Opposition Leader’s Post: Speaker to consult UPFA

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya today said he had decided to consult UPFA General Secretary Mahinda Amaraweera to get his opinion on appointing Joint Opposition Parliamentary Group Leader Dinesh Gunawardane as the Leader of Opposition.

The Speaker in a statement said he had received a letter signed by eight members from the joint opposition requesting him to appoint Mr. Gunawardene as the Leader of the Opposition as he had the support of 70 members in the opposition benches.

“These 70 members are ones who had been elected to Parliament from the UPFA. Therefore the speaker is duty bound to ask for the official opinion of the UPFA with regard to the matter. Accordingly I have decided to seek the opinion of UPFA General Secretary Mahinda Amaraweera on the matter,” the Speaker said in a statement.

The current Leader of Opposition is the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentary Group Leader R Sampanthan. TNA Spokesman Member of Parliament M. A Sumanthiran who commented on the matter said Mr. Gunawardanene and the Joint Opposition Group members are the ones who were elected from UPFA which is an ally of the government. “If Mr. Gunawardene is claiming the post of Opposition Leader he and the others will have to give up the membership of UPFA,” Mr. Sumanthiran said.

Meanwhile the 16 member SLFP group in the opposition is also expected to back Mr. Gunawardene as the Opposition Leader. Member of this group MP Dayasiri Jayasekera said his group has no objection in appointing Mr. Gunawardene as the Leader of Opposition. “Current Opposition Leader Mr. Sampanthan is only talking of the issues faced by the people in the North while keeping silent on other national issues. We want an opposition Leader who takes up issues faced by people all over the country,” he said.  (Yohan Perera)