Opposition must be sued for being silent on weather warning: Deputy Minister
– Claiming that the opposition had kept mum on the warnings of an impending cyclone for two weeks from November 12 as they claimed, Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe said today the opposition must be sued for failing to inform the government of the warning of an impending cyclone if they were aware of it from November 12.
He told reporters that the government had not received any prior warnings of a cyclone issued by the Meteorology Department or the Irrigation Department on November 12 as claimed by the opposition.The Deputy Minister said the opposition parties had been aware of the warning as they claimed and said the opposition also has a similar responsibility just as the government, as they are also people’s representatives elected from the people’s vote.
“The opposition parties, especially the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) had been attending Parliament for the budget debate for 14 days from November 12 to November 26. None of them had raised it in Parliament but kept it a secret until the disaster occurred. Just as the government has a responsibility to prevent such a disaster, the opposition also has a responsibility. They are also people’s representatives elected by the people’s vote,” he said.
Jayasinghe said legal action must be taken against the opposition and not against the government as they had committed an even worse crime by not revealing the warning despite being aware of it.
