(Lanka-e-News -08.May.2016, 8.00PM) Leaving aside the pro MaRa 41 MPs who were on stage at the Kirilapone rally on May 1st, and though the National government in power has a 80 % power in parliament , with the support of the JVP , the Mara group created a dire situation challenging the government when the total estimate was being passed on the 5 th . This is an index that the chief whip of the government had cast away his responsibilities , allowing the situation of the government to slide down this precarious level.
The total estimate of Rs. 55 million for the financial year 2016 was to be passed on the 5 th , and because the government did not concern itself with the possibility of a vote being taken , this situation arose in parliament.
By evening there was a paucity of government MPs , and the JVP has proposed that a vote be taken on the total estimate . Since there weren’t adequate number of government MPs, the MaRa group was in the ready much earlier .When the vote was taken , the MPs who were outside came in, and the government received 33 votes whereas the opposition 31 votes.
At this stage , it was Kandy district M.P. Lucky Wijewardena who was occupying the speaker’s seat. Like how they behaved violently some days ago , the MaRa group led by Dinesh Gunawardena sprung forward and started screaming that the vote counting was wrong , while shouting ‘your tie and coat shall be removed’ using abusive language at Duminda Dissanayake who did the counting. While these hoodlums were again making the parliament a bedlam , the general secretary and the two assistant Secretaries of parliament had risen from their seats and fled , eye witnesses revealed. Later the group of the Mara brigand insisted that the votes should be counted before them while watching the CCTV. Also they refused to leave the parliament. It was about 6.30 p.m. and the counting was again done assisted by the CCTV coverage. This consumed three hours , and it was about 9.30 p.m. when this was completed. After watching the CCTV video footage the MaRa group argued that the government and the opposition received 31 votes each, and the general secretary of parliament had counted wrong. They said , a complaint will be made after meeting the speaker on the following day.
The government has a strength of 160 MPs constituted of 106 UNP M.P.s and 54 pro Maithripala MPs (leaving out the pro MaRa 41 MPs ).That is it has in all 160 MPs. Therefore , Dinesh Gunawardena’s behavior despite knowing the strength of the government vis a vis his group of just 41 is not to topple the government but to disrupt the government’s plans and progress.
The JVP falling in line with these pro MaRa group indulging in cheap and bankrupt politics is most deplorable , detestable and despicable, because among those 31 who voted with the opposition were JVP members , that is , the 31 votes were made up of pro MaRa group and the JVP. The three members of the TNA however voted with the government .But for their three votes the government would have been in serious trouble.
The entire responsibility must be borne by minister Gayantha Karunatileke as the chief whip of the government. It is his responsibility to get the government Parliamentarians to the well of the parliament on time and informing them about the voting.
If he is capable of only mustering 33 government parliamentarians out of a strength of 160, he is surely not competent and not suitable to be the chef whip.This is all the more because this is the second time (not the first) such a situation arose in disfavor of the government.
Even the clerks in the office of the chief whip are provided with mobile phones, and if all those phone bills are paid by the government , why only 33 parliamentarians could be mustered out of as many as 160? This is most pathetic No doubt , it is Gayantha and none else who is responsible to define the tasks and ensure each clerk of his office is assigned the responsibility of covering separate groups of government parliamentarians .
Shockingly, those working in Gayantha’s office even now , are those who were employed in that office during the time when Dinesh Gunawardena was the chief whip. It is a crucial question whether these employees are still serving on behalf of Dinesh and not Gayantha ? It is Gayantha’s responsibility to appoint those whom he trusts.
On the day of the voting , Gayantha who is the chief whip should have seen to it to invite the government MPs to cast their votes . Sadly and strangely he was not even present in parliament at that vital moment. He had gone to see a special cinema screening of the film ‘Pathini’
The producer of the film Pathini is deputy speaker Thilanga Sumathipala . For its special screening exclusively for the ministers and MPs today , a large number of government parliamentarians including the speaker had rushed to see the film.. The pro MaRa group that knew this well ahead , must have laid in wait to catch these Pathini crazy film goers napping . If that was truly a trap , it is the chief whip of the government who must be ready to furnish answers, because , when the prime minister is away on a private tour of Singapore , it is the chief whip’ s task to act with greater responsibility , and carry out his duties unerringly.
If this is how things are to going happen in the future too , may the chiefs of the government of good governance be warned , they will not be getting assaulted inside parliament from the MaRa hooligans , but it will be from the people in their full force outside who voted them into power . When that happens they cannot say in their defense they went to see Pathini , or went to eat chutney with her.
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by (2016-05-08 15:27:00)
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Blaming then government and find fault in their plans were the pet actions of most of the current ministers. But suddenly when they are in power and they holding important positions in the government they do not know as to how they excel in their given roles and fail miserably.This is because they never learnt through objective observations as to excel in these roles when they were in opposition. When they finally learn the tricks of the trade of these respective roles by trial and error during this life span of this parliament , it is time for them to move to opposition as they will be voted out by people due to these negligence's and inefficiencies. So another set of amateurs will take up these important roles and fail again. So this is a viscous cycle. Leaders cannot wash their hands on the follies of their followers as it is their responsibility to give right person right role and groom them for the roles.
-- by Piyal on 2016-05-09
