By Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena survived a no-confidence motion against him in Parliament.
The motion presented by opposition members was defeated after a three day debate with 117 Members voting against and only 75 members voting in favour.
The government summoned all the ruling party ministers who were abroad for the vote of no confidence against the speaker which will be held today.
The opposition leader said that there is a problem as to how far the speaker of the current Parliament has followed the accepted parliamentary tradition and how he acted in many cases including the appointment of the Inspector General of Police and the bill related to the security of online systems is problematic.
COPE -Rohitha Hits Back
COPE Chairman MP Rohitha Abeygunawardane asked today if he was fit to be elected as a Member of Parliament, why he cannot function as the Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE).
Abeygunawardane told Parliament that Standing Orders must include qualifications required to hold the Chairmanship of Parliamentary Committees such as COPE and COPA.
“We must include in Standing Orders the educational qualifications required to hold the Chairmanship of the COPE, COPA and other committees. Being an MP alone is not sufficient to become a Chair of a Committee. I was elected to Parliament by the people of the Kalutara District. If I am fit to be elected as an MP, why can’t I function as COPE Chair? When I was elected COPE Chair, the opposition hurled allegations against me,” he said.
Member of Parliament Dilan Perera announces that he will resign from the COPE Committee with effect from today.
Charith Herath, Dayasiri Jayasekara, S. M. Marikkar, Hesha Withanage, Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, and Wasantha Yapa Bandara Eran Wickramarathna, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka are among the others who have resigned.
