Now, there are two Opposition leaders?
By Saman Indrajith-December 20, 2018, 12:17 pm
There were two Opposition Leaders in the current Parliament, TNA Leader R. Sampanthan told the House yesterday.
The TNA Leader, making a special statement, said that the Speaker had not removed him from the Opposition Leader’s post though the latter had announced the appointment of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Opposition Leader, on Tuesday.
Sampanthan said that it was alleged that former President Rajapaksa’s parliament seat had fallen vacant as one month had lapsed since he ceased to be a member of the SLFP after obtaining the SLPP membership.
Sampanthan said:
"The person recognised by the Speaker as the Opposition Leader does not even hold the position of MP as of the date of such recognition. This again suggests the Speaker’s decision has been taken in haste and it is in violation of our Constitution."
The TNA leader said that the Speaker had recognised him as the Opposition Leader in September 2015 and August 2018 and that the Speaker had held that it was his final decision.
There was no need to recognise another person as the Opposition Leader in haste in a context where Cabinet was not yet constituted and the government was not yet formed, Sampanthan said.
The TNA Leader also maintained that appointing a member of the UPFA as the Opposition Leader while its Leader Maithripala Sirisena was the Head of Executive, Head of Government and Head of Cabinet was not acceptable and such matters should be sorted out through a Parliament Select Committee.
"I request that early corrective action in the interest of the country as a whole, be taken to preserve the sanctity of our Constitution," he told the House.
Following Sampanthan’s submission, TNA MP M A Sumanthiran tabled three newspaper articles dated Nov. 12 which carried the story of former President Rajapaksa ceremonially obtaining the SLPP membership on November 11. He pointed out this event was held two days after the purported dissolution of Parliament by the President.