Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne on Wednesday ordered NDF Badulla District MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake to leave the parliamentary Chamber, threatening forcible removal by the Sergeant-at-Arms, after the MP refused to drop a grievance over the Bribery Commission’s court-imposed travel ban that prevented him from joining a Chinese government-sponsored programme on 5 and 6 May.
Dassanayake told the House he had submitted a motion supported by a letter from the Secretary General of Parliament and an official invitation from the Chinese Government, but repeated objections from the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) had blocked his travel. He argued that the impounding of his passport constituted a breach of parliamentary privilege.
Speaker Wickramaratne shut down the matter, ruling that “the court has issued an order. We cannot discuss issues before the courts in Parliament.” Leader of the House and Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake reinforced the ruling, saying the matter was sub judice and not a question of privilege.
“You are an accused in the case, there is a court order related to your case, and, therefore, it cannot be discussed in Parliament,” Rathnayake told the MP, accusing the Opposition of attempting to politicise the dispute, according to The Island.
Dassanayake responded that even his attempt to hand over a privilege motion at the Speaker’s office had been rebuffed. The exchange escalated into a shouting match involving government and Opposition MPs, with several Opposition members gathering around the MP’s seat.
Opposition figures Ravi Karunanayake, Sujeewa Senasinghe and Chief Opposition Whip Gayantha Karunatilaka approached the Speaker’s chair repeatedly in an attempt to defuse the tension. The Speaker ordered that no microphone be provided to Dassanayake. Ignoring the ruling, the MP walked into the Well of the House and continued to disrupt proceedings while MPs on both sides recorded the scene on mobile phones.
As the disorder continued, Wickramaratne ordered Dassanayake to leave the Chamber immediately or face forcible removal. The MP eventually left when the Sergeant-at-Arms and his deputy approached.
The episode follows a separate session on Tuesday in which Parliament also refused to debate the travel ban. The Colombo High Court had temporarily lifted the same ban on 18 May, but the relief came after the China programme had passed. Dassanayake faces CIABOC corruption charges over a 2016 Uva Provincial Council cheque deposit during his time as Chief Minister.
Source: The Island.
