Sri Lankan Parliament debates no-confidence motion against Ranil Wickremesinghe government

Sri Lanka’s Parliament debated a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on April 4, a move that threatens the unity government elected on a platform of good governance.

A vote on the motion, brought by a group led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was expected later in the day. Mr. Wickremesinghe needs 113 votes in the 225-member Parliament to defeat the motion.

The main allegation involves his appointment of a Singaporean as the central bank governor who is now accused of leaking inside information to benefit his son-in-law in a treasury bond sale.

Sri Lankan police have sought Interpol assistance to arrest Arjun Mahendran, the former bank governor. His son-in-law and another official are already under arrest.

According to a presidential commission’s findings, Mr. Mahendran’s son-in-law allegedly made profits of $72 million from the dealings while the state lost about $55 million.

The no-confidence motion has threatened Sri Lanka’s unity government, formed by parties that are traditional rivals led by Mr. Wickremesinghe and President Maithripala Sirisena, with parts of Mr. Sirisena’s party mulling voting against the Prime Minister. A victory for the motion would boost Mr. Rajapaksa’s plan to recapture power.

Opposition lawmaker Dinesh Gunawardena opened the debate, saying Mr. Wickremesinghe was responsible for the scam because he appointed a foreigner to head a sensitive institution such as the central bank, and that its impact has been felt in the country’s economy, with low investor confidence.

Minister Lakshman Kiriella defended Mr. Wickremesinghe, saying two inquiries into the bond scam one by a parliamentary committee and the other by the presidential commission found no fault with the Prime Minister.

Leader of the Opposition Rajavarothayam Sampanthan, who heads the largest Tamil party in Parliament, said his party will oppose the motion because it wants the President and the Prime Minister to implement their pledge to draft a new Constitution protecting the political rights of minority Tamils after a protracted civil war that ended in 2009. “They want to first defeat the Prime Minister. The next target will be the President; they want the government brought down,” Mr. Sampanthan said. “We want the government to implement the mandate given to it by the country. In these circumstances how can we support this no-confidence motion?”