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GL alerts country to danger of ‘thought-police’ by way of Online Safety Commission
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The government is bent on ensuring that people have no access to truthful information by the time of the presidential election next year, Freedom People’s Congress (FPC) MP, Prof. G.L. Peiris said, commenting on the proposed Online Safety Bill.
The Ranil Wickremesinghe administration knows that it can’t win elections and has postponed every election it can, he said. “However, the presidential election can’t be postponed. The government is curbing freedom of speech and the right to share information in a desperate bid to have a monopoly on information. There is no other reason to bring the Online Safety Bill.”
The Bill establishes an Online Safety Commission tasked with overseeing its implementation and addressing complaints related to online harm. Members of the commission are appointed by the President. “The commission will have five members. The President will appoint them the way he wants. The President can also get rid of them any time he wants. No one else has a say in whether the President’s decisions, with regard to the commission are fair. The power of appointing members should have been given to the Constitutional Council, which appoints members to all other independent commissions,” he said.
Prof. Peiris added that the digital space must be made safe and that there are a number of young people who have become victims of the unscrupulous activities of nefarious people. However, the proposed cure by the government is more dangerous than the disease.
Prof. Peiris said that Sri Lanka has been trying to attract foreign revenue into the country, mainly through tourism, trade and FDIs. Investments will not come into a country that passes draconian laws on a regular basis, he said.
“There are several sections that should scare anyone. There are sections that say people must obey the directives of the commission, established by the Online Safety Bill. If not, a person can be sent to jail for five years. This does not only apply to Sri Lankans, but also to global companies. For these companies, Sri Lanka is a small market. These companies will avoid Sri Lanka. We will just regress 30 years.”
If the Online Safety Bill and the Anti-Terrorism Act, which have been re-gazetted, pass, none of the democratic rights we have enjoyed will last, the MP said. “Social media has played a big role in the recent elections. When science and technology change, how people interact changes. We can’t avoid the digital space.”
Prof. Peiris said that he has been in Parliament for decades and that he has never seen a government this desperate to pass laws that restrict freedom of expression. “The Budget for 2024 will be presented mid-November. Nothing else can be done in Parliament for the next month following the Budget. The government is desperate to pass several draconian laws before the Budget.”
A team of Opposition MPs will meet the IMF representatives in Sri Lanka next week, he said.
“IMF money is to make the lives of people better. It’s not for the government. We want to tell the IMF that they have a duty to ensure that the money they provide is not pocketed by powerful people. We have to pay the loan, and people will have to pay. The IMF agreed that there is a lot of corruption here.”
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
