Patali's arrest challenges traditions of democratic governance - Speaker

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri said the tradition followed till date when arresting a parliamentarian, has been violated in this instance. Ananda Kumarasiri, Deputy Speaker: "The convention is that the honourable speaker has to be kept informed when a member of parliament is taken into custody for any reason. What happened with the honourable Champika Ranawaka's case, I was told he was going to be taken into custody by senior superintendent of police in charge of the Colombo Crimes Division Mr Nandana. At around 7.30 in the evening, as far as I remember, acting SSP of the Nugegoda police Rohan Fernando called me and said, the former minister will be arrested, and he will send me a letter in this regard. But even today, I asked the staff in my office about this. They are yet to inform us about this matter in writing. The usual procedure is for them to inform the honourable speaker and then only a member of parliament can be taken into custody. So I think there is a breach of the convention where we feel that even during the last few years when members of parliament were taken into custody for various reasons, the practice was, is that the honourable speaker is kept informed. As the person who is responsible for the 225 members of parliament who sit in parliament during this session, I think it is his responsibility and so that is the reason why he should be kept informed." Issuing a statement this evening, the Office of the Speaker said the arrest of MP Ranawaka had violated parliamentary procedure. It adds, Chamal Rajapaksa and Karu Jayasuriya in their capacity as speaker of the house, had spoken in this regard, during a similar situation in the past. Acting in a manner that violates the privileges of public representatives, does not only challenge the important aspects and traditions of democratic governance but also depict signs of a collapse of democracy within Parliament.