Dramatic scenes of chaos ensued in Parliament yet again yesterday after Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, who on Wednesday directed a no confidence motion at breakneck speed against incumbent Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and the government and passed the same by taking a voice vote, called for the approval of the House to take another vote, in which the representatives of the House must call their names against the Premier and the Cabinet.
Speaker Jayasuriya called MPs to take a vote by name against the so called no-confidence motion in the Premier after the latter had addressed Parliament yesterday. The Premier was not given the opportunity to make a statement at the opening day of Parliament on Wednesday as was set out in the schedule.
At the beginning of the session, the Speaker ordered vociferous lawmakers to conduct themselves as Parliamentarians as they were shouting and yelling preventing the address of Prime Minister Rajapaksa for the second time.
“What is the message you give to the world by behaving in this manner?” the Speaker asked, “Let honourable Mahinda Rajapaksa address Parliament.”
Some members shouted on this occasion insisting that Mahinda Rajapaksa be removed from his Prime Minister post calling him an MP.
Rajapaksa responded.” I may be Prime Minister Rajapaksa, or MP Rajapaksa or just the regular and modest Rajapaksa, but even the most regular and the most modest Rajapaksa cannot be put away to be dispensed with.”
“You may remember this well,” he said. He said that the Prime Minister post is not something of the sort super colossal to him. “May be it is so for some other characters, but not for me.” He said.
“I had been a Prime Minister and had run the office of a Prime Minister before. It is not something monumental in my case.”
“So do not think I am talking with a swollen head as a Prime Minister,” he told the House.”You may do well to remember that I was in Parliament even as an infant, because men in my lineage had always been in these chambers.”
This has never been a game of positions. The President of this country has explained to the nation what led to the establishment of a new government.”
“By October 26 last month, the countrymen were living under tremendous pressure. There was a huge disapproval by the public against the government over its infamous fuel price formula, depreciation of the rupee, rising cost of living unprecedented taxations, Central Bank robbery, interest rates that soared by double due to this, selling of profitable state –own vital assets such as harbours, airports and government properties, and the eagerness to sell such assets, introduction of new land laws to sell State lands for permanent ownership, ignoring and disregarding ideas of intellectuals and local business community in the country, entering into foreign, soliciting astronomical bribes from foreign investors and many other pacts without heeding to advice offered by intellectuals and local businessmen.
“We observed how the President had dismissed UNP’s economic management committee and tried minimising the damages otherwise could have been inflicted on the country. We learned how that there had been disagreements and altercations between the Cabinet and the Prime Minister concerning these issues.
“It is in this context an attempt to assassinate the President came into the fore with allegations levelled against a group of UNP MPs as being behind the conspiracy. We get to hear the recordings of attempts to assassinate the President with evidence.”
“It was after this that the President decided to take out the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) from the government. With UPFA walking out of the government, the unity government has been dispersed.”
“It was under these circumstances, the President, under the powers vested in him by the Constitution, called me to take over the position of Prime Minister and to form a government.”
“I had the opportunity to accept or reject his offer - if I wanted I could have said that the UNP may continue to run the government as they have been running it for nearly four years. There was only one year remained. But we are the main group of opposition, although the Speaker did not realise us as such.”
“We are the biggest political party in the country. We have a duty to accept the President’s offer as a responsible opposition. Accordingly, I accepted that responsibility.”
“My main concern was what will be the outcome of the fate of this country if UNP governs this country any longer,” he said.