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By Sandun Jayawardana  

Parliament’s first sitting week in 2024 got off to an explosive start, with a shock resignation and a flurry of legislative activity, as a host of new bills were passed by the legislature through the course of the week.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Badulla District MP Chaminda Wijesiri announced to the House on Tuesday (9) that he had submitted his resignation letter to the Speaker.  On Friday, Nayana Wasalathilaka, who was next in line in the preferential voting list at the 2020 parliamentary election took oaths as an MP to fill the vacancy left by Mr Wijesiri.

While Mr Wijesiri’s resignation and comments made in the House on the matter garnered most of the headlines, Parliament also passed through a series of important bills spearheaded by Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe this week. These included the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) Bill and the National Hydrographic Bill.

Presenting the ONUR Bill, Justice Minister Rajapakshe noted that the ONUR had first been established under former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and had carried out administrative functions. The new bill will however, enshrine the ONUR in law. He stressed that national unity is an essential element for all. He pointed out that the country fell into ruin whenever national unity fell apart due to various conflicts. “Today, we are trying to create national unity and reconciliation not from top to bottom, but from bottom to top,” he told the House, adding that the goal is to foster unity and reconciliation starting from the village level through the ONUR.

While ordinary Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims did not care for racism, some politicians thrive on racism as it is like oxygen for them, said Mr Rajapakshe. There are also racist political parties whose very name includes a race. “If you are asking people to vote in a democratic society based on their race, how are you going to establish democracy or rule of law?” he queried. The minister said election laws too should change; that will allow anyone to establish a political party but on the grounds that its policy should be based on democracy rather than race, religion or caste. “We haven’t been able to do this so far because the people also get caught up in the politics of division every five years. We need to change this culture,” he emphasised.

The National Hydrographic Bill meanwhile, paves the way for the establishment of a National Hydrographic Office to conduct hydrographic activities, which includes producing and maintaining accurate nautical charts for the safe navigation of ships, and collecting data for updating and improving nautical charts to ensure maritime safety. Presenting the Bill, Mr Rajapakshe criticized the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) for trying to block the passage of the bill.

The minister said the country lost a minimum direct income of at least USD 51 million each year through the failure to provide nautical charts for ships passing through Sri Lankan waters. “We did not get that income because this responsibility was vested with NARA. They kept these powers for 33 years but we realised it was doing nothing. That was why we decided to draft a National Hydrographic Bill after studying the matter.”

The ONUR Bill makes the President the appointing authority of the members of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation on the advice of the Justice Minister, Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam said. “This office has nothing to do with reconciliation. It is essentially an office that is being created where you can have the government unilaterally decide on what they think is reconciliation and then take it to the grassroots and force it down the throats of a reluctant population,” he said, adding that the TNPF will vote against the Bill.

When it came to passing the Bill, Mr Ponnambalam asked for a division and the Bill was eventually passed by 48 votes in favour and 7 against. The TNPF and Tamil National Alliance MPs voted against the Bill.

Meanwhile, the Contempt of Court, Tribunal or Institution Bill, Notaries (Amendment) Bill and the Prevention of Frauds (Amendment) Bill were passed with amendments. The Mediation Board (Amendment) Bill, Recognition and Enforcement of International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation Bill, Powers of Attorney (Amendment) Bill were passed without amendments in Parliament.

Parliament reconvenes at 9.30am on January 22, when the debate on the Second Reading of the Online Safety Bill will commence. The debate on the Bill will be held on January 22 and 23.