Sri Lanka's parliamentary Speaker accuses Sirisena of usurping rights of legislators

Accusing President Maithripala Sirisena of "usurping" the rights of legislators, Sri Lanka's parliamentary Speaker Karu Jayasuriya asked public servants not to carry out his "illegal orders".

Jayasuriya also hit back at his critics who suggested that his improper conduct forced Sirisena to dissolve parliament last Friday.

On October 26, Sirisena abruptly sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa, after three-and-a-half years of an estranged relationship with him.

The island nation plunged into a constitutional crisis following the move.

Sirisena had suspended parliamentary proceedings until November 16. Later, owing to domestic and international pressure, he issued a notice to reconvene parliament on November 14.

However, on Friday, Sirisena dissolved parliament and announced snap polls on January 5 next year after it became evident that he did not have enough support in the House to prove the premiership of Rajapaksa.

"I have watched over the last two weeks as the executive branch has seized the rights and usurped the powers of members of parliament who were elected to represent the people," Jayasuriya said.

"I call upon all public servants to refuse to execute any illegal orders they may receive, no matter from whom," he said.

Referring to remarks by Sirisena loyalist Sarath Amunugama, Jayasuriya said, "I lament that the purported foreign minister, a highly regarded politician, has falsely alleged that I intended to prevent the president from delivering the statement of government policy when parliament was set to reconvene on November 14. It is on this imaginary premise that the minister suggests that parliament had to be dissolved.