By The Pulseline News Desk
Parliament has rejected five requests submitted by Opposition MPs to raise questions of parliamentary privilege, ruling that the matters cited do not establish a prima facie breach of privilege.
Deputy Speaker Rizvi Saleh has informed the House today (6) that the requests, submitted by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and MPs Dayasiri Jayasekara, Mano Ganesan, Mujibur Rahman and Chanaka Madugoda, had failed to meet the requirements under Standing Order 118.
Reading an announcement issued by the Speaker, Saleh has said the requests had been examined under Parliament’s Standing Orders and the Parliament (Powers and Privileges) Act No. 21 of 1953.
He has explained that issues concerning parliamentary procedures, the inclusion of business in the Order Book and the scheduling of parliamentary proceedings were procedural matters and did not constitute breaches of parliamentary privilege.
The Deputy Speaker has also referred to a ruling issued by the Speaker on October 6, which established that administrative decisions relating to parliamentary business and the allocation of debate time could not be challenged through questions of privilege.
Addressing concerns surrounding the no-confidence motion against the Speaker, Saleh has said the Committee on Parliamentary Business had given the Opposition an opportunity to submit an amended motion after removing matters considered sub judice. However, as no amended motion was submitted within the stipulated period, the Opposition had no unconditional right to have the original motion taken up for debate, he has said.
Saleh has further noted that the matters raised did not constitute offences under the Parliament (Powers and Privileges) Act.
Accordingly, all five requests were rejected, with the Deputy Speaker informing the House that there were no grounds to proceed under Standing Order 118.
The decision follows a series of objections raised by Opposition MPs earlier this week over the handling of the no-confidence motion against the Speaker and other parliamentary matters.
The Deputy Speaker had previously informed the House that a decision on the five privilege requests would be communicated today following an examination of the submissions.
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