News
Diana ousted, focus now on dual citizens in Parliament
… she never bothered to renew SL visa after its lapse in 2015
By Shamindra Ferdinando
A three-judge Supreme Court (SC) bench has declared that SJB National List MP and State Minister Diana Gamage is not legally qualified to hold a parliamentary seat. She is one of the seven National List MPs appointed after the 2020 general election.
The SC bench consisted of E. A.G.R. Amarasekara, K. Kumudini Wickremasinghe and Janak De Silva.
The judgment was delivered yesterday in respect of a petition filed by Oshala Herath, an unsuccessful UNP candidate at the last general election. Previously, social media activist Herath had served on the Yahapalana President Maithripala Sirisena’s media staff.
Gamage is the second lawmaker to be unseated in the current Parliament on the basis of an SC ruling.
SC unseated Nazeer Mohammed (SLMC/Batticaloa district) late last year over him voting for the government, contrary to a decision taken by his party to oppose the 2021 Budget. However, the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government recently rewarded him with the post of Governor, North Western Province.
Within hours after the SC declaration, the SJB announced that Mujibur Rahuman would be appointed to fill the National List vacancy created by Gamage’s ouster. Colombo District MP Rahuman resigned in January 2023 to contest as the SJB’s mayoral candidate in Colombo though President Ranil Wickremesinghe put off the local government poll indefinitely claiming the country had no money to hold elections.
Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) MP Udaya Gammanpila said that he expected the issue of dual citizens in Parliament receiving fresh public attention in the wake of the SC ruling.
Attorney-at-law Gammanpila said that in terms of the Right to Information Act (RTI) he had sought the names of those who held dual citizenship from the Immigration Controller. That request was made in late 2018 and the Controller had claimed that they didn’t have a mechanism to find that out. The request was made before the Diana Gamage’ citizen issue came to light.
The SJB appointed Gamage as a National List MP in return for the transferring control of Ape Jathika Peramuna (AJP), a party run by she and her husband Senaka de Silva, one-time aide to the then General Sarath Fonseka, to the breakaway UNP faction, headed by Sajith Premadasa.
In November, last year, the Court of Appeal dismissed Oshla Herath’s petition with Nishshanka Bandula Karunaratne and the Judge of the Court of Appeal, Khema Swarnadhipa agreeing and the Court of Appeal Judge M. A. R. Marikkar giving a dissenting judgement.
Presiding judge Nishshanka Bandula Karunaratne is on record as having said that the petitioner, Oshala Herath, had submitted a petition based on a personal and hidden political agenda.
According to submissions made by Herath, before the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, at the time Diana Gamage was sworn in as an MP, she was a British citizen. The Court was provided with relevant details, including the numbers of her British passports.
In the previous Parliament, Galle District MP Geetha Kumarasinghe lost her seat following the Supreme Court ruling on the basis that she had been a dual citizen of Sri Lanka and Switzerland at the time of her election.
Soon after the SC ruling, Herath said that he really appreciated the reportage of the Diana affair in a section of the press, particularly The Island over the past couple of years. He said that there had been claims of some MPs in the current Parliament having dual citizenship. But, in Diana Gamage’s case, she never bothered to obtain Sri Lankan citizenship and simply pretended she had it while being a British citizen. The courts were told that Diana Gamage used a British passport, bearing number 521398876. They were also informed that a Sri Lankan visa, issued to Diana Gamage, lapsed on 16 July, 2015, and, thereafter, there was absolutely no evidence to suggest issuance of a new visa.
Diana Gamage had also received a diplomatic passport during this period, Herath said, pointing out that in spite of this controversy, President Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed her as State Tourism Minister.
The enactment of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution should compel Parliament to take tangible measures to remove, not only dual citizens, but foreigners, as well, Herath said. Parliament couldn’t continue to turn a blind eye to the issue, particularly against the backdrop of the reportage of the British passport matter and the outcome of it.
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
