Separate day to be allotted for Oral Questions and Answers
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday announced that a separate day would be allotted in Parliament to respond to Oral Questions and Answers raised by Parliamentarians.
He said the matter of allotting a day for the Oral Questions could be arranged at the Committee on Parliamentary Business.
He made these observations when JVP Parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake queried as to when the postponed questions for oral answers to be taken up.
The Speaker announced that the questions for Oral Answers which were to be scheduled for yesterday would be postponed for another day as Ministers were expected to be appointed.
At this stage, MP Anura Dissanayake said that questions for Oral Answers scheduled on several days have been postponed and queried as to when they would be taken up since they are questions of very importance. He also queried as to when those ministers were appointed to answer the queries.
Include Article in Constitution that ensures a person’s right to live in freedom - Dr. Gunawardena
An Article should be included in the Constitution that ensures a person’s right to live unharmed in his own house as it is the heaven for one, whether it is a mansion or a hut, said Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Parliamentarian Dr. Bandula Gunawardena in Parliament yesterday.
He requested the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to intervene to discuss this matter with the Inter Parliamentary Union, Commonwealth Parliamentary Union and SAARC Parliamentary Association which appear for the issues faced by public representatives and matters relating to their duties and obligations in countries where Parliamentary democracy is maintained as this crime has made the biggest ever devastation within 24 hours in Sri Lankan political history.
He made these observations joining the Adjournment Motion yesterday and demanded that a Special Parliament Select Committee be appointed to investigate into the tragic incidents that led to the deaths to 9 people including a Parliamentarian and destroyed movable and immovable property of nearly 80 Parliamentarians.
He said that the crimes committed on May 9 will be written in the political annals of the world as an innocent Parliamentarian who was elected for the first time was killed in a brutal manner like the Sri Lankan manager who was killed in Pakistan. In addition, houses and other properties of 80 Parliamentarians were devastated by these unruly mobs in a single day on May 9.
He said further not only the properties of the Parliamentarians but the properties of their relatives that they inherited from their forefathers were also destroyed by these protestors. He added that Gamini Lokuge’s siblings’ properties too were devastated.
He queried as to why the house of Dinesh Gunawardena, which he inherited from his father-a national hero - Philip Gunawardena who fought against British rule to win the independence for the nation was destroyed.
He said that in addition, the properties of around 1,000 Local Government bodies too have been damaged by the so-called protestors. He added that the Birth Certificates of children, education materials, documents relating to admit children to schools, Identity Cards, passports and many other valuable documents have been burnt in these heinous activities.
He also said that the properties of businessmen, business places and tourist hotels too have been devastated. He added that such a devastation has never been committed within a day in Sri Lankan history.
He queried as to where this society and culture is heading when certain segments of people cannot stand opposing views, different religions and different cultures. He said this is such a situation and they devastated all the properties of those who maintained a different view. “In the meantime what has happened to the Police who did not take action against the culprits that committed the crimes in their presence?,” MP Gunawardena queried. “Even the Fire Brigade and the Armed Forces failed to control these violent acts from taking place,” he alleged.
He said that he has never drawn the salary as a Parliamentarian, never taken an official residence. “I earned by teaching more than 300,000 students in the country,” Gunawardena said. “I produced the best film - The Newspaper - in the Asian continent. I brought the USD prize as well to Sri Lanka. I spent my own money-a sum of Rs 10 million, to establish the “Pranna Bandu” scholarship to improve the education among the poor children. Now I have saved Rs 33 million in the NSB, under the same fund to grant those scholarships for their education. They are my private money. We worked hard on ways of education by introducing different science, technology streams to children. I have paid income tax in all the months and I can submit those documents. I have worked to save the lives of thousands of youth in the 88/89 period.”
Gunawardena also requested to make a separate investigation within the Parliamentary Select Committee that is to be set up on the matter as to why the Police failed to do their duty at this catastrophic situation.
I know those parties responsible for the destruction of my properties - Lanza
The people responsible for the destruction caused to my property on April 9 are known to me and they were not SJB or UNP supporters, said SLPP independet Group Parliamentarian Nimal Lanza in Parliament yesterday.
He said that all his properties were destroyed by the so-called protestors on April 9.
MP Lanza made these observations on the Second Day of the Adjournment Motion which demanded that a Special Parliament Select Committee be appointed to investigate into the tragic incidents that brought death to 9 people including a Parliamentarian and destroyed the movable and immovable properties of nearly 80 Parliamentarians.
He further said that he had not demanded compensation for the destruction caused, but the Government has declared that compensation would be paid people whose properties were destroyed.
“But the general public have been given a different picture of the events,” Lanza said. “We have never demanded compensation for the damages incurred.”
He said at this stage all should work hard, get together and get the country free from this situation.
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