18 April 2019 07:31 am
The government has decided to strengthen the office of the Chief Whip of the opposition by providing an official residence, an office, a staff, official vehicle, added security and other facilities and perks, a reliable government source said yesterday.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office has already handed over the relevant cabinet memo to the cabinet office and it will be submitted for approval shortly, the source said.
All the facilities and perks approved for the Chief Opposition Whip will be channelled through the office of the leader of the opposition, the source added.
“An official residence, a staff and official vehicles are given to the Chief Whip of the Government, Chief Organizer, Leader of the House and Leader of the opposition from the time of Legislative Council but not to the Chief Opposition Whip. The new arrangement is to bring the office of the Chief Government Whip on par with them,” the source said.
Accordingly, the Chief Opposition Whip, former Minister and UPFA General Secretary Mahinda Amaraweera will receive all the facilities and privileges given to his counterparts of the government and be in a position to further strengthen the opposition’s role in and out of Parliament. (Sandun A. Jayasekera)