided to call for nominations from political parties for Committees on Special Purposes, including COPE and COPA.
There are 12 members on the Selection Committee besides the Speaker: (7 Government and 5 Opposition MPs). They are, Nimal Siripala De Silva, Dinesh Gunawardena, Johnston Fernando, Douglas Devananda, Dullas Alahapperuma, Wimal Weerawansa and Prasanna Ranatunge, Lakshman Kiriella, Gayantha Karunatilleka, Rauff Hakeem, Vijitha Herath and Selvam Adaikkalanathan.
The Opposition also requested the Government to retain the previous Parliament’s time allocation during Parliamentary debates, where 60 percent of the time was allotted for speakers from the Opposition, while 40 percent was alloted to those from the Government side.
Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella raised issue over the matter during Friday’s debate on the Policy Statement of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Mr Kiriella complained that unlike the practice adopted during the previous Government, the new Government had allotted 60 percent of the debate time to Government speakers though it was the Opposition which requested the debate.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena stated that he would look into the matter.