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Media collective faults Speaker

Published

2 years ago

2024/02/13

The Media Orgainsations Collective (MOC), comprising Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association, Free Media Movement, Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, Tamil Media Alliance, Sri Lanka Young Journalists’ Association, and South Asian Free Media Association – Sri Lanka Chapter, yesterday said Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena’s actions were “an obstruction to the right of journalists to report freely and also impinges on the right of the public to true and accurate information.”

MOC has in a statement requested the Speaker “not to contribute to the government’s efforts to suppress the media, using the powers and privileges of Parliament.”

The text of the statement issued by MOC: When Parliament met on February 08, Member of Parliament D. Weerasinghe cited an article in the Sunday Lankadeepa newspaper, dated January 28, 2024, headlined ‘Supreme Court amendments not in Online Safety Act; Opposition demands meeting of party leaders before Speaker signs it’ as having breached his privileges as a member who voted for the Bill and requested the Speaker to direct the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges to take appropriate action. In response, you stated the request would be presented to the committee as a question of privilege.

We, as leading media organisations in Sri Lanka who are signatories to this letter, wish to inform you that while being alert to the government’s contemptible efforts to use parliamentary powers and privileges to stifle media freedom, we unequivocally condemn all attempts to suppress people’s rights to know the truth by intimidating journalists.

The article published by Lankadeepa was not a news report based on false information. On the contrary, it was an attempt to inform the general public of serious and demonstrated shortcomings that were observed in the process of having the Online Safety Bill adopted. This is a view shared by a majority of the general public.

Communicating the right information to the public is a social responsibility of the media. And in that context, the news article in question was fulfilling that responsibility. The media, civil society activists, trade union activists and the Opposition have, from the outset, urged you, as Speaker of the House, not to present the Bill in Parliament due to its numerous flaws. It is also a well-known fact that you have ignored repeated calls by the Opposition for a meeting of party leaders to discuss the Bill, both before it was brought up for debate and even after it was put up for debate. Several leading organisations, including the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, have also issued statements to the media detailing the flaws in the Bill and its process.

We, as leading media organisations, question how reporting on demands made by the Opposition regarding the Online Safety Act or any other Act, can be deemed a breach of parliamentary privileges of MPs. Our conviction is that the media has tried to report on the fundamental rights violation of the people in the hopes of rectifying it, not questioning the parliamentary powers and privileges of its members. This is the role of the media. This is fulfilling its social responsibility.

Your decision to refer the matter related to the news report to the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges is an unwelcome surprise. However, we take this opportunity to inform you that we are keenly watching the government’s efforts to suppress the media using an obsolete law with no specific provisions for ‘trial and punishment’.

Your action is an obstruction to the right of journalists to report freely and also impinges on the right of the public to true and accurate information.

Therefore, we earnestly request you, as the Hon. Speaker not to contribute to the government’s efforts to suppress the media using the powers and privileges of Parliament.

We wish to remind you that we have strongly opposed and expressed our condemnation of instances where journalists were summoned or attempts were made to summon them before the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges in the past and that our stance hasn’t changed. We remain strongly opposed to and condemn any attempts to summon journalists before the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges for fulfilling their journalistic and social responsibility obligations.”

The statement has been signed by Duminda Sampath, President Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, Hana Ibrahim Convener Free Media Movement, N.M. Ameen President Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, Sri Gajan President Tamil Media Alliance, Tharindu Jayawardane President Sri Lanka Young Journalists’ Association, and Lakshman Gunasekara President South Asian Free Media Association – Sri Lanka Chapter.

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Related Topics:Sri Lanka Young Journalists' Association The Media Orgainsations Collective

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Advisory for Heavy Rain issued for the Central, Uva, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern and North-central provinces and in Galle and Matara districts

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2026/02/22

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Matara Festival for the Arts’ inaugurated by the Prime Minister

Published

6 hours ago

2026/02/22

Priyan

The inaugural ceremony of the Matara Festival for the Arts, featuring a wide range of creations by local and international artists, was held on February 19 at the Old High Court premises of the Matara Fort, under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

The festival, centred around the Old High Court premises in Matara and the auditorium of the Matara District Secretariat, will be open to the public from 20 to 23 of February. The festival will be featured by visual art exhibitions, short film screenings, Kala Pola, and a series of workshops conducted by experts.

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Only single MP refuses salary as Parliament details pays and allowances

Published

10 hours ago

2026/02/22

Thilina Walpola

SJB Badulla District MP Nayana Wasalathilake is the only MP to forego salary and allowances, with all payments suspended following his written notification on August 20, 2025.

Only one Member of Parliament has chosen not to receive the salaries and allowances entitled to MPs, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya revealed in Parliament last Thursday, shedding light on the financial perks enjoyed by members of the Tenth Parliament.

Speaking on Thursday (Feb. 19) in response to a question from SJB Badulla District MP Chaminda Wijesiri, the Prime Minister outlined the full range of pay and allowances provided to parliamentarians.

According to Dr. Amarasuriya, MPs receive a monthly allowance of Rs. 54,285, an entertainment allowance of Rs. 1,000, and a driver’s allowance of Rs. 3,500—though MPs provided with a driver through the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs are not eligible for the driver’s allowance.

Additional benefits include a telephone allowance of Rs. 50,000, a transport allowance of Rs. 15,000, and an office allowance of Rs. 100,000. MPs are also paid a daily sitting allowance of Rs. 2,500 for attending parliamentary sessions, with an additional Rs. 2,500 per day for participation in parliamentary sittings and Rs. 2,500 per day as a committee allowance.

Committee meetings held on non-parliament sitting days also attract Rs. 2,500 per day.

Fuel allowances are provided based on the distance between an MP’s electoral district and Parliament. National List MPs are entitled to a monthly allocation equivalent to 419.76 litres of diesel at the market price on the first day of each month.

Despite the comprehensive benefits, only SJB Badulla District MP Nayana Wasalathilaka has opted not to draw a salary or allowances. Dr. Amarasuriya said that in accordance with a written notification submitted by MP Wasalathilaka on August 20, 2025, payments have been suspended since that date.

The Prime Minister also confirmed that she, along with the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, committee chairs, ministers, deputy ministers, the Opposition Leader, and senior opposition whips, have all informed the Secretary-General of Parliament in writing that they will not claim the fuel allowance.

Challenging the ruling party’s voluntary pledge to forgo salaries, MP Wijesiri pointed out that all MPs except Wasalathilaka continue to receive their salaries and allowances. “On one hand you speak about the people’s mandate, which is good. But the mandate also included people who said they would voluntarily serve in this Parliament without salaries. Today we have been able to prove, Hon. Speaker, that except for one SJB MP, the other 224 Members are drawing parliamentary salaries,” he said.

The Prime Minister responded by defending the political culture and practice of allocating portions of MPs’ salaries to party funds. Referring to previous practices by the JVP and NPP, she said: “It is no secret to the country that the JVP has for a long time not personally taken MPs’ salaries or any allowances. I think the entire country knows that these go to a party fund. That is not new, nor is it something special to mention. The NPP operates in the same way. That too is not new; it is the culture of our political movement.”

When MP Wijesiri posed a supplementary question asking whether diverting salaries to party funds was an indirect method of taking care of MPs, Dr. Amarasuriya said: “There is no issue there. No question was raised; the Member made a statement. What we have seen throughout this week is an inability to understand our political culture and practice, and a clash with decisions taken by political movements that misused public funds. What is coming out is a certain mindset. That is why there is such an effort to find fault with the 159. None of these facts are new to people. He did not ask a question, so I have nothing to answer.”

The disclosures come days after the Government moved to abolish the parliamentary pension, a measure that has sparked renewed debate over MP compensation and the transparency of funds allocation.