Imthiaz Bakeer Markar, a member of the SJB Parliament, urged Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Thursday to make sure that incidents that could undermine the independence, dignity, and decorum of Parliament are not tolerated at a time when the public is closely monitoring certain actions and attempts to influence the Attorney General’s Office and the judiciary.
“Markar begs the Speaker to protect the dignity of the legislature from attempts to subjugate the judiciary and AG”
bringing up a matter of privilege According to Markar, the public is worried about attempts by certain political forces to influence the courts and the Attorney General’s office procedures. “I respectfully request that the Speaker take action to stop some serious moves that are being made to undermine the dignity of parliament and to ensure the dignity, independence, and esteem of this Parliament,” the MP said.
He stated that a report from the Committee on Ethics and Privileges was presented to the Members of Parliament on Tuesday, 18 and that it revealed that certain parliament offices had gravely violated his privileges in relation to his introduction of a private member’s bill to guarantee youth representation in local government bodies. “The same bill, which was introduced by government MP Premanath C. Dolawatte, was moved in the House. When my bill was sent to the Department of Attorney General and the Bills Office in Parliament, significant manipulations had occurred. Despite the private member bills having clearly defined procedures, these manipulations had occurred. The MP declared, “It is obvious that these policies and procedures have been willfully broken.”
He said that on January 6, 2022, he had sent his draft bill to the Bills Office in Parliament in three different languages. After six months, the government MP only submitted a copy of his draft bill in Sinhala; on August 22, 2022, three translations were provided. It took the Department of Attorney General four days to receive the Government MP’s bill, whereas it took them two months to receive my draft bill.
The Committee on Ethics and Privileges has determined that this manipulative act constituted a violation of my privileges. I implore the Speaker to take action against the individuals behind these manipulations and to ensure that such actions, which compromise the dignity of parliament, are never tolerated. People are on the lookout for specific actions and pressures to get the attorney general’s office and the judiciary to break the law at this time. The Speaker must make sure that the public’s faith in parliament is not damaged in such a situation, according to Markar.
