Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has left his official residence in Wijerama Mawatha in Colombo, following the passage of the President’s Entitlements (Repeal) Bill in Parliament.

The President’s Entitlements (Repeal) Bill, which seeks to abolish special benefits granted to former Presidents, their widows, and retired MPs, was passed without amendments in Parliament yesterday.

Several politicians and foreign diplomats were reported to have visited Mahinda Rajapaksa at Wijerama Mawatha, prior to his departure. 

Earlier today, Mahinda Rajapaksa’s media spokesperson, Attorney Manoj Gamage, said under the current circumstances, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa does not intend to remain in the official residence even for 24 hours.

Speaking to the media, Manoj Gamage said that the former President is expected to leave for Tangalle today. 

He said, however, it will take approximately a week to officially hand over the residence to the government, along with all state-owned belongings. (Newswire)

The post Mahinda Rajapaksa leaves Wijerama residence appeared first on Newswire.

Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne says the official residence of the Speaker will be transformed into a knowledge centre providing information to all Members representing all layers of governance in the country.

The Speaker further said that the centre is planned to impart essential knowledge to Members of Local Authorities, Provincial Councils, and Parliament on subjects such as international relations, fiscal policy, and governance. 

He also revealed that it is proposed to develop this centre into a national and international-level research institution that supports both qualitative and quantitative research.

Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne made these remarks during a recent meeting in Parliament with a delegation from the European Union, including Dr. Jonathan Murphy, Head of the Inter Pares global project implemented by the European Union, and Ms. Ingrid Walker, Programme Manager of Inter Pares.

The delegation of the Inter Pares Global project of the European Union, which focuses on strengthening parliamentary capacity, met with the Speaker on Monday (07), the opening day of a four-day programme organized at the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

The delegation stated that the primary objectives of the programme are to provide the necessary knowledge to enhance legislative activity, oversight, financial, and administrative functions of the Sri Lankan Parliament and to facilitate experience sharing.

According to a Parliament statement, during the meeting, discussions were also held on various other areas of focus. 

Commenting on parliamentary committees, the Speaker briefed the delegation on the activities carried out by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) and the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA). He further explained that, in addition to the current technical assistance, measures have been taken to obtain legal support for these committees.

The Speaker also emphasized that the Parliament aims to take accurate decisions to accelerate the country’s development process while taking strict action against corruption.

Accordingly, the visiting delegation is scheduled to meet with heads of various departments and divisions of Parliament until Friday (11 July), to engage in the exchange of ideas. (Newswire)

The post Speaker’s residence to be transformed into a knowledge centre appeared first on Newswire.