Parliament responds to President’s query on the current status of implementation of far-reaching systematic changes
Following President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s reminder to the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena regarding the delay in the implementation of proposals to bring about far-reaching systematic changes, the Speaker has made a clarification regarding the current situation of the implementation of the resolutions of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.
According to the proposal brought to the Parliament by the Prime Minister on September 20, 2022, the Office of the Chief Organiser of the ruling party informs that the National Assembly of 34 members including the Speaker has been appointed and two sub-committees have been appointed under it.
The 13 member sub-committee has been appointed to identify the priorities for formulation of short, medium and long-term national policies headed by Mr. Namal Rajapaksa and its progress has been reported to the National Assembly.
The sub-committee for identifying short and medium-term programs related to economic stabilisation has been appointed with 12 members under the chairmanship of MP Patali Champika Ranawaka. The progress of this sub-committee has also been reported to the National Assembly.
The Parliament has approved the standing orders related to the appointment of sectoral monitoring committees on 2022-10-05, where 17 sectoral monitoring committees have been approved. Furthermore, for the appointment of 17 committees under Standing Orders 111, the Secretary General of the Parliament has called for nominations of 05 members of the ruling party and 03 members of the opposition through letter No. CO/9/3/COS/1 and dated 2022-10-26. However, the members have not been appointed so far.
Accordingly, 17 Sectoral Oversight Committees have been appointed which are : Economic Development, International Relations, National Security, Sustainable Development and Environment & Natural Resources, Women & Gender, Education & Human Resource Development, Health & Human Welfare, Social Empowerment, Transport & Communication, Agriculture & Lands, Legal Affairs (anti-corruption) & Media, Youth, Sports, Arts & Heritage, Business & Commerce, Energy
Manufacturing & Services, Internal Administration & Public Management, Reconciliation & North and East Reconstruction Committees under Standing Orders 119, 120 and 121 have been appointed so far. Mr. Kabir Hashim was elected as the Chairman of the Committee on Government Accounts, while Mr. Ranjith Bandara was appointed as the Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises and Dr. Harsha De Silva as the Chairman of the Committee on Government Finance.
The policy agreement related to the establishment of the Standing Committees namely the Committee on Economic Stabilisation, the Committee on Ways and Means, and the Committee on Banking & Financial Services has been given in the Committee on Parliamentary Affairs and the Party leaders have agreed to present their observations on the related standing orders. After the approval of the Committee on Standing Orders it has to be submitted to the Parliament. However, it has not been appointed so far.
The President has presented this Cabinet paper dated 2022-10-28. Accordingly, the approval of the Cabinet has been received to give instructions to the legal draftsman to finalise the draft for the establishment of the Parliamentary Budget Office, and to obtain the Governor’s certificate for submission to Parliament.
PMD
