Plus

“I have finally found my niche”

Her father's attitude towards life may have been what inspired Priyanee Wijesekera to become what she is today. “He was my role model, a modest, clever and genial person, the one who topped the list of people who inspired me,” she says smiling.

The Sri Lankan Parliament broke new ground when Ms. Wijesekera was appointed Secretary General of Parliament last month, the first woman to hold this post. Speaking to The Sunday Times in the midst of another hectic week at work she was confident. “I don't feel any different. It's simply a case of going on with my usual work in a different place.”

Such high office was the last thing on her mind as a student at Visakha Vidyalaya. For there was nothing that young Priyanee Herat Gunaratne did not dabble in, be it music, drama or sports. “But I never excelled in anything,” she smiles. “I never completed anything to any great distinction. I just enjoyed it.”

The second in a family of five, she was and still is a great lover of music. “My favourite piece still is Mozart's Piano Concerto No: 2. I love to play the piano but I have to stick to the slower movements as I feel that my fingers have now gotten a little slow,” she laughs. Her other love is ballet. “My mother who is a deeply religious person believed in a well rounded education and prompted me to indulge in music and dancing.”

Though her father was an anaesthetist attached to the Colombo General Hospital there was never an urge to join the same profession. She offered English, Geography, Economics and History and also Latin as an optional subject and was selected to the Law Faculty. “University at the time was not that different to school. It was good fun. The only difference,” she grins, “was the fact that it was no longer all girls.” She completed her degree in 1969.

“I obtained my Attorney's after that and then apprenticed under Neville Samarakone.” But active legal practice did not attract her. “I applied to the first advertisement that I came across and before I knew it I was taken in to the Justice Ministry as a Research Assistant.” She had to deal with petitions and appeals on a daily basis, directing and redirecting them to their respective offices. The work held little allure and when she was offered a position at the Bribery Commission she took it.

Appointed as a legal officer, Ms. Wijesekera had to go back to courts. “But that was different to active practice. There were a bunch of us and we would help each other along.” She soon realized that it was far from what she desired. “I felt that I was always out to get people into trouble.”

At the time there were few women in the profession but that was never a problem. “We were accepted without comment.” After her work at the Bribery Commission she went to Nigeria with her family on a long leave. “I stayed at home for two years with my kids, looking after them and doing house work.” Growing up, her two daughters Thilini and Radhika did not take up law. “My husband was a doctor and they both wanted to study medicine initially but went on to study bio technology and IT.”

Returning to Sri Lanka she was eager to get back into the field and in 1985 she was appointed Secretary of the Law Commission. “That was invigorating work and I enjoyed it immensely.” She had to prepare research papers, suggest reforms and study the legal system of the country thoroughly. “I knew I had found something I enjoyed: Academic legal work, which held such fascination for me.”

Life changed course once again when seven years later, she applied for a post at Parliament. “I was now a part of the legislative aspect of things.” The Parliament is the smallest arm of government, the largest being the Executive, followed closely by the Judiciary. “I had finally found my niche. The work was interesting and educative but it also meant that I had to have every aspect of government at my fingertips.”

Parliament is a law unto itself. “We stand completely apart from the rest of the government, providing the much needed forum for the government to meet and discuss problems and ideas. The work here demands that we have to be able to advise the Speaker on any matter regarding the legislature.” Her new appointment? “When I joined initially I understudied Mr. Senaratne and got the feel of the work through his teaching and experience.”

In 1994 she seemed the obvious choice to take over as Secretary General of Parliament. But it was not to be. And she remained in the capacity of Assistant Secretary General until September 2002. Being the country's first woman Secretary General must be quite a daunting task? She smiles. “In time someone would have made that first move, I don't consider myself extraordinary, simply due to that. I am just eager to face the new challenges that this is bound to bring.”

Her plans for the future include modernizing and computerizing the Parliament. “It will make everything a little simpler. We also want to see expansion taking place in the form of staff.” Any likelihood of Parliament being affected in the case of constitutional reforms? “Unlikely. Unless of course the election system does undergo a change.”

Parliament has come under the close scrutiny of the public of late due to various dramatic occurrences. “This is a place where emotions and tensions are at a peak. It's the place where we have to deal with those who hold the highest power in the country - the people's power. And it's not only here that such a situation may arise. Just the other day I heard of members of Parliament in a developed country getting into fisticuffs.”

Last year saw the publication of her second book ‘Parliamentary Practice in Sri Lanka’. “It was the late Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam, MP and a lecturer from my university days who suggested the book to me. He was instrumental in getting me to sit down and write. But he was unfortunately not around when it was published. Sri Lanka was one of the few countries that did not have anything written on Parliamentary procedure and it was he who encouraged me.” The first book that she was commissioned to write by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was on ‘Parliaments and Governments of the Next Millennium’.

Her fascination with travel has also been spurred by the new appointment. “I love to travel and that is something I enjoy about the new position.” She is the Secretary of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. “We are all like a big family, we meet twice a year and learn much from each other's experiences and ideas. Whenever there is a problem we consult each other.”

So where would she like to be in a few years’ time? “I want to retire to a quiet place far from the hustle that is Colombo and far from telephones, newspapers and TV. But I doubt whether my kids would permit me to do so,” she smiles.