Apr 07, Colombo: There is no room for dictatorship as the country operates under a democratic system of government, Samagi Jana Balawegaya parliamentarian Eran Wickramaratne said today in parliament.
Former State Minister of Finance noted that the President is empowered by the Constitution to reconvene Parliament to allocate funds for public service when the parliament is dissolved Parliament respecting the supremacy of Parliament over financial power.
But ordering the Secretary to the Treasury to set aside money from a Consolidated Fund in 2020 is an undermining of parliamentary power, the MP said.
Powers are vested in the executive, the legislature and the judiciary separately because it is a feature of democracy to prevent one authority from seizing power over the other.
In addition to these three pillars, the media is considered as the fourth pillar because it has the responsibility of informing the public whether the power is maintained in a balanced manner.
Under Article 150 (3) of the Constitution, the President has the financial power only to set aside money for election expenses.
Accordingly, the answer given by State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal to the question posed to the Prime Minister was not correct, Wickramaratne pointed out.
MP Eran Wickramaratne made these remarks responding to the statements made by State Minister of Finance Ajith Nivard Cabraal in parliement today.
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