Empty Benches, Full Bill: Parliament’s Vanishing Act

In December last year, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake laid down a simple rule: all 159 NPP Parliamentarians must attend every sitting. Eight months on, attendance tells a different story. Not only have more NPP MPs skipped the House since January, opposition MPs have also drifted away—often on crucial days—raising a blunt question: who is actually representing the people?

Sixty-four sittings, Rs. 32 million a day—and counting

From January to end-July, Parliament met 64 times. Based on the latest available benchmark (2022), each sitting costs taxpayers over Rs. 32 million. The Speaker’s office has yet to release the updated figure for this year, but the arithmetic is already uncomfortable: millions spent, rows of empty seats.

The serial absentees

At least 21 MPs—across both the opposition and the NPP—were marked absent 30 days or more out of the 64.

Leading the no-show chart: SJB’s Nayana Wasalathilaka (Badulla), who turned up to just 6 sittings. Palani Thigambaram (National Union of Workers/SJB alliance) clocked 15. Waruna Liyanage (SJB, Ratnapura) attended 19.

Also in the red: Faizer Mustafa (New Democratic Front) at 24 and Agriculture Minister K.D. Lalkantha at 25.

Government benches not immune

From the ruling NPP side, K. Ilankumaran (Jaffna) hit 25 sittings—barely a third of the calendar. Among opposition heavyweights, Kabir Hashim (SJB) made 28, Mano Ganesan (TPA) 31, Jeevan Thondaman (CWC) 35, and Namal Rajapaksa (SLPP) 39. Deputy Sports Minister Sugath Thilakaratne notched 31.

The die-hards who showed up

There were standouts. Chief Opposition Whip Gayantha Karunathilake, Ports and Transport Minister Bimal Ratnayake, SLPP’s D.V. Chanaka, and Deputy Speaker Rizvie Salih recorded a perfect 64/64. Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya missed just one, finishing at 63, matched by Ravi Karunanayake (UNP), Mujibur Rahman (SJB), and Dayasiri Jayasekara (SLFP). Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa clocked 56.

Campaign vows vs. chamber reality

On the trail, candidates promise tireless service—door-to-door visits, soaring speeches, a cascade of social media pledges. Inside the chamber, the follow-through is patchier. Attendance is the most basic measure of duty. When MPs skip the House—on debate days, vote days, oversight days—the electorate isn’t just short-changed; it’s unrepresented.

What the numbers whisper

The pattern isn’t partisan; it’s cultural. Skipping sittings has become routine enough to blur accountability, while the cost of each empty chair is counted in public money and missed scrutiny. Until attendance carries consequences—public scorecards, party sanctions, committee penalties—the “culture of absence” will outlast any headline promise.

The question that won’t go away

If Parliament is where the people’s business is done, who speaks for the people when their seats are empty?