By Shamindra Ferdinando
Political parties are yet to reach a consensus on the appointment of a Constitutional Council member who does not represent the government, or the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) led Opposition.
Political sources said that since a meeting chaired by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, on Dec. 08, 2022, ended inconclusively, there hadn’t been any effort to fill the vacancy. Sources said that an agreement on the issue at hand was unlikely soon as the Parliament wouldn’t meet again this month.
The CC consists of 10 members. The CC has taken a spate of decisions over the past few months and the latest was the ratification of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s decision to grant a three month extension to IGP C.D. Wickremaratne.
Responding to The Island queries, sources said that at the Dec 08 meeting the Tamil National Alliance and Uththara Lanka Sabhagaya locked horns over the CC slot allocated for those parties not aligned with the government or the Opposition. The situation remains the same as the Speaker’s Office was yet to make a fresh effort, sources said.
On behalf of the TNA, Jaffna District MP M.A. Sumanthiran has proposed Vanni district lawmaker, Dharmalingam Siddarthan, as the CC nominee, whereas Wimal Weerawansa named Jayantha Samaraweera, in the absence of Udaya Gammanpila, who hadn’t been present at the commencement of the meeting.
However, Gammanpila was subsequently named as their nominee, soon after he walked in. Sources said, those present couldn’t reach a unanimous agreement though the meeting lasted for over an hour at the Committee Room 01.
The Speaker’s Office said that the CC member was to be appointed, in terms of Article 41A (1) (f) of the Constitution. Accordingly, the Speaker’s Office requested MPs, who do not represent the government, and those not affiliated with the SJB, to attend. The Speaker has warned that nominations for the said appointment wouldn’t be accepted from those not present at the meeting.
The TNA has pressed for the slot on the basis of none of the six out of seven CC members, so far appointed in ex officio capacity, or nominated, included a Tamil speaking lawmaker.
However, the rebel SLPP group has declared that Uththara Lanka Sabhagaya, as well as other breakaway factions, should have the right to be represented as they no longer functioned as part of the ruling party.
In addition to Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, and Speaker Abeywardena, who are ex-officio members, the SLPP parliamentary group, the President and the Opposition Leader named Sagara Kariyawasam, Nimal Siripala de Silva and Kabir Hashim to function as CC members, respectively. Three civil society members, too, have been named.
Sources pointed out that the proposal to name Jayantha Samaraweera/Udaya Gammanpila as their nominee has been seconded by Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, another rebel, though not being a member of Uththara Lanka Sabhagaya.
The other SLPP rebel group Nidahas Jathika Sabhawa has refrained from backing their colleagues’ move, sources said.
Sources said that Yuthukama leader Gevindu Cumaratunga has pointed out that since Sumanthiran worked closely with President Wickremesinghe, the President’s Counsel should have been considered the President’s nominee, instead of SLFPer Nimal Siripala de Silva.
Cumaratunga also questioned the appointment of SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam as the SLPP’s nominee, as he didn’t vote for the 21st Amendment that paved the way for the 10-member CC. MP Kariyawasam was among nearly 40 ruling party members who abstained at the vote on 21 Amendment.
MP Sudarshini Fernandopulle, leader of the Women Caucus in Parliament, has pointed out the failure on the part of her colleagues to at least to nominate one woman MP.
At one point MP Sumanthiran declared that they would walk out of the Dec 8 meeting. SLPP rebels found fault with the Speaker for not calling for a vote to pick the CC nominee.
Sources said that SLPP rebels, prior to the meeting, sought clarification from the Secretary General of Parliament, Dhammika Dasanayake, whether they could attend the meeting.
