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Queen presided over Buddha Jayanthi 2500 celebrations as head of Ceylon
The statement made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe while participating in the vote of condolence on the demise of HM Queen Elizabeth II, moved in the Parliament today (23).
“Amongst all the letters of congratulations I received on becoming the president, the one that was sent by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was special. It would have been one of the last letters of congratulations, if not her last letter of congratulations. Her Majesty has been very frail after the death of her husband, His Highness Prince Phillip the Duke of Edinburgh, but no one expected a sudden passing away like this.
The ceremonies are all over, but we have to grapple with the issue. What did Queen Elizabeth II mean to us, to Sri Lanka, to the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and to the world. As Queen of Ceylon, her reign signified the transformation of our country from Ceylon to Sri Lanka. The great political upheaval started under her. The 1956 election victory, the emergence of the ethnic issue, the coming of the free education generation, the state control of the economy, two coup d’etat against the government and the start of the armed uprisings in the South.
Her Majesty is a person who is a staunch Christian and held to her beliefs as a defender of the Anglican faith. But as Queen of Ceylon she also upheld the commitment to safeguard Buddhism under the Kandyan Convention of 1815. In fact, a little known item is that HM presided over the Buddha Jayanthi 2500 celebrations as the head of Ceylon together with the kings of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and the President of Burma as Myanmar was then known.
When her term came to an end and we became a republic, there were also two issues that we had left behind which has still not been resolved. The conversion from a dominion of Ceylon into a unitary state of the Republic of Sri Lanka was the emergence of the ethnic issues which led, in turn to uprisings and still the last part of it has to be resolved.
Secondly, it was an issue that was raised, about if you want a figurehead why don’t you have the queen? Why do you need a figurehead President? I remember the late Mr. Siriwardena, Editor of the ‘Aththa’ wrote an editorial that we need not become a republic to become a socialist country. Then there was the issue that was raised by the then leader of the Opposition Hon. J.R. Jayawardena supported by his Chief Opposition Whip Ranasinghe Premadasa as to why we need a figurehead president. If we are to have a president, we should have an Executive Presidency on the model of France.
Now this is also still an unresolved question. Many have pledged and won elections to abolish the executive presidency but no one has done it. In a sense, she represented not only the transformation of Sri Lanka but also the transformation of the rest of the world. The transfer of power from the West to Asia and Africa, the dismantling of the British Empire and the UK joining Europe, and then they left Europe and are now redefining its role as Global Britain.
Queen Elizabeth II was different. From Head of the British Colonies she became head of the Commonwealth of Nations, the transformation which represents her greatest success bringing together the West and the rest. This Commonwealth of Nations saw some of the most outstanding leaders of our time get together with HM the Queen. Sir Winston Churchill, Dame Margaret Thatcher, Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sir Robert Menzies, Pierre Trudeau, Lester Pearson, Nelson Mandela, Kenyatta, Kenneth Kaunda, Nyerere, Nkrumah, Lee Kuan Yew and Tunku Abdul Rahman were amongst the others.
In this transformation, Queen Elizabeth II became to us a symbol of stability and a symbol of adaptability. No other queen would have jumped off a helicopter with James Bond. And she was a symbol of duty. As a global icon she outranked the UK, a nation which has now to charter its fortune without its greatest soft-power asset, Queen Elizabeth, who was 100 times more powerful than the aircraft carrier named after her.
It is to pay our respect to this global icon which took many of us to the funeral service in Westminster Abbey. It was a very moving funeral service. The most poignant moment became when all of us in the Abbey, Christian or non-Christian, joined in to sing her favourite hymn ‘The Lord Is My Shepherd’. ‘Goodness and mercy all my life shall surely follow me and in the god’s house for evermore my dwelling place shall be’. Queen Elizabeth II is no more. Therefore, I request, Hon. Speaker, and I am supporting the motion moved by the Hon. Prime Minister to convey to HM King Charles III and members of the Royal Family our condolences.
I conclude this tribute to Queen Elizabeth II of Ceylon, the last of our royal line which began with King Wijaya with this verse. “Anicca vata sankhara, uppadavaya-dhammino, Uppajjitva nirujjhanti, tesam vupasamo sukho.” Impermanence our formations subject to rise and fall, having risen they cease, their subsiding is bliss. Thank You.”
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
