SJB’s no-confidence motion against Deputy Minister heading for murky waters

Standing Orders of Parliament are silent on bringing no-confidence motions against a Deputy Minister 

By Yohan Perera

The no-confidence motion brought against the Deputy Minister of Defence Aruna Jayasekera cannot be debated and will not be included in the Order Paper and is likely to become a non-event, an informed source said yesterday.   

This official, who did not wish to be named, said the motion cannot be included in the order paper because the functions of Deputy Ministers have not been gazetted. “Functions of Deputy Ministers and State Ministers and institutions that come under them were gazetted in the past. However, the present government has not done it as Deputy Ministers are only expected to assist Cabinet Ministers who are in charge of different subjects. A no-confidence motion is brought against a minister or a deputy minister if he or she fails to perform his duties and thereby loses the confidence of MPs. Therefore, no-confidence motion against Deputy Minister Aruna Jayasekera has no value,” the source said.   

Also, the official said the Standing Orders of Parliament are silent on bringing no-confidence motions against a Deputy Minister, since they make no mention of such a motion.   

“This is why it has been decided not to include the no-faith motion against Deputy Minister Jayasekera,” the official added.   

However, it was mentioned that there are other alternative ways in which MPs can express their displeasure. “A party leader can raise a question under the standing order 27(2), or it will be possible to debate the conduct of the Deputy Minister in an adjournment debate,” the official added.   

Meanwhile, SJB MP Ajith P. Perera is of the opinion that the motion could be taken up for debate. “The standing orders of Parliament do not explicitly mention no-confidence motions against Cabinet Ministers or Deputy Ministers. As former Secretary General of Parliament Priyani Wijesekera explains in her book ‘Parliamentary Practice’, standing orders do not make specific reference to motions of no-confidence against ministers. This silence has never barred such motions; rather, they have been accommodated within the broader procedural framework.   

Erskine May records that no-faith motions are primarily political devices, and while these often target the government, they can also be directed against individual ministers and junior office holders where parliamentary disapproval exists,” he said.   

However, SJB MP Rohana Bandara has told the media that his party had made a mistake and will use alternatives to disclose facts on the Deputy Minister.