Political
Sandasen Marasinghe and Camelia Nathaniel
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UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday proposed a select committee should be established to look into enhancing Parliamentary powers to and to find out as to who was responsible for the decision on Exchange Rates.
Speaking following the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s statement, Wickremesinghe also proposed to set up a ‘Ways and Means Committee’ which is responsible for decision making with regard to finances.
He said that it was a historical day yesterday as a section of the government sat with the Opposition in the House of Parliament. He added that their views would not tally with the members’ who were already in the Opposition.
He also proposed that new laws should be drafted to provide provisions for the Central Bank to obtain the approval of the legislature to mint money.
He also proposed another 20 sectoral Oversight Committees should be established.
“The financial situation in the country is dropping further,” MP Wickremesinghe said. “The worst is yet to come.The queues to purchase essential items would not come to an end within 24 hours. The responsibility of Parliamentarians is to find a solution to the present economic crisis. The entire country is watching as to what the MPs are doing now”.
He added that the People would attack the Parliament if we fail to perform our duty. “We can’t protect the Parliament like the palace in the ‘Wijayaba Kollaya’, MP Wickremesinghe added. “We can protect it only by deed.”
MP Wickremesinghe commended the proposal made by the Prime Minister to repeal the 20th Amendment and replace it with the 21st Amendment and to bring back the 19th Amendment.
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 – 01:06
