Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Eran Wickramaratne has resigned from the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) with effect from yesterday (18).
“COPE has been established to ensure the observance of financial discipline in public corporations and other semi-governmental bodies in which the Government has a financial stake.
By appointing a ruling party member as its Chairman, the committee fails to meet its objectives of keeping a check on the executive arm of the Government. To this end, the 2015-2019 Government followed a best practice of appointing the Chairman for the two key Committees – COPE and COPA – from the Opposition,” he said in a statement.
He further said that the duty of the COPE is to report to Parliament on accounts examined, budgets and estimates, financial procedures, performance and management of corporations and other government business undertakings.
“Forty-five years since its establishment, COPE has come to be a redundant committee. Mismanagement and corruption have largely gone unchecked due to limitations in Standing Orders. Standing Orders should be widened, where irregularities and fraud when in light, should reach the Attorney General directly and CIABOC proceeds to act. The Government blocks the process by limiting Standing Orders, therefore the effectiveness of COPE is now in question,” the SJB MP said.
The MP further said that the appointees to COPE, as part of its 31-member team or chairperson, must not be associated with allegations and or convictions. A committee that has an overview of checks and balances must have clearly outlined qualifications and disqualifications for its members.
Parliamentarian Wickramaratne is of the view that it is high time to revisit the scope of COPE, expand Standing Orders enabling the committee to do impactful work and embrace good governance practices moving forward.
Ishara Mudugamuwa