Sri Lanka's opposition is taking its dispute with the government over a blocked parliamentary debate to international legislative bodies.
The decision to report the matter to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association follows a ruling by the government preventing a vote on a no-confidence motion against Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne in Parliament on 3 November.
Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake announced that Parliament will conduct an adjournment debate instead on 3 November because the opposition failed to amend the motion under Standing Orders by 28 October.
He said that the motion could still be considered before the upcoming budget debate if the opposition resubmits a revised version.
Chief Opposition Whip Gayantha Karunathilaka said that the opposition has no intention of amending, resubmitting, or withdrawing the motion already placed on the Order Paper.
He said that neither party leaders nor the government possess the legal authority to force the alteration or removal of a submitted motion.
He noted that removing an entry from the Order Book requires specific formal steps, such as a withdrawal by the movers, a parliamentary resolution, or a majority vote to suspend Standing Orders.
Karunathilaka accused the government of trying to keep the motion listed without allowing time to debate it, while refusing to draft the document according to government preferences.
He pointed out that the Secretary-General of Parliament is responsible for listing items on the Order Paper and noted that the Speaker raised no initial objections to this motion.
He added that the government initially suggested seeking the advice of the Attorney General before subsequently abandoning that plan.
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