Speaker undecided on reconvening parliament

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 November 2003, 10:32 GMT]
The Speaker Mr. Joseph Michael Perera said Thursday that no one has asked him to reconvene the parliament before 19th November responding to a written request from a group of opposition parties that parliament should not be reconvened before the stipulated date fixed by the President in her proclamation proroguing the parliament, parliamentary sources said.

A group of opposition parliamentarians Wednesday met the Speaker at the latter's chamber in the parliamentary complex and stressed that reconvening the parliament before the due date is unconstitutional.

However the Speaker said he received a request from government parliamentarians indicating the urgency of reconvening the parliament.

The leader of the opposition Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, Mr.Wimal Weerawanse of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Ms Ferial Ashraff, leader of the National Unity Alliance, Mr.Raja Collure of the Sri Lanka Communist party and Dinesh Gunawardene of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna later had appealed to the Speaker in a written request not to adopt unconstitutional approach in reconvening the parliament before November 19.

The prorogation of parliament by the President using her executive powers cannot be challenged by anyone, they reminded the Speaker.