Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa reminded the parliamentarian today in the parliament that the Supreme Court decision on LG election is not violating any privileges of the parliament and it only enhances the dignity of the legislature.
His complete speech in the parliament is appended below.
Honorable speaker honorable dolawatta made a very serious statement regarding the violations of parliamentary privilege. Honourable speaker I wish to state that this parliament is a supreme legislative body which has the sole control of public finance.
You of all people know very well that parliamentary sovereignty reigns as far as public finance is concern. We members of the legislature got together and passed our judgment on the appropriation bill of 2023. Parliament has allocated public finances for the conduct of a local government election and I would like to remind everyone in this house that we are sworn upon the highest law of the country which is the constitution to protect the fundamental rights of the people and the rights to vote suffrage people’s sovereignty that is a fundamental right.
What the court has done is to issue an interim orders that to ensure that the fundamental right of the people of this country is protected by carrying out elections through funding that has already been allocated by a vote in this noble house. So honorable speaker this is parliamentary sovereignty at work. Remember there is a tripartite system you have the executive, you have the legislature, you have the judiciary. This noble house, this honored house took a decision to with their majority consent to the 2023 appropriation bill and the bill allocate monies for the local government elections.
And this government not fulfilling its rights to promote and protect fundamental right of the people of this country to vote. So the judiciary through their action what they have done not demean the parliament, is not breaking the privilege of the parliamentarians, it anything supreme court decision has enhanced parliamentary sovereignty. The Supreme Court basically stating through its interim order to carry out the vote of the parliament which was to allocate monies to the local government election.
So I want to state that my privileges are also broken through this act of this government by preventing monies from being given for the conduct of this election. Because it is this parliament which passed the appropriation act , it is this parliament which allocated money for the conduct of election and it is incumbent of on all two hundred twenty five of us to protect the fundamental rights of the people.
Unless these learned lawyers do not have any comprehension of the constitution. They will read the relevant chapters of the constitution and the right to vote is a sacred right ( interruptions from the speaker) you have to carry it out. And I am telling you there is no breaking of privileges through the judicial decision. If anything this government’s actions have actually violated privileges of all two hundred and twenty five.
