Parliament

Dissolution, polls fever hit the House
By Chandani Kirinde, Our Lobby Correspondent
Just over two years into its six year term, the fate of the 12th Parliament of Sri Lanka seems to be hanging in the balance with talk of a probable dissolution gathering momentum both inside and outside the Chambers of the legislature.

It was Speaker Joseph Michael Perera, presiding over Tuesday's sittings, who voiced the sentiments of many of the MPs. After announcing the names of the government members who would comprise the select committee of Parliament to probe the findings of the Presidential and Army inquires into the Aturugiriya safe house raid, the Speaker said he had yet to receive the names of the opposition legislators who would sit on the committee. "Maybe because it's the last day, the names may not be sent," he quipped shortly before Opposition leader Mahinda Rajapakse walked into the Chambers and handed in the names.

But that did not put an end to the talk of a dissolution and throughout the day's sittings, cross talk hinting at fresh elections continued with Labour Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, the last speaker for the day, being allowed extra time to speak after being told by PA Colombo district MP Dinesh Gunawardene that he was trying to hold the fort on the last day.

Many of the government speakers seemed pre-occupied about an impending election with Galle district MP Gayantha Karunatilleke saying that it was high time to stop holding elections based on astrological advice. "Elections should be held according to a timetable and not based on someone's horoscope so that the policies being implemented for the benefit of the people are not disrupted ," Mr.Karunatilleke said.

Hindu Affairs Minister T.Maheswaran was also highly critical of moves by the SLFP/JVP alliance move to get Parliament dissolved saying the alliance was formed solely with the intention of defeating the UNF. "We are not scared of elections. We will come back with a two thirds majority," Mr.Maheswaran said.

At this moment Gampaha district's PA MP Felix Perera said the UNF had no right to speak of the President plunging the country into uncertainty when they too had disrupted the "pariwasa" government that the PA and JVP had formed before the last general election. "The President took away three of the 57 ministries that you had but what have you done with the other 54 ?," he asked.

Despite the differing opinions expressed by members on the two sides of the House, it was a rare occasion in Parliament when the Provincial Council Elections (Amendment) Bill was passed unanimously. The amendments seek the holding of all provincial council elections on a single day - Saturday - and maintaining the number of councillors at the present number. Constitutional Reforms Minister G.L.Peiris who introduced the Bill said the strong consensus on the issue among the different political parties was a favourable sign.

However many of the speakers questioned the rationale of holding elections to PCs in the provinces outside the north and east when the system was introduced in the first place as a system of devolving power to that region. The elections to the Northeast PC haven't been held since 1987. Parliament also debated an adjournment motion on Tuesday on the compensation formula introduced by the Labour Ministry for workers who are retrenched from work by private companies.

Opposition speakers accused the Minister of giving into the demands of the employers and not thinking of the workers. "You are only trying to appease rich company owners and paying scant attention to the rights of the workers," PA national list MP Athauda Seneviratne said. Amidst the strong opposition that has arisen against the compensation formula, Labour Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe announced new guidelines for the retrenched workers and said he would replace the old proposals with the new ones.

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