Current Parliament strongest ever for good governance

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya launching the Parliament mobile app

By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday described the current Parliament as the strongest ever in terms of good governance and democracy.

He made this observation during the launch of the Parliament’s mobile app yesterday. The app lists Sri Lanka Parliament as the 11th among 189 other Parliaments in the world using a mobile app to disseminate information live and without any editing. The launch also signifies a key step forward in ensuring the Right to Information.

Launching the app, Speaker Jayasuriya commended the Parliament and the lawmakers for taking steps to assure right to information and freedom of speech. “We should be happy about the progress the 8th parliament has achieved.  Despite the financial difficulties we have taken action to live telecast Parliament proceedings on television. It is the first step taken to start a separate television channel for Parliament,” he said.

In remarks to support his comment that the current Parliament is the strongest ever in terms of good governance and democracy, the Speaker said:  “The committees are functioning well and more effective than ever. Even global leaders have commended our efforts taken to establish Parliamentary democracy. They have drawn parallels between us and developed nations with better democracy in practice.”

“When I took over this post, most members wanted me to uplift the recognition this assembly had before. Parliament should be a transparent establishment. All members should work to maintain respect and the recognition of the Parliament,” added Speaker.

The new app, compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows smart phones will allow people to get in touch with the lawmakers directly, watch the proceedings live, and give access to documentary and video archives.