Sampanthan as Opposition Leader is illegal - Manohara

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya’s decision that Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader R. Sampanthan shall remain as the Opposition Leader in Parliament is illegal and shameful at the same time, Constitutional Law Expert Manohara de Silva, PC said. Speaking to Ceylon Today, De Silva said there is no rule that the Opposition Leader post should go to the Leader of a Party which has the majority of seats in the Opposition in Parliament.

He stated, “According to the Article 42(4) of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka, the Prime Minister should be the Member of Parliament, who, in the President’s opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of Parliament. The Constitution does not say that the Prime Minister should be the Leader of the Party which holds majority of seats in Parliament. This same theory should be applied when appointing the Opposition Leader in Parliament.

” “The current Prime Minister’s party does not have majority seats in the governing body in Parliament either. He was appointed to that post because he gained the confidence of the majority of MPs of the government. Therefore, if the majority of MPs belonging to the Opposition, name a person saying that they are confident in him as the Opposition Leader; the post should go to him. Hence, the Speaker’s decision cannot be accepted. It is illegal, unfair and unjust,” he asserted.