News
Justice Minister suggests abolition of all Kandyan, Thesawalamai and Muslim laws through new Constitution
By Saman Indrajith
Making use of personal laws prevailing in a country at present to attack a single community would not be approved by any civilized nation, Justice Minister Ali Sabry told Parliament yesterday.
“It is so unfortunate that practices of those laws have become a tagline or a slogan for campaigns intended to raise hatred and disharmony among communities,” the Minister said.
Responding to a series of questions raised by Our Power of People’s Party National List MP Ven Aturaliye Ratana Thera, Minister Sabry said that personal laws in the country had evolved over centuries. The One Law One Country concept of the government was being implemented in spirit and in letter to promote the Sri Lankan national identity, the Minister said.
“There are several personal laws in this country. Among them are the Kandyan Marriage and Divorce Act, the Jaffna Thesawalamai Law, the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, the Buddhist Temporalities Act and the Church of Ceylon Act. The Muslim law has been recognised as a personal law in many other countries, including India, the Philippines, Israel and Singapore. The Muslim laws are not solely made on the basis of the Quran. It was first recognised as the Mohammadan Code among other personal laws such as the Kandyan Law and the Theswalamai law in 1806. Thereafter, these laws evolved with time. For example, until 1938 amendments to the Kandyan law polyandry and polygamy were accepted in law. It is asked whether the Muslim law permits the marrying off of underage Muslim girls without their consent. This is not true. Such marriages are registered with their consent and only their fathers place their signature on registration documents on their behalf too after ascertaining the consent of the girl. In some states in the US the minimum age for marriage is 13, while in some provinces in Japan it is 15. Until 1997, here in Sri Lanka, that age was 16 years. According to Sections 8 to 15 of the Kandyan Law and the Section 22 of the Marriage Ordinance an underage marriage is accepted if the marrying children have the consent of their parents. There had been many such mismatches in the law until the Court intervened in 2002 and gave an order that the minimum age for marriage should be 18 years. Even in Saudi Arabia the minimum age of marriage is 18 now. We too have accepted that the minimum age of marriage should be set 18. I submitted a Cabinet paper in Nov 2020 to that effect. There I have also proposed the amending of the laws enabling females to act as Quazi judges and that the females getting married should place their signature in the registration documents. In addition, I have set up an advisory committee to amend Muslim laws and when their recommendations are ready they will be announced to the community so that people too could submit their proposals. We will consider all of them in amending the laws. I am against the marriages under the age of 18. There is also another fact that around 80 percent of underage mothers are not reported from the Muslim community but from other communities. That means they have become mothers even if their marriages are not registered.”
Minister Sabry said that achieving one law one country could not be achieved by doing away with personal laws of Muslim community only; there was the possibility of abolishing all personal laws at once and that could be done through the new Constitution being drafted, he added.
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
