2006-02-17
News Categories : News
"A red letter day in the history of Parliament of Sri Lanka" mentioned the Deputy Speaker when he addressed the gathering at the Parliament website launch.
Find the speech made by the Deputy Speaker in full below.
Hon. Prime Minister
Hon. Speaker
Hon. Members of Parliament
Secretary to His Excellency the President
Distinguished invitees
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I consider today as a red letter day in the history of Parliament of Sri Lanka. People of this country enjoyed universal franchise since 1931, which is seventeen years before independence and just a few years after United Kingdom enabled its women the right to vote. From first past the post to proportional representation people casted their vote, performing their civic duty and many would burn the midnight oil in a festive mood to await the result, not to mention unfortunate excesses that took place in certain elections. The question before many is after the hustings what next?
Until today the communication between Parliament, its members and the rest took place through the print media. Letters constitute the communication between people and members. The Hansard is the official record of proceedings. The newspapers give publicity to the proceedings as well as photographs. In theory the Parliament should be open to the public as the representatives perform a duty on behalf of the people. Unfortunately, considerations of security, necessitated by acts of aggression, now surround every Parliament of the world. In an era where people demand transparency, the physical access to Parliament and other government institutions need be restricted, which appears to be a paradox.
However we can overcome these challenges through the evolution of the information communication technology and the revolution it is creating in our daily lives. Electronic communication was born with the invention of the telegraph and the telephone. Easy storage of information and its equal ease of retrieval became possible with aid of computers, which originally served the computational needs of the scientific community. Communication between computers made the easy retrieval of information stored in one computer with the aid of another. The birth of the internet facilitated methods of communication between computers and a universal network of access. The internet has come to our aid enabling us to be accessed through computers open to all. The main advantage is that it no longer requires face to face contact thus avoiding the risks of acts of aggression.
The commonest feature in the process of access is to retrieve what is known as web pages. By pages it is to be understood as chunks of pictures and texts displayed per screen. This is the equivalent of a notice board or a billboard. Now the pictures and the texts could be dynamic with animations. In addition this could be enriched with sound as well.
But a web page in the modern world is far beyond a mere notice board of display. It can be interactive. It could be configured to have a set of pages for every Member of Parliament where every citizen, with or without subject to identification can communicate with a member, both ways. The communication could be text based in the form of notes or letters. In a further advancement it could be a chat in the form text. The more advanced could be live audio and the ultimate being audio and video as well. A further development in this direction would be web based conference linking the citizens in a public library conference hall and the elected representative in Parliamentary premises.
Richness of an entity, be it individual, family, group, village, town or a country depends on what fraction of time it spends in planning for its future while dealing with the present. In this context any serious legislator would be on the look out for good ideas. Unfortunately the average culture of many so called responsible, is to treat letters as a nuisance. On the other hand an invitation to express views on policy of given subjects would evoke response from a limited group of intellectuals. The web based consultation would be an ideal source for a legislator to get ideas on a given subject across the board.
Any Parliament is a wealth of knowledge. Its library hitherto restricted by physical access can be made on-line thus enabling any audience, restricted or otherwise to refer to its material. I am fully aware that it would be a herculean task to feed in to web, the hansard, present and the past, leave alone all the printed material in our library. However, I am relieved to note that there are, IT enabled service providers available locally who can undertake to face the rigours of this exercise. A photographic gallery of distinguished legislators itself would definitely be an attraction and a challenge. The most daunting would be to have multimedia documentaries made available on-line based on the material available.
Clearly www.parliament.lk follows the address of the mother of all Commonwealth Parliaments www.parliament.uk. However we would have to maintain our own identity as we are a unicameral legislature as opposed to the UK legislature being bi-cameral and with judicial functions. Today, in reality it is a small step we take in the direction we have to move many a mile.
I trust that the developers of our system who are very capable have made it resilient to so called cyber-attacks. In any case it is physically less damaging than an act of aggression in the form of a physical attack. However we cannot risk the loss of data or the disturbance it would cause once sizeable number of population in the globe starts making use of it .I therefore take this opportunity to remind the cutodians of this system both present and in the future to guard this system and ensure its security from attacks which are modernised and innovated everyday.
We have to thank the United Nations Development Program for the generous assistance both in cash and kind towards the humble beginnings of our legislature being a part of the World Wide Web. I have to thank them once again for its commitment to build the institutional capacity of many an organ of the public in the developing countries in general and the parliament of Sri Lanka in particular. It is through this institutional building, an enhancement of public good that enables the serving of the public better and permits the foster care and the growth of the private good, thus enriching our people to be above the poverty line.
We in Sri Lanka recognize the role of the agency on information Communication Technology (ICTA) which was also a partner in this exercise. Its role is not limited to the Parliament of Sri Lanka but to the entire nation. It funded this project both in cash and kind. I am confident that professionals in Sri Lanka in general and the professionals in the Agency in particular would enrich the internet world of Sri Lanka thus contributing to an effective regime of governance in Sri Lanka. I would be failing in my duty if no mention is made of His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakse, the President of this country, who as the Minister in Charge of the subject of the Agency gave stewardship to ICTA and was very keen in the implementation of this venture.
I take this opportunity to thank all those who came today in response to our invitation to be with us and share our joy on this memorable occasion.
Thank you.
2026-08-21
The Supplementary Estimate to provide Rs. 7500 million required by the Government to purchase paddy from the 2026 Yala season was approved by Parliament today (Aug. 21). The debate on the Supplementary Estimate was held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.The Supplementary Estimate was presented to allocate Rs. 7500 million from the funds allocated for projects/programmes of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation for 2026, which are expected to remain unutilized during the year, for the purchase of paddy.
2026-08-21
A minute of silence observed in the Chamber to express condolencesParliament today (Aug. 21) expressed its condolences to the late veteran singer Dr. Nanda Malini, recalling her immense contribution to Sri Lankan music and society. Accordingly, a minute of silence was observed in the Chamber following a request by Hon. Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya.Speaking thereafter, the Prime Minister said she was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Nanda Malini, who was revered as the “golden voice” of Sri Lankan music and who, through her distinctive singing career spanning more than eight decades, enriched the country’s music and culture.The Prime Minister further stated that, as an admirer who had listened to Nanda Malini’s many songs and experienced different moments of life accompanied by those songs, her passing was not merely the loss of an unparalleled artistic personality in Sri Lankan music. It was also the departure of a familiar voice that had been closely connected to our lives and memories, and that had been with us through moments of both happiness and sorrow.She noted that Nanda Malini’s songs were deeply connected to the experiences of generations, and that the memories associated with her beautiful voice are felt even more strongly following her passing. The Prime Minister said that Nanda Malini’s singing career represented not only an era in Sri Lankan music, but also a living expression of the lives of the people, social movements and human emotions of the country.Going beyond singing about human emotions such as love and separation, Nanda Malini gave voice through her songs to the sorrow, fear, hopes and struggles of ordinary people, the Prime Minister recalled. That was why, when listening to her songs, people heard not merely the voice of a singer, but the voice of their own society.The Prime Minister said that, at this moment of mourning Nanda Malini’s passing, she was remembering not only an incomparable artist who had been lost to Sri Lankan music, but also a beloved voice that was connected to many memories in the lives of the people. She also noted that although the voice that had accompanied the people for decades has now fallen silent, the songs she sang would continue to live on in their memories and hearts. She expressed her deepest condolences to Nanda Malini’s two daughters and all members of her family, as well as to the people of Sri Lanka who loved her singing voice.Speaking on the occasion, Hon. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa stated that he personally knew Dr. Nanda Malini and described her as one of the greatest singers produced by Sri Lanka. He said she was an artist who never bowed to anyone and who always stood up for the people, possessing an exceptional sense of humanity, kindness and compassion.Hon. Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, who also spoke on the occasion, said that he joined the sentiments expressed in the Chamber in memory of the late Dr. Nanda Malini. On behalf of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, he expressed the hope that she may attain Nibbana.
2026-08-20
The Committee on Parliamentary Business, which met today (Aug. 20) under the chairmanship of Hon. Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, decided to take up for debate tomorrow, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Supplementary Estimate seeking approval for the allocation of Rs. 7500 million (7.5 billion) required by the Government to purchase paddy during the 2026 Yala season.The Supplementary Estimate has been presented to provide Rs. 7.5 billion from the funds allocated in 2026 for projects and programmes of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation, which are expected to remain unutilized during the current year, for the purpose of making the required payments.Thereafter, the Adjournment Motion to be presented by the Government is scheduled to be debated from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
2026-08-20
The Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament today (Aug. 20). The debate on the Second Reading of the Bill was held from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thereafter, the Bill was passed without a vote.The Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children (Amendment) Bill was introduced to increase the fines applicable to offences under the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act No. 47 of 1956, from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 100,000.
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