Colombo opens Parliament Committees to young people

Five designated representatives for each of the 17 thematic areas will attend the work sessions as observers and will be able to request an account of the use of funds. Young people were on the front lines of the protests that led to Rajapaksa’s resignation last year. President Wickremesinghe: “Involving them is the first step to building a successful country.”

Colombo () – Sri Lanka is the first country in the world to give youth representatives the opportunity to participate in parliamentary control committees, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on May 13, at an orientation seminar for these youth representatives organized by the Sri Lankan Parliament with the assistance of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The president explained that the opportunity to participate in the Commissions offered to young people is a “new approach” for the development of Sri Lanka, whose horizon is the year 2048. “In 25 years, when the country has embarked on the path of With success, young people will be able to proudly say that this was the first step of change – said Wicremesinghe – And then they will participate in Parliament functions, no longer as observers, but as representatives in parliamentary committees”.

Between March and July 2022, thousands of young Sri Lankans were on the front lines of the Aragalaya, the popular protests calling for “system change.” This move led to the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa amid a deepening crisis and widespread protests.

High-level government sources told that “following the publication of an advertisement in the newspapers, 535 young representatives were selected for the Commissions corresponding to 17 thematic areas instituted in Parliament. These Commissions function with the participation of deputies representing all the political parties in Parliament. The president of each one will now select five youth representatives to attend the work”.

On the other hand, “the Government plans to introduce a series of measures on climate change and women’s rights, issues on which young people will have the opportunity to express their opinions. They will also have the opportunity to find out how public money is used and the reasons why it is used for one thing and not another. A Parliamentary Budget Office will also be created through which advice from ministries can be obtained.”

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena stated that the opening of the Commissions to youth is “an initiative that ushers in a new era of participatory democracy. Therefore, it is our responsibility to create a new policy with this approach.”