Stories from Parliament for the younger generation
From assassination attempts to failed impeachments to the collapse of governments, Nihal Seneviratne has witnessed them all. A former Secretary General of Parliament, Seneviratne’s position gave him unparalleled access and a unique perspective on the inner workings of Parliament for over three decades. Now in retirement, he has penned his memories in the book “A Clerk Reminisces”. Light and concise, the book details the more interesting happenings that took place in the corridors of Parliament, during his days as an Assistant Clerk at the House of Representatives and as the Deputy Secretary General and subsequently Secretary General of the Sri Lankan Parliament.
A Clerk’s tale: Nihal Seneviratne’s stories range from the humorous to the serious. Pic by Sameera Weerasekera
The stories and anecdotes range from the humorous and absurd, to grave and serious, yet steer clear of the technicalities associated with parliamentary procedure, thus allowing even those with no constitutional or legal background to enjoy the book. “I wrote this book so that the ordinary person, especially those of the younger generation will know the history of our Parliament,” says Seneviratne. Having not maintained a diary during his 33-year service, Seneviratne had to write from memory. “There were many incidents that took place but these are the ones I remembered vividly.”
A lawyer by profession and an LLB graduate of the University of Peradeniya, he joined the Parliamentary Secretariat in 1961 as a Second Assistant Clerk to the House of Representatives. During his career he served six administrations, and in three different legislature formats, that is the House of Representatives, the National Assembly and the present day Parliament. He not only functioned under three different constitutions, but also aided in the adoption of the Republican Constitutions of 1972 and 1978.
The 1972 Republican constitution, interestingly, was drafted in the Navarangahala Hall at his alma mater, Royal College, Colombo. Seneviratne, who acted as the assistant secretary to the Constitutional Assembly under the eminent lawyer Walter Jayawardena, explained why it wasn’t drafted in the Parliament building at Galle Face. “Dr. Colvin De Silva, who was the real architect of the ‘72 constitution wanted to break away from the constitution the British gave us and instead have a home-grown one.” This meant that every day Parliament was in session, members of the house would first meet at the old Parliament building at Galle Face for the day’s proceedings and in the evening, together with the staff of the Parliamentary Secretariat, move to the Navarangahala hall to draft the new constitution.
In 1981, Seneviratne was appointed Secretary General of Parliament. The Secretary General is the chief administrative officer of the Parliament and oversees the maintenance and functioning of the Parliament. Thus when Parliament was shifted to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, Seneviratne had to oversee the logistics of the move, no easy task considering the sheer volume of books, archives, paintings and furniture amassed since 1930 when the building at Galle Face housed the State Council. Having been entrusted the task by President Jayewardene himself, Seneviratne proudly recalls how it was completed in little over a week and with everything accounted for.
One of the main functions of the Secretary General is to advise the Speaker of Parliament on Parliamentary procedure and the functioning of Parliament and its many committees. “You have to be very correct in your decisions and advice,” Seneviratne solemnly says. Having trained at the House of Commons in the UK on Parliamentary Procedure, he believes that it is important to adhere to procedure. This at times, meant he had to deny requests made by Presidents and Prime Ministers, even when they strictly insisted, which he details in his book. He believes that as his position was constitutionally protected, it allowed him to remain impartial, independent and do the right thing.
In 1994 Seneviratne retired from service upon reaching the age of retirement. However, a few years into retirement he was called once again to serve in Parliament, this time as advisor to the Speaker, when Anura Bandaranaike became Speaker of Parliament. “I knew Anura from school, and he insisted that I assist him,” says Seneviratne, stating that he declined several times but eventually accepted. The position of advisor to the Speaker didn’t exist previously, and was created by Cabinet approval on a request made by Bandaranaike. During his time in this post, Seneviratne assisted the Speaker in making the constitutionally significant and historic ruling that the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka had no jurisdiction over the Parliament, and reaffirmed the supremacy of Parliament – a decision celebrated not only in our legislature but around the Commonwealth as well.
Looking back at the calibre of Parliamentarians such as Dr. Colvin De Silva, Dr. N. M. Perera, Peter Keuneman and Philip Gunawardena, he laments the drastic fall in the standard of the Parliamentary debates. Seneviratne blames the lack of substance on the fact that members aren’t well versed in the subject matter and that usually irrelevant contributions are made during the debates. “When the Railway Act is being discussed, if a MP stands up and says the station master in Galle is not doing his job, that’s completely irrelevant.” However with Parliamentary debates now receiving live television coverage and the public showing interest, Seneviratne believes that it will lead to MPs making better speeches and greater contributions to the legislature. “The public can then judge the quality of the MPs,” he notes.
Currently Seneviratne is a member of the newly formed Public Services Commission. Established under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the Commission regulates the appointment, transfer and dismissal of the one and half million public servants employed by the state. Appointed by the President in 2015, Seneviratne’s service to the state continues even in retirement. He hopes that his book will renew interest among the public in the history of our Parliament and will encourage others to write more on the topic.
| Book Launch | |
| “A Clerk Reminisces” will be launched at the SLFI Auditorium, Independence Square at 5.30 p.m. next Sunday, July 30. Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya will preside. The book will be available for sale at the launch, and is priced at |