Parliament votes to allow COPF to elect its own chair

COLOMBO (News1st): Parliament on Friday voted in favour of a proposal that would allow the Committee on Public Finance to elect its own chair. The proposal was put forward by the leader of the house Dinesh Gunawardena, sparking outrage from the opposition that sought the position. "Shouldn't democracy prevail in Parliament?" opposition lawmaker Dr Harsha De Silva queried pointing out that he was nominated for the post. He observed that according to parliamentary regulations, the chair of the committee on public finance shall be a member of the opposition. "Dinesh Gunawardana is trying to change the regulations to prevent me from becoming the chairman," De Silva argued. However, the proposal that would allow the committee to elect its own chair was passed with 87 votes in favour and 17 against.