3 September 2010 09:53 am
The UNP today handed over a no-confidence motion to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa against External Affairs Minister G.L.Peiris for what the party termed as his failure in handling international affairs.
The motion was signed by UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya, MPs Ravi Karunanayake, Lakshman Kiriella, John Amaratunga and Wijeyadasa Rajapakse.
Mr. Karunanayake said this was solely an initiative by the UNP, and therefore the support from the other parties was not sought in bringing this motion. He said that there are a whole lot of allegations against Minister Peiris.
“We can find faults with regard to his way of handling matters related to the incident where nails were pierced into the body of a Sri Lankan housemaid in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
A no-confidence motion is considered a tool for the opposition to challenge to the legitimacy of Cabinet Ministers. It is an essential feature of parliamentary traditions that the government should have the confidence of Parliament. Upon defeat at a no-confidence motion, the Cabinet of Ministers stand dissolved.