A trial balloon?

On Saturday, October 17th, 2026, reports suggest that Sri Lanka's ruling JVP-NPP government has proposed referring a no-confidence motion (NCM) against Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne to the Attorney General for further review. Opposition politicians claim this action could be an attempt to prevent the NCM from being debated. This move is unprecedented in the country's political history, as the previous SLPP-UNP government had allowed an NCM to be moved and defeated against Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena in 2024.

Despite the government's official stance that it is ready for a debate on the NCM against the Speaker, the possibility of the NPP employing tactics to obstruct the debate cannot be ruled out. The government may be testing the waters by leaking information about its plans, according to one source. In August 2025, the government successfully blocked an NCM against Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekara, ruling the motion out of order due to conflict of interest concerns.

However, the allegations against Jayasekara have not been resolved. If the government plans to seek the Attorney General's opinion as a strategy to dismiss the NCM against the Speaker, as reported, this approach is likely to be more damaging politically than facing a debate on the issue. Legal experts assert there are no grounds to reject the NCM in question.

Powerful governments have disgraced their commitment to parliamentary traditions and good governance by politicizing NCMs. The JVP-NPP government would be wise to avoid tactics reminiscent of dictatorial regimes, as the JVP has vehemently condemned. The allegations of attempting to block the NCM against the Speaker should be investigated thoroughly and not taken lightly.