Sunday Times 2
A Clerk Reminisces: Anecdotal introduction to Lanka’s parliamentary politics
View(s):“A read for everyone. It’s the kind of book that will get the politically, socially and legally uninitiated into a deeper understanding of Sri Lankan politics, Sri Lankan Parliament and Sri Lankan society,” said State Minister of Finance and Mass Media, Eran Wickramaratna, at the launch of the book ‘A Clerk Reminisces’ by Nihal Seneviratne.
Apart from Mr. Wickramaratne, the panel of eminent speakers at the launch last Sunday, July 30 at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute consisted of Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, Editors’ Guild President Manik de Silva and Tea Board Chairman Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda, all of whom were personally known to the author.
Mr. Jayasuriya describing Mr. Seneviratne as an outstanding intellectual, a sincere human being and a gentleman, said he had known him since the time he was the Mayor of Colombo. Dr. Pethiyagoda described him as “a fantastic government servant [who] served his country with distinction” adding that he left Parliament in a better place than he found it.
Written from Nihal Seneviratne’s perspective as the former Secretary General of Parliament, the book details the many interesting incidents that took place within the walls of Parliament, which he was privy to, during his 33 years of service.
Vote of thanks by granddaughters, to whom the book was dedicated
With the subject matter being such, it was inevitable that comparisons would be made by the panel to the current state of Parliament.
Citing the calibre of legislators of the past, the likes of Colvin R. De Silva,. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Pieter Keuneman and S. J. V. Chelvanayakam, State Minister Wickramaratne said today’s parliamentarians no longer saw themselves as legislators, but rather only sought executive positions. This had led to a blurring of the lines in the separation of powers, he said.
In his book, Mr. Seneviratne, who was at the time the advisor to the Speaker, details the historic ruling made by the then Speaker, Anura Bandaranaike, on the supremacy of Parliament over the Judiciary. Both Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and State Minister Wickramaratne expressed their reservations about the decision in the light of the impeachment of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake. Wickramaratne went on to say that perhaps his views on the matter differed from the author, due to his perspective from a political science background as opposed to a legal perspective.
It was also noted at the event that the author had served under six administrations and witnessed two Constitutions being adopted. Commenting on the changes in our Constitution, State Minister Wickramaratne suggested that provisions in the Soulbury Constitution which protected minority rights and ensured the protection of the public servants from political interference should have remained.
Speaker Jayasuriya in his address, saud that in recent times Parliament had made gains and this was evident in the fact that the Inter Parliamentary Union had rated our Parliament ‘a model parliament’. He also noted that last year Parliament had established links with foreign legislatures in an attempt to create what he called “Parliamentary Diplomacy”.
The ceremony ended with the author’s granddaughters, Sehanya, Aleyha and Taheli, to whom the book was dedicated, taking the stage to thank their grandfather. The three expressed how proud they were of him for taking the time to pen down his memories for the benefit of future generations.
‘A Clerk Reminisces’ is available at Sarasavi and Vijitha Yapa bookshops priced at Rs. 850.
The panel: From left: Nihal Seneviratne, Manik de Silva, Karu Jayasuriya, Eran Wickremeratne and Rohan Pethiyagoda
Book signing time for Author Seneviratne