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22 A: Amendments accepted at ‘committee stage’ should be subjected to SC approval

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3 years ago

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Nalin de Silva highlights major constitutional flaw

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador to Myanmar, Prof. Nalin de Silva, has said that whatever amendments introduced to a particular Bill at the committee stage should be definitely subjected to the approval by the Supreme Court.

The one-time Mathematics Don has stressed that the Speaker shouldn’t endorse the amended Bill until the Parliament obtained the Supreme Court’s consent.

Prof. De Silva said so commenting on a simmering controversy over Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC, manipulating the committee stage process to introduce new amendments which may not be in line with the Supreme Court ruling on the original Bill on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.

Prof. de Silva dealt with the issue at hand as sections of the ruling SLPP, including dissidents, warned against any moves to dilute executive powers to enable the full operationalisation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

The outspoken retired academic has urged the Parliament to introduce an amendment to prevent the Speaker from endorsing an amended Bill, till the Supreme Court approves it.

Prof de Silva last served as Sri Lanka’s top envoy in Myanmar, from 2020 to 2021.

The activist described the absence of provision for the Supreme Court to examine a Bill, following the committee stage, as a major flaw in the Constitution. This loophole should be closed, Prof de Silva said, recalling how successive governments had exploited the committee stage of controversial Bills to pursue their agendas. Prof de Silva cited the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution as a case in point.

Prof de Silva stressed that the Justice Minister’s approval of amendments were certainly not sufficient. Therefore, Supreme Court approval should be a prerequisite for the Speaker’s endorsement, he said.

Having pointed out that the 22nd Amendment had been presented to the public, through Gazette notification, Prof de Silva emphasized that the executive, the legislature and the judiciary were involved in the overall process.

Prof de Silva said that all amendments proposed to the 22 A that would be taken up for vote tomorrow (07) should be defeated. In fact, future attempts to introduce amendments at committee stage of a particular Bill, too, should be thwarted as the Speaker and the Justice Minister whichever party/alliance in power didn’t have the competence to examine the constitutionality of the proposals, Prof de Silva said.

The former diplomat said that the move to dilute executive powers should be examined against the backdrop of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s failure to secure the required international financial assistance. Declaring that the incumbent government couldn’t obtain at least loans from Western powers let alone grants, Prof de Silva questioned the status of Sri Lanka’s much-touted Staff-Level Agreement with the International Monetary Fund now being contradicted by the government.

Prof de Silva was commenting on Premier Dinesh Gunawardena’s declaration in Parliament on Tuesday (04) that there was only a draft agreement and they were yet to finalize the Staff-Level Agreement with the IMF.

Prof de Silva said that before the finalization of the agreement, the draft agreement should be submitted to the Parliament.

The retired academic said that the government owed an explanation regarding the efforts to introduce constitutional amendments at a time political parties, represented in Parliament, should be concentrating on a tangible economic recovery plan. Prof de Silva asked whether they genuinely expected the introduction of 22 A to the Constitution would really enhance political stability.

Prof de Silva expressed serious concerns about how the powers that be could propose certain amendments at the committee stage of the 22 A with a view to appeasing the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) as well as the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), a constituent party of the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB). The retired University Don pointed out the possibility in the government proposing consultations between the appointing authority (the President) and the Chief Ministers in respect of the appointment of Governors of the Provinces. In terms of the Constitution now, the appointment of Governors is the prerogative of the President.

Prof de Silva said that the President couldn’t dilute executive powers enshrined in the Constitution.


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Noritake Company Limited donates Rs. 20 million to the Government’s disaster relief programme

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1 hour ago

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2025/12/19

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Noritake Company Limited of Japan has donated Rs. 20 million to the Government’s disaster relief programme.

The cheque was presented to Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya by the Managing Director of Noritake Lanka Porcelain (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Kenji Obara, at the Parliament Complex on 18 December.

Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government  Chandana Abeyratne, Director and General Manager of Noritake Lanka Porcelain (Pvt) Ltd, Ms. Sujatha Egodagedara, and Assistant General Manager Captain M. M. Athula Rohan Senarath also participated in the event.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division].

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GovPay Concludes 2025 with Rs. 2 Billion in digital transactions, marking a major milestone in Sri Lanka’s digital transformation

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2025/12/19

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GovPay, Sri Lanka’s Government Digital Payment Platform concluded the year 2025 by surpassing Rs. 2 billion in total digital transaction value, marking a major milestone in the country’s digital transformation journey. Notably, GovPay doubled its collections from Rs. 1 billion to Rs. 2 billion in just 45 days, reflecting rapid adoption, growing public trust, and strong institutional uptake across the public sector.

Since its official launch on 07 February 2025, GovPay has processed over 69,000 digital transactions, enabling payments for 3,372 government services across 215 government institutions. This accelerated growth underscores the increasing reliance on secure, convenient, and transparent digital payment mechanisms by both citizens and government institutions.

Implemented under the strategic leadership of the Ministry of Digital Economy, the Information Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) in collaboration with LankaPay, GovPay has emerged as a key pillar of Sri Lanka’s national digital public infrastructure. The platform plays a critical role in advancing financial inclusion, improving service efficiency, and strengthening transparency in public service delivery.

A key milestone in 2025 was the launch of the Online Traffic Fine Payment System through GovPay on 10 April 2025. Since its introduction, the system has facilitated over 50,000 digital traffic fine payments, generating more than Rs. 66 million in revenue. The service is currently operational across the Western, Southern, Northern, North Western, and North Central Provinces, including the Southern, Katunayake, and Central Expressways. While the island wide rollout planned for December 2025 was postponed due to adverse weather conditions and disaster-related challenges, ICTA, in coordination with the Sri Lanka Police and with the support of LankaPay, has agreed to complete the nationwide rollout in January 2026, with a landmark launch in the Central Province.

GovPay has continued to expand its reach across local authorities, including Divisional Secretariats, Municipal Councils, Urban Councils, and Pradeshiya Sabhas, significantly enhancing access to government services in citizens’ day-to-day activities. The platform has enabled digital transactions for all local authorities in the Northern Province and all Divisional Secretariats in the Southern Province, with a national target to digitize all local authorities by 2026.

Institutions such as Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka Police, the Department of Technical Education and Training, the University of Moratuwa, and the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board emerged as some of the highest contributors to GovPay in 2025. Strong adoption by the education sector in particular highlights the readiness of younger generations to embrace digital transformation and demonstrates the platform’s scalability and reliability.

Beyond routine government services, GovPay also supported national disaster response efforts. Since 30 November 2025, the platform facilitated digital donations to the Rebuild Sri Lanka Disaster Relief Fund, collecting almost Rs. 14 million across 909 transactions, including contributions from Sri Lankans living abroad, ensuring transparency and ease of contribution during a national emergency.

As GovPay continues to grow, ICTA is working on revamping www.govpay.lk with enhanced features to support institutional onboarding, service management, and reporting capabilities. With Rs. 2 billion in digital collections achieved within its first year of operation and the last Rs. 1 billion reached in just 45 days, GovPay stands as a strong testament to the impact of coordinated digital transformation, reinforcing Sri Lanka’s vision of achieving a USD 15 billion digital economy by 2030.

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Swift restoration of Religious, Cultural and Archaeological sites damaged by the disaster

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4 hours ago

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2025/12/19

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A discussion on the restoration of religious, cultural and archaeological sites affected by Cyclone Ditwah was held on Thursday (18) afternoon  at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, with the participation of the Most Venerable Mahanayaka Theras of the three Chapters and other religious leaders.

Addressing the meeting, the Minister stated that more than one thousand religious, cultural and archaeological sites across the country had sustained damage due to the disaster. He assured that prompt measures would be taken to commence restoration work and reinstate these sites to their original condition without delay.

The Minister further stated that all restoration work is expected to be carried out while preserving the historical and cultural authenticity of the sites, under the guidance of the Most Venerable Maha Sangha and other religious leaders, with the active participation of all relevant stakeholders.

The Secretary to the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs,  Prince Senadheera, noted that arrangements are currently underway to mobilize the required human resources and financial assistance for the restoration process. He also stated that steps have been initiated to recruit the necessary technical officers on a contractual basis to conduct technical assessments of the affected sites. In addition, plans are in place to involve officials of the Ministry as well as officers of its affiliated institutions in carrying out these restoration activities.

The Secretary to the Ministry further stated that generous financial contributions from donors are currently being received to the fund established under the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs for the reconstruction of damaged religious places of worship.

The meeting also considered continuing the gathering as an interfaith committee to oversee the restoration activities. Accordingly, it was agreed that the progress of construction work would be regularly reported to the committee and that the committee would be entrusted with mobilizing support for the fund in a transparent manner, including assistance from foreign donors, international organizations, Buddhist organizations and other religious institutions.

It was noted that the Central Cultural Fund has identified eight sites that were severely damaged by the disaster and are difficult to restore through conventional construction methods, requiring the specialized expertise of archaeologists, mural conservation specialists, and architects. The cost of restoring these sites has been estimated at over Rs. 500 million.

It was further decided that the committee would meet once a month to review and discuss the progress of these restoration activities.

Religious leaders commended the Government’s intervention in providing relief to those affected by the disaster and in restoring livelihoods, expressing appreciation for the effective management of the response. They also praised the Government’s prompt action in initiating restoration work at damaged religious sites.

The event was attended by several eminent religious leaders, including the Registrar of the Asgiri Maha Viharaya, Venerable Dr. Medagama Dhammananda Nayaka Thero; the Registrar General of the Amarapura Siri Saddhammawansa Maha Nikaya, Venerable Balapitiye Siri Seevali Nayaka Thero; the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya, Venerable Attangane Sasanarathana Nayaka Thero; the Chief Secretary of the All-Ceylon Shasanarakshaka Board, Venerable Professor Mugunuwela Anuruddha Nayaka Thero; and the Tri-Nikaya Maha Sangha, led by the Chairman of the National Bhikkhu Front, Venerable Wakamulle Uditha Thero.

Also in attendance were Hindu religious leaders, including Venerable Swami Aksharatmananda, representatives of the Catholic Church and the National Christian Council, including Father Alec Roy Samantha Fernando, All-Ceylon Muslim religious leaders, including the General Secretary of the Jamiatul Ulama Organization, Ash-Sheikh Arkam Nooramith, Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs,  Mohamed Muneer , as well as senior officials of the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs and relevant line institutions.

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