Some media speculation would have us believe that Faiszer Musthapha PC is being lined up as Sri Lanka’s next Speaker. Two considerations suggest that this piece of political forecasting belongs somewhere considerably closer to the shredder.
First, Musthapha’s intervention in Sivarasa Anojan’s case was not a fee-paying brief. He volunteered his services and travelled at his own expense, a commitment publicly acknowledged in Parliament. According to NEWSLINE’s account, he identified an alarming inconsistency in the charges and pursued the legal argument. Turning that intervention into evidence of an impending political appointment requires a leap that the facts supplied do not support.
Second, whatever its faults, this government commands an overwhelming parliamentary majority. It has no numerical need to look across the political spectrum to find a Speaker. Anyone suggesting that it intends to do so should produce evidence of that intention, rather than treat speculation as an appointment letter.
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There is nothing improper about recognising a lawyer’s public service across party lines. But recognition does not establish that a political bargain exists, nor does assistance in a difficult case constitute an application for parliamentary office. Be that as it may, those promoting this story owe their readers something more substantial than an imaginative seating plan.
