A program to educate journalists regarding the Parliament (Powers and Privileges) Act and the contemporary media usage was held today (04) in Parliament under the patronage of the Speaker Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana.
The Committee on Ethics and Privileges of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and the Communication Department of the Parliament jointly organized this program.
Chair of the Committee on Ethics and Privileges Hon. Chamal Rajapaksa, Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, Hon. (Dr.) Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, Mr. Chaminda Kularatne, Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General of Parliament, Mr. Hansa Abeyratne, Assistant Secretary General of Parliament and Mr. Jayalath Perera, Director Legislative Services and Director Communications (Acting) of Parliament were present at this work shop held.
Additional Solicitor General of the Attorney General’s Department Mr. Nerin Pulle, PC delivered the keynote address. Thereafter a question-and-answer session was held with the panel of experts pertaining to the legal status of the Parliament (Powers and Privileges).
The purpose of this program was to educate journalists and re-equip their knowledge in order to prevent journalists from being summoned to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges as occurred in various occasions in the past.
Addressing the gathering, the Speaker Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana stated that it is the foremost responsibility of journalists to report the information in Parliament truthfully and accurately. The Speaker also mentioned that even if some baseless and false accusations were exchanged in the Parliament, it should be considered to what extent it is fair to report all those things as news.
Moreover, the Committee on Ethics and Privileges Chair, Hon. Chamal Rajapaksa, Member of Parliament pointed out that 51 privilege matters were reported in the last parliamentary session and 16 privilege matters are currently pending in this session. He pointed out that most of this is related to what has been published by the mass media and therefore it is important for both the media and public representatives to work with proper understanding.
Hon. (Dr.) Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, the Minister of Justice who addressed the gathering, stated that it is extremely important to bring accurate information to the people for the successful functioning of democracy. He pointed out that if people receive wrong information, all decisions taken by the people will be wrong and accordingly, the media has a great responsibility to provide accurate information.
Moreover, the Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General of Parliament Mr. Chaminda Kularatne pointed out that this program is a great opportunity not only to gain new knowledge but also to discuss the current issued faced by journalists in this field.
