The opposition and government engaged in an exchange of words in parliament yesterday (20) over debating the no confidence motion (NCM) being prepared by the opposition against Prime Minister and Education Minister Harini Amarasuriya over the controversy surrounding the proposed education reforms.
Leader of the House, Minister Bimal Ratnayake, told parliament that government is prepared to allocate time during parliament sessions this week to debate the NCM being prepared by the opposition against Amarasuriya.
Ratnayake noted that the government was willing to allocate the Parliament sessions scheduled for Thursday (22) and Friday (23) completely for the NCM.
“News that an NCM is being prepared against the prime minister and the premiership is a very serious matter. We feel it is an issue if an NCM has been prepared, with signatures being obtained, but not being submitted. We would like to know if the opposition is going to submit the NCM or not,” he told the House.
Chief Opposition Whip Gayantha Karunatileke in response noted that it was a matter related to the opposition, which will be decided after holding the necessary discussions.
Ratnayake then urged the opposition to submit the NCM against Prime Minister Amarausiya, pointing out that this affects the country’s stability.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa questioned why the government is trying to rush the debate on the no‑confidence motion when the education minister is out of the country.
He told the House that the Constitution outlines the procedure for bringing such motions, and it is not something that should be done at the government’s discretion.
He also said he cannot understand why the government wants to move an NCM in the Education Minister’s absence, raising suspicion of a conspiracy against her. “The Constitution specifies the process that must be followed for a no‑confidence motion. The timing and place are not decided by the government but by the proper procedure. We are not ready to debate whenever the government dictates,” he said.
The Opposition Leader assured that the opposition will present the motion properly with the required signatures and challenged the government, saying, “If possible, let’s begin a three‑day debate on education reforms tomorrow itself, as Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has demanded.”
Premadasa further emphasized that reforms must be implemented correctly.
“Publishing obscene websites is not state policy, even if it reflects someone’s personal preference in government. When society protests against such sites, the government still prints and distributes them, wasting huge sums, and then tries to blame the opposition,” he added.
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