Parliamentarians should practise zero tolerance of corruption
by Nilma DOLE
We have deep faith in the Parliament, its Parliamentary proceedings
and the judicial system and these are the pillars of democracy, said Smt.
Meira Kumar, Speaker of the Lok Sabha in India addressing the third
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association CPA Regional Conference in
Colombo yesterday.
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The third Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Regional
Conference in Colombo |
"We are optimistic and confident that we can overcome problems in
Parliament because this is the life we face in Parliament," said Kumar,
who was the first woman to be elected Lok Sabha Speaker in India in
2009.
She said that periodic exchange of views among parliamentarians
facilitate closer scrutiny of political, social and cultural issues. "I
am confident our deliberations at the conference will be instrumental in
evolving a coordinated response to the concerns before us," she said.
She was responding to a query by the Opposition Leader Ranil
Wickremesinghe who is also the Vice President of the CPA. He said,
"Parliamentarians should practise zero tolerance of corruption and
Parliamentary Speakers play a vital role in ensuring that parliamentary
proceedings flow smoothly."
The Opposition Leader said that democratic nations should exercise a
high degree of transparency with regard to funds.
He said, "The public should be aware of corruption in politics which
is surveyed by the Committee on Public Accounts."
Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne said, "it is the elected members of
our Parliaments who feel the pulse of the people; it is we who can
articulate the concerns of our people and it is we who have the duty to
see that these problems are effectively solved by the government."
Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa said, "We pledge our solidarity in helping
our sister countries to combat terrorism after Sri Lanka defeated the
world's most ruthless terrorist outfit, the LTTE."
Sri Lanka joined the CPA in 1974 and Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa is the
Deputy Chairman while also being the President of the Sri Lanka branch
of the CPA.
The 57th General Assembly of the CPA will be held next year in Sri
Lanka. |
