Monday, 7 October 2013 00:00
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Parliamentarians from Sri Lanka have voted to set up the 48th national chapter of the Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC).
Meeting at the Parliament of Sri Lanka complex in Sri Jayawardanepura, Kotte, government and Opposition members of Parliament (MPs) signed up to ensure there was transparent oversight of anti-corruption, mindful that in 2004 Sri Lanka became the first South Asian country to sign the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).
“It was tremendous to see nearly 20 MPs attend Parliament on a non-sitting day to establish their GOPAC Sri Lanka group and elect an executive committee reflecting MPs from government and opposition with gender equity reflecting the diverse ethnic and culture of democratic Sri Lanka,” said GOPAC Oceania Chair John Hyde, who attended the meeting.
The GOPAC Sri Lanka MPs elected the Rauff Hakeem MP as Chair. Hakeem serves as the Minister of Justice and is the Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, a minority party member of the Sri Lankan Government.
“The GOPAC MPs will meet on October 8 to adopt our yearly action plan - MPs at the AGM identified money laundering, review of the UNCAC and transparency in procurement as issues they may consider,” said J. Sri Ranga, who was elected as secretary of GOPAC Sri Lanka.
Sri Ranga and Mr Hyde met on the sidelines of the UN’s high-level meeting on the Millenium Development Goals Post-2015 in March in Indonesia and agreed that GOPAC should assist MPs in Sri Lanka to establish a parliamentarian-driven local chapter.
GOPAC is a worldwide alliance of parliamentarians working together to combat corruption, strengthen good government, and uphold the rule of law. Based in Ottawa, Canada, GOPAC has 48 national chapters on 5 continents. GOPAC supports its members’ efforts through original research, global anti-corruption capacity building, and international peer support. Visit GOPAC on the web at gopacnetwork.org, on Twitter at twitter.com/GOPAC_Eng, and on Facebook at facebook.com/gopacnetwork.
