News
Speaker orders MP elect in prison to be brought to Parliament
By Saman Indrajith
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, yesterday, ordered the Prisons Department to enable Ratnapura district MP elect Premalal Jayasekara to attend Parliament.
The Prisons Department had earlier been ordered to allow Jayasekara to attend Parliament.
However Jayasekara, who is currently on death row, had not been brought to Parliament.
SLPP Colombo District MP Premanath C. Dolawatte, raising a point of order, told the Speaker that the people of Ratnapura were deprived of representation in Parliament when their MP Jayasekera was denied the opportunity to attend parliamentary sessions.
“Jayasekera polled over 140,000 preferential votes at the last general election. Following his sentence, he appealed to the Court of Appeal against the sentence. He is not allowed to come to this House. There is no court order preventing him from coming to Parliament. There is the possibility of him becoming not guilty at the end of the Appeal court case. You have powers to issue an order to the head of the Prisons Department to bring him to Parliament. Suppose he will win the case at the Appeal Court and thereafter he would be allowed to attend sessions. But until then, the people who voted for him are not represented here. I bring to the notice of the Chair a ruling given by former Speaker Anura
Bandaranaike on a similar issue on June 20, 2001 that Parliament process is not bound by a court order.
I call on you not on behalf of Premalal Jayasekera but on behalf of Ratnapura people who voted for him. You have powers to bring him here and we hope you will take actions necessary for the purpose,” MP Dolawatte said.
MP SB Dissanayake said that an MP in remand prison had the right to attend parliament sessions. “There has been precedent. I availed myself of that opportunity. Therefore MP elect Jayasekera should be allowed to come to Parliament,” Dissanayake said
According to the Parliament Secretariat sources, the Sergeant-at-Arms of Parliament had informed the Commissioner General of Prisons to make arrangements to facilitate the MP to attend Parliamentary sittings.
Speaker Abeywardena said that his office had not been informed of the appeal of Jayasekera. “Not permitting him to come to Parliament is wrong. Therefore I order the prison administration to bring him to parliament,” the Speaker 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
