(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera reiterated that the Millennium Challenge Cooperation (MCC) Agreement has been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers and will be submitted to Parliament once it is signed as the parliament cannot debate an unsigned document.
Releasing a copy of the final draft of the Agreement to the media for the public and other stakeholders to review, the Minister said the Attorney General has agreed that it is in compliance with the Constitution.
Although some people who are not familiar with the parliamentary system argue that the agreement should be submitted to parliament for debate before signing, the apex assembly cannot debate an unconfirmed document, the Minister pointed out.
The Agreement will be valid only after the passage of an Act of Parliament to implement it. According to the legal system of Sri Lanka, any citizen who is deemed to be aggrieved by the agreement can go to court when it is gazetted, Minister Samaraweera explained.
There are no legal issues with the signing of the agreement as the Attorney General has already agreed, he further said.
The Minister of Finance, Mangala Samaraweera stressed that at a time when the Cabinet has given approval to sign the agreement with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the people who create a fear in the country about the MCC agreement should immediately expose if there are any adverse impacts to the country and the people due to the agreement.
