In Parliament: Ravi raises privilege issue on Bond Commission

Foreign Affairs Minister Ravi Karunanayake yesterday in Parliament rounded on the members of PCol inquiring in to the Central Bank bond issues for summoning him before the Commission “at short notice”.

The minister, observing that his Parliament privileges have been breached by the summon issued to him on a day that Parliament sits and the Cabinet meeting takes place, requested Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to look into it.

“Government servants must realise that they are part of the Government, Minister Karunanayake said.

“They should not try to run the Government. Today the problem is that these people think they run the Government policy,” the irate minister complained.

“On Saturday, I received summons to come on Tuesday.

Everybody knows very well that I am a senior Cabinet member in the Government and Cabinet meetings take place on Tuesdays. Furthermore they also know it is a Parliament day,” the minister stated while also stressing that he has no intention of disobeying the summons issued by the Commission and that he would appear before it as soon as Parliament duties permit him to do so.

The seemingly miffed minister also complained that, “the opposition members who robbed the country for eleven years are going scot-free while senior Cabinet ministers in the Government are called before the Commissions”.

“This is the sense of transparency our Government is maintaining. I am so proud to be in this Government,” he noted.

The minister, reminding that Parliament is a Supreme body as per the Constitution, said the right of a member to attend Parliament without hindrance or obstruction is a long recognized privilege as per the Parliament Powers and Privileges Act in the UK, other Commonwealth Parliaments and Sri Lanka.

Speaker Jayasuriya said he would take up the matter with relevant authorities.