Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament there had been a “fractional division” within the government over the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution — and then, in a later exchange, said he had been referring to a division in society.
Speaking during the debate, Rathnayake said the government had always maintained a unified approach but acknowledged the amendment had produced a minor internal split, the Daily Mirror reported.
“Our government never took divisive action. If there is any, it is the minor division caused by the 22nd Amendment. It was fractional. We have our calculation on it. However, the opposition will never be able to get political mileage from it. The opposition benchers have got bowled out in the game. This is because people are not concerned about it,” he said.
The walk-back
Later in the debate the minister clashed with Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Dayasiri Jayasekera, who seized on the remark.
“The government was hiding the fact. Mr Rathnayake revealed the truth, saying there is fractional division within the government,” Jayasekera said.
Rathnayake responded that what he had meant was that society was divided because of the legislation, and said some media institutions had misreported him. Jayasekera pushed back, in a second Daily Mirror filing: “You said you did not work with divisions as a government, but there was a fractional division within the government.”
The wider argument
Rathnayake accused the opposition of spreading falsehoods about the amendment and of misleading religious leaders and international organisations, noting those bodies had not objected to the 18th Amendment.
On the judiciary, he said a “cartel of leading lawyers” should not hold sway and that the government wanted to change that, while stressing it trusts all judges, including magistrates. He said the legislation was not aimed at any political ambition, and that the NPP would govern until 2029.
Parliament approved the third reading of 22A on Friday.
