Can't oblige JO by not signing OMP Bill: Speaker

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said yesterday he could not oblige the joint opposition request to desist from signing the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) Bill which was passed in Parliament on August 11 amid protests by the JO.

“To be fair by the opposition however, I will seek legal advice before signing the OMP Bill,” he said.

The Speaker said he had no option but to accept the decision of the majority in Parliament made up of 173 of the 225.

“It is the tradition in a parliamentary democracy to give priority to government business. Therefore, I cannot listen to the JO which represents 51 members bypassing the government which consists of 173 members. If I go against the majority, I will be violating the tenets of democracy, parliamentary tradition and decorum,” he said.

The Speaker said it was improper and unethical for JO members to converge on the Well of the House to disrupt parliamentary proceedings despite extra time being given to JO members during the debate and furthermore the JP-instigated mayhem made it impossible to take a vote.

"It resulted in the Bill being passed without a division which was the natural outcome," he said.

“From the very inception, it was quite obvious that the JO was disrespectful to the House and to the Chair. The JO did not allow Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweea to speak at the debate. When they gathered in the Well of the House I asked them to return to their seats and cooperate with me to continue the proceedings but refused to listen to reason and continued their protest in a manner utterly uncalled for. So there was no option but to pass the Bill without a vote. They must no behave in this manner because the public spends nearly Rs.5 million a day to maintain Parliament."

The Speaker said all JO members who were the cause of the chaos in the House must take the responsibility for enacting the OMP Bill without a division.

"If they are not satisfied at the way the Bill was passed it was of their own making," he said. (Sandun A Jayasekera)