US funding for House project

MPs’ US study tour: Sarath left out

A group of MPs has left for the US to participate in a study programme. SLPP MP Sarath Weerasekera could not join them because the US Embassy in Colombo declined to issue him with a visa. Weerasekera is the Chairperson of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security.

Parliament confirmed that the group of MPs accompanied by some officials from the Parliament Secretariat had left over the last weekend.

The group included Chairpersons and members of the Sectoral Oversight Committees of Parliament. They are expected to study the committee process of the United States Congress.

Parliament said the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) would sponsor the Sri Lankan visitors, and technical and coordination assistance would be provided by the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

A parliamentary official said: “This study programme is conducted with the aim of sharing knowledge and ideas about the activities of the committees that have been active for a long time in the United States Congress, holding discussions with the members of those committees, identifying their technical achievements as well as observing their innovative trends and studying how the public participate in the respective committees.” (SF)