Moves to abolish sectoral oversight committees to prevent 20A being reviewed: Sajith

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa today alleged that the government was trying to abolish sectoral oversight committees to prevent the 20th Amendment being reviewed by the oversight committees.

He told Parliament that Sectoral Oversight Committees were introduced by the previous government to oversee and make recommendations on matters being taken up in the House and facilitate parliament activities.

He pointed out that the moves to suspend or abolish them proves that the government was trying to present the 20A directly in the House without being reviewed by the oversight committees. “We are against such moves. We can’t allow that to happen,” he said.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardane informed the House that Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Mayantha Dissanayake had been appointed to study about the oversight committees and present a report in Parliament.

Opposition Leader Premadasa, who stood, requested the Speaker to suspend the decision until the said report was submitted in Parliament.

Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardane, who clarified the matter, said the oversight committees were suspended only till the members to the committees were appointed.

National Peoples’ Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who joined the cross talk, said as the report on the committees was pending, they should be suspended until the report comes not until the members to the committees were appointed.

“The report may suggest either to review the committees or abolish them or to continue them. If the report recommended to continue with the committees, they would not function until the members were appointed. Therefore, they should be suspended not until the members were appointed but until the report is submitted,” he said.

He pointed out that a similar situation arose regarding the independent commissions under the 17th Amendment where they did not function for about five years as the members were not appointed. (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)