COPE: Parliament Confirms Five Official Resignations

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Sri Lankan Parliament has officially acknowledged that five members have formally resigned from the Committee On Public Enterprises, commonly known as COPE.

According to a senior spokesperson, these five concerned members have submitted written notices of their resignation.

The specific members who tendered their resignation letters are Dilan Perera, Duminda Dissanayake, Eran Wickramaratne, S. M. Marikkar, and Professor Charitha Herath.

In addition to the above, several other Members of Parliament (MPs) have also publicly declared their resignation from COPE.

They are Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Wasantha Yapa Bandara, Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam, Dayasiri Jayasekera, Gamini Waleboda, and Hesha Vithanage.

However, the formal written notifications for these additional resignations have not been received yet.

The Parliament emphasizes that resignations are officially recognized only when notified in writing.

These resignations stem from the MPs’ protest against the appointment of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna MP Rohitha Abeygunawardena as the chairman of COPE.

The opposition leader’s office has been informed to appoint new members to fill the vacancies left by those who resigned.

As of now, no response has been received regarding this matter, said the Spokesperson.

The Committee On Public Enterprises, commonly known as COPE, originally comprised 31 members.

Among them, 19 represent the government, while 12 belong to the opposition.

With the recent resignations, the ruling party’s membership has decreased to 18, while the opposition now has 8 members.

Despite the reduced membership, the Parliament clarifies that a minimum of 5 members is sufficient for COPE to convene and conduct its business.