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MP Sumanthiran: President has committed impeachable offence
By Saman Indrajith
TNA Jaffna District MP MA Sumanthiran told Parliament on Saturday that an impeachment motion could be brought against President Ranil Wickremesinghe for using the latter’s parliamentary time to violate the provisions of the Constitution.
Participating in the debate on Budget 2024 under the expenditure heads of the Ministry of Justice, Sumanthiran said that the President had stated in Parliament on 24 Nov., that the Constitutional Council was under the purview of the executive branch of government. “This is wrong and it is a deliberate attempt to violate the Constitution and that amounts to an offence on which the President could be impeached,” Sumanthiran said.
MP Sumanthiran said the President came to the Chamber on 24 Nov., and read from some Supreme Court determinations, claiming that the Constitutional Council was a part of the executive. “I spoke on the same matter on the same day, but the President did not remain in the House. He left. Two days later he came to the Chamber again and replied to me. And then he left again.
While the Opposition Leader was asking him to stay, he left the Chamber. The President before leaving told this House that as per the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, the CC was a part of the executive. He said that he, KN Choksy and Karu Jayasuriya drafted that law. That is also wrong. It was brought at the insistence of the JVP.
The President was actually talking about the 18th and 19th Amendments which were aborted in this House. They wrote them during his tenure as the Prime Minister to clip the wings of the executive presidency. He was reading from those determinations, and claimed that those readings were from the 17th Amendment.
He also claimed that I provided counseling to those deliberations before the Supreme Court. That too was wrong. I was not in the country then and I was reading for my Masters elsewhere. Chief Justice Sarath Silva giving the determination on the 17th Amendment to the Constitution stated that the establishment of the CC was the core of the 17th Amendment.
The provisions pertaining to the CC are in the Chapter 7 (A). The Leader of the House too on the day the President spoke said that it seems the CC comes under the executive. Executive powers are in Chapter 7 and a new chapter was created as 7 (A). It is a sui generis [unique] chapter stating that the CC is neither part of the executive nor the legislature. On the day of my intervention, I did not state that the CC was a part of the legislature but it was a part of the legislative structure. That is what the determination of the 17th Amendment says. The CC is a body separated from the executive, separated from the legislature but is under the aegis of Parliament.
President comes here and says what he wants. The half-baked arguments go unchallenged. That is not democracy. When someone challenges his claim, he gets up and walks away.
The 17th Amendment was brought for good governance. Subsequent amendments took good qualities away and brought them back to the Constitution. But the President behaves as if there were no checks and balances and thinks that the CC should accept his nominations. That is wrong. That was not the intention of Parliament when it implemented these amendments which sought to curtail untrammeled powers of the executive.
Now, we have come to a crisis of governance. This has implications on economic recovery as well. This has been highlighted by the IMF too. The President has violated the Constitution in this House for the second time within a month. This is deliberate offence on which he could be impeached,” Sumanthiran said.
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
