The final vote on Budget 2017 was passed in Parliament yesterday with a majority of 110 votes. One hundred-and-sixty members voted for while 55 voted against, giving the Government a two-third majority. Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanyake called for a division by name. The Joint Opposition (JO) MPs and the JVP MPs voted against, while the SLFP MPs in the Government along with the UNP, TNA, CWC, SLMC and EPDP voted with the Government.
Four MPs, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Siripala Gamlath, Premalal Jayasekera and Thenuka Widanagamage were absent at the time of voting. The Government legislators booed the JO MPs when former President and UPFA Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa’s name was read out for voting.
At the end of the Committee Stage debate, JO Leader MP Dinesh Gunawardena called for a division on expenditure heads of the Finance Ministry. Therefore, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya moved the House for a vote which received 164 votes in favour and 55 against.
The Budget proposals were presented to Parliament on November 10 and the Second Reading debate commenced the following day. The Second Reading vote was taken on November 18 and passed with a two-third majority. It received 162 votes in favour with 55 votes against. The Third Reading debate commenced on November 19 and continued till yesterday, December 10 (19 days), excluding Sundays.
The electronic voting system was first tested in Parliament yesterday soon after the budget vote was taken. At the end of the session, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya requested all MPs present to participate in a test voting so that the count could be compared with the results of the normal voting which took place a couple of minutes earlier.
The electronic vote recorder was introduced to Parliament several weeks ago but could not be used for the Second Reading vote on Budget 2017 as some MPs had failed to submit their finger prints to the Secretary General of Parliament. When the division was called each member pressed a button fixed to their desks indicating their decision within the time allowed by the Speaker. Winding up the debate which took 25 days, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake told the House that they presented was a National Budget. “This is neither a UNP nor a SLFP budget. That is why this budget is appreciated by all,” he said. “We have increased the VAT with great displeasure as there is no other means to find money. We would bring the percentage of the tax down soon, Minister Karunanayake said.
“There are hoards of currency notes of Rs.5,000 denomination hidden in the possession of some opposition politicians. Those monies are used to bring people for protests. Every protestor is paid with a Rs 5,000 note. We would soon do what the Indian Prime Minister Modi did in India to flush out the people who have hoarded currency Rs 5,000 notes.”