On Monday (26 Feb.), several opposition parties, spearheaded by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, affixed their signatures to a motion of no confidence against Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene, citing violations of the Constitution of Sri Lanka.
The motion garnered support from numerous Members of Parliament (MPs) from the opposition benches, including M. A. Sumanthiran, Lakshman Kiriella, G. L. Pieris, Tissa Attanayake, Chandima Weerakkody, and Shan Wijayalal de Silva. Their discontent stemmed from the Speaker’s approval of the highly contested Online Safety Bill, which they allege was done through ‘irregular procedures’.
Earlier this month, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) leader Sajith Premadasa accused the Speaker of disregarding nine recommendations put forth by the Supreme Court during the enactment of the Online Safety Act, asserting their loss of confidence in his ability to uphold parliamentary protocols.
“The Speaker has granted approval for the Online Safety Act in an unlawful manner. We carried out an analysis regarding the matter. The recommendations of the Supreme Court have been neglected on 09 instances,” Premadasa stated.
“We have no confidence in the Speaker anymore. We will have to consider whether [the parliament] has confidence in the Speaker or not, in the future,” he added.
The no-confidence motion highlights the Speaker’s dismissal of the Supreme Court’s recommendations concerning Sections 13, 17, 20, 33 (6), 34 (1), 35 (1), 21, 22, and 33 of the Online Safety Bill.
