Commenting on the media speculations regarding the reconvening of Parliament, former Speaker and Chairman of the Constitutional Council (CC) Karu Jayasuriya said he had no intention whatsoever of reconvening Parliament at this juncture creating another crisis.
The former Speaker made these observations when the CC met at his official residence on Thursday (23). He said only the Supreme Court can give an interpretation on such a constitutional concern and he is bound to act according to the decision given by the Supreme Court. He urged all party leaders and political parties not to create any form of constitutional crisis at a time when the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the entire world.
Former Speaker Jayasuriya during the CC meeting stressed the importance of all political parties working together disregarding narrow political gain to address the national catastrophe, the COVID-19 pandemic, parliamentary sources said.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa elaborated on the COVID-19 situation and preventive measures taken by the Government to combat the spread of the virus and restoration of the livelihood of the people.
The Premier informed the CC that steps are being taken to look into the problems faced by Sri Lankan workers in the Middle East in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and to resolve their problems. It was also discussed about measures needed to repatriate students who have gone abroad for study.
Several members of the Council said it is appropriate for the Executive to take the views of the Party Leaders of the former Parliament into account in combating the disease.
Meanwhile, at the beginning of the discussion, members of the CC reviewed the progress of all Independent Commissions. Attention was drawn to the performance reports sent by the Independent Commissions to the CC. Two letters sent to the Council by the Election Commission were also taken into consideration. One letter had highlighted that the Police Commission should work with the concurrence of the Election Commission regarding transfers and appointments of Police officers during the election period. The Council laid emphasis on the vacant positions in the Office for Reparations and it was decided to fill the vacancies at the next CC meeting so that the office could function properly.
The CC meeting was attended by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, former Parliamentarians R. Sampanthan, Thalatha Atukorale, Mahinda Samarasinghe and Bimal Ratnayake as well as civil society representatives of the CC Javed Yousuf and Naganathan Selvakkumaran.