High Commission of Sri Lanka in India

The 5^th Conference of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, in the historic Central Hall of the Parliament House in New Delhi on 9 July. The Central Hall is where the Indian Constitution was framed and the transfer of power from British to Indian hands took place on 15 August 1947. The Hall is presently used for holding Joint Sittings of the two Houses and for special occasions when the Members of Parliament are addressed by distinguished Heads of State of foreign nations. With all eight SAARC nations having embraced parliamentary democracy, the gathering for the first time of the Speakers of all SAARC Member States in the Central Hall was a significant occasion for SAARC.

 In his address, the outgoing Chair of the 4^th Conference of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians, Hon. Chamal Rajapaksa, stated that the SAARC region has witnessed the oldest form of democracy practiced by the Sakyas, the clan of Prince Siddharta who became Gautama Buddha. Stating that the Parliamentarians of SAARC Member States have an important role to play in strengthening regional cooperation and integration, the Speaker stressed that it is essential to strive to increase youth and female representation in the Parliaments of the South Asian countries for achieving socio-economic development.

The Conference will be held from 9-12 July. The Parliamentary delegation for the Conference from Sri Lanka comprises Hon. Nimal Siripala de Silva, Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources, Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Hon. Faizal Cassim, Hon. Tharanath Basnayake and  Hon. Sunil Handunnetti.



Statement by the Hon. Chamal Rajapaksa, Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka

Inaugural Ceremony of the Fifth Conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians New Delhi, 9 July 2011

His Excellency the Prime Minister of India,

Dr. Manmohan Singh,

The Hon. Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Srimati Meira Kumar,

The Hon. Speakers of the respective Parliaments of the SAARC Member States,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour for me to be here today in the Parliament House of the world’s largest democracy and to join this Forum of Speakers and Parliamentarians of the SAARC Member States. The Speakers of our eight nations preside over the representatives of one-fifth of the world’s population. Heirs to a rich history, our region has witnessed the oldest form of democracy practiced by the Sakyas, the clan of Prince Siddharta who became Gautama Buddha.

Today, our eight Member States are all modern Parliamentary democracies. Earlier this year, SAARC adopted the Charter of Democracy demonstrating that our collective commitment to the ideals of democracy and the rule of law are firmly established.

It is in this backdrop that we meet today, 25 years since the establishment of SAARC and almost two decades since the establishment of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians.

I offer a special welcome to the Representatives from Afghanistan who join this Forum for the first time.

I also take this opportunity to convey to all my colleagues from the respective Parliaments of the SAARC Member States, felicitations of His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka, Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa.

I will now address very briefly, a few thoughts on the importance of this Forum. Although SAARC is an inter-governmental process, I firmly believe that the Parliamentarians of SAARC Member States have an important role to play in strengthening regional cooperation and integration. As people’s representatives, the Parliamentarians of our countries have the ability to reach out to the people of our region, to create awareness of the benefits that would accrue to the region through the strengthening of networks of inter-connectivity to promote trade and investment. Our Association has the potential to play an active role in confidence building and overcoming systemic constraints.

Further, South Asia is home to a large population of children and adolescents. These young people are the region’s most valuable asset and key to the region’s sustainable social and economic development. Although our region has several achievements to its credit, South Asia still faces tremendous challenges in terms of social development. Parliaments, in the exercise of their many functions such as policy making, legislation, representation of their constituencies, oversight and scrutiny of the executive, can act to make a positive and meaningful difference. In this context, we must strive to increase youth and female representation in our respective Parliaments because greater participation of youth and female representatives are essential in the task of achieving socio-economic development.  In this regard, I welcome the themes of this Conference,

-“Consolidating Democracy: Strengthening trust between Parliament and the people”

and

-“Sustainable Development in SAARC Countries – the way forward”.

These are timely topics in the context of the regional and global realities we are confronted with today.

As the Chair of the 4^th Conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians I take this opportunity, on behalf of all delegations, to thank Srimati Meira Kumar, the Honourable Speaker of the Lok Sabha, for convening this important Forum and for the excellent arrangements made for the Conference. I am confident that our deliberations will enable us to chart pathways towards strengthening bonds between our parliaments and parliamentarians, as well as between the peoples of our countries, for greater socio-economic development and for regional cooperation and integration.

I thank His Excellency Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for gracing this occasion and for his inspiring inaugural address which will contribute to our deliberations. Your presence here today demonstrates the importance that India attaches to the progress of SAARC.

I also wish to express my gratitude to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, all the officials, and numerous personnel who have toiled hard to make this 5^th Conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians a reality.

Thank you.