Speaker announces MPs nominated for ‘National Council’
Speaker of the House Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena yesterday (23) announced in Parliament the list of MPs who have been nominated for the ‘National Council’, which was established as per the proposal of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.
Chief Government Whip Prasanna Ranatunga presenting an Amendment to the resolution, stated that the National Council will consist of the Speaker as the Chair, the Prime Minister, Leader of the House of Parliament, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, the Chief Government Whip, the Chief Opposition Whip and not more than thirty-five (35) Members of Parliament.Members of Parliament nominated to the ‘National Council’ established includes, “Douglas Devananda, Naseer Ahamed, Tiran Alles, Sisira Jayakody, Sivanesathurai Santhirakanthan, Johnston Fernando, Rauff Hakeem, Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi, Wajira Abeywardana, A. L. M. Athaullah, Prof. Tissa Vitarana, Rishad Bathiudeen, Wimal Weerawansa, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Palani Thigambaram, Mano Ganesan, Udaya Gammanpila, Rohitha Abegunawardhana, Namal Rajapaksa, Jeevan Thondaman, G. G. Ponnambalam, Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera, Asanka Navarathna, Ali Sabri Raheem, C.V. Wigneswaran, Weerasumana Weerasinghe and Sagara Kariyawasam.Since the names of a few other Parliamentarians are to be received, the announcement of such names has been scheduled for the near future. The resolution proposed by Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to constitute the Parliamentary Committee called ‘National Council’ was passed in Parliament on September 9, 2022 without objection.”One of the responsibilities of the National Council is determining the general priorities of Parliament to guide the formulation of short,medium and long-term national policies,” Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said.It is also tasked with organizing special meetings with the Ministers of the Cabinet, the National Council, the Chairperson of Special Committees and Youth Observers of Youth Organizations. The ‘National Council’ also has the power to summon reports from the Sectoral Oversight Committees, the Committee on Public Finance, the Committee on Public Accounts, the Committee on Public Enterprises and any committee that controls the public finance.
However, no Parliamentarian representing the National People’s Power (NPP), the group of SLPP Parliamentarians who identify themselves as an Independent Group and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has been nominated for the National Council.