Jaffna District MP Archuna Ramanathan has issued a public apology after sitting in the opposition leader’s chair on the opening day of the 10th Parliament, a move that sparked media attention and controversy.
During an awareness workshop held in Parliament for new MPs, Ramanathan explained how the incident occurred. He mentioned that upon asking where he should sit, he was told there was no issue with sitting anywhere in the chamber. Following this, he casually took a seat in the front row, not fully aware of the seating protocols. “We are used to sitting in classrooms and did not raise our hands to enter Parliament. I thought I could sit wherever I wanted,” he said.
However, Ramanathan’s seat choice quickly became a topic of discussion when four colleagues approached him, informing him that the seat he occupied was traditionally reserved for the opposition leader. At that point, he acknowledged his mistake and moved from the chair, not intending to offend or disrespect the parliamentary traditions.
The media quickly picked up on the situation, with headlines referring to him as a “Tiger” for sitting in the opposition leader’s chair, a reference to his Tamil background. Ramanathan expressed regret over the incident, stating that his actions were unintentional and not meant to be a political statement. “I do not have a group, I came independently, so I did not know where to sit or how to go about it,” he explained.
Ramanathan concluded by offering a heartfelt public apology, saying, “I am very sad that the media has blown this out of proportion. I would like to apologize publicly for sitting in that chair. It was never my intention to do so deliberately.”
