Badulla District MP of the New Democratic Front (NDF) Chamara Sampath Dassanayake told Parliament this morning that he was proud of his physique and expressed gratitude to the voters of his electorate for electing an MP with a sufficient body frame.
“I am proud of my belly. What can I do if others have slim bodies?” MP Dassanayake said while raising a privilege issue.
MP Dassanayake called on Speaker Dr Jagath Wickremaratne to ensure discipline within the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), claiming that a derogatory remark had been made against him during a recent meeting.
Raising a privilege issue, MP Dassanayake said a member of the COPE Committee had referred to him as ‘Badulle Bada’ during a meeting with officials of the National Gem & Jewellery Authority.
Stating that from among the nine MPs representing the Badulla District, he was the only MP with a pot belly, he said it was regrettable to see such statements being made at such an important committee.
“There are no other guys with pot bellies in Badulla. From those representing Badulla District in Parliament, Minister Samantha Vidyarathna doesn’t have a belly. Among the 09 MPs from Badulla only I have a pot belly. So clearly it is a reference to me. And per the discussion at the meeting, I was the former Minister in charge of the Gem & Jewellery sector,” he said.
MP Dassanayake further said the COPE Committee is an essential Parliamentary Committee which holds meetings in the presence of the Auditor General, and such comments should not be made by a ruling party member.
“The Leader of the House recently told Parliament to behave in a decent manner. The COPE Committee has no opposition members but consists of ruling party members,” he pointed out.
As such, MP Dassanayake urged the Speaker to advise the ruling party members on how to behave during such important committee meetings, which are most often televised.
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