A tense situation arose in Parliament today after the Opposition walked out of the Chambers accusing the government of failing to provide an opportunity to hold a discussion on the policy measures required to be taken in view of the disaster situation in Sri Lanka.
Addressing the Parliament, Opposition MP Kabir Hashim said the disaster had occurred despite the Department of Meteorology having warned of adverse weather and possible calamities.
He pointed out that despite the warnings, the government had failed to pay attention or take the necessary measures to prevent the disaster.
The MP further pointed out that the matter was not even raised in Parliament for discussion, which he said could have drastically reduced the impact of the disasters.
“If we had discussed this in Parliament beforehand, and if the water was opened gradually from November 12, we could have saved at least 75% of lives. Only if we had discussed this issue in Parliament. Keep politics aside. Our views and expertise could have been used and discussed. We have faced this situation in 2016 as well,” MP Kabir Hashim added.
As the Speaker moved on to the next agenda for today’s sitting, the Opposition informed they were leaving the Parliament, as they could help those in distress instead of wasting time in Parliament.
A group of opposition MPs walked out of Parliament, expressing displeasure over the government’s failure to provide an opportunity to discuss the current disaster situation in the country. (Newswire)