By Shamindra Ferdinando
Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday (24) said that all agreements with the USAID (United States Agency for International Development) had been approved by Parliament.
Ex-parliamentarian Jayasuriya emphasized that not only USAID projects but all such agreements with external parties had been implemented in a similar manner.
The former Speaker said so when The Island sought his response to criticism of the three-year USAID-Sri Lanka Parliament project launched in late 2016 during the Yahapalana administration. He stressed that there was nothing clandestine about externally funded projects.
The USD 13 mn (Rs 1.92 bn) had been allocated for the projects launched after the change of government in 2015. Responding to queries, the former Speaker explained how during his tenure the Parliament received assistance and expertise from many countries, including the US and China.
The former Speaker politely declined to comment on the media furore caused by the new US administration taking measures to dismantle the USAID alleging that the agency interfered in other countries.
The one-time UNP Deputy Leader said that the Parliament benefited immensely from various projects. Asked to explain, the incumbent leader of National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) pointed out that the Parliament was able to maintain good relations with the US and China.
“Don’t you think having nearly 200 out of 225 lawmakers an opportunity to visit China on a familiarization tour in groups is an achievement on our part,” Jayasuriya asked.
The former Speaker said that a section of the media, including The Island had been unfair in its reportage of the developments regarding US-funded projects, as well as the civil society. If not for the leading role played by NMSJ, the 2015 regime change wouldn’t have been a reality, Jayasuriya said, explaining the circumstances the late Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera launched the campaign.
According to the former Speaker, everything pertained to USAID projects, as well as other foreign-funded work undertaken by Parliament could be examined. Jayasuriya said that during Yahapalanaya, the Parliament was able to secure laptops for parliamentarians and senior officials from China. “We benefited from such generous gestures and shouldn’t find fault with Parliament or sponsors,” the ex-Speaker said.
Recently, SLPP National Organizer Namal Rajapaksa requested incumbent Speaker Jagath Wickremarathne to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to inquire into US interventions in Sri Lanka.
Ex-MP Jayasuriya said that during his tenure as the Speaker the Parliament promoted and encouraged closer relations with other Parliaments, particularly in the SAARC region, IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union) and CPA (Commonwealth Parliamentary Association). The former Speaker said that he was somewhat disheartened the way well intentioned projects, implemented at various levels, got branded anti-Sri Lanka or against a particular political party.
Jayasuriya said that parliamentary staff, too, benefited from various projects implemented with the financial backing of external parties. “An MP may serve one term but parliamentary staffers may continue for 20 or 25 years. Therefore, they should have received proper training and been given the opportunity to develop contacts,” he said.
