A new member has been appointed to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI), which was established to develop recommendations for election changes and broaden the panel’s purview. The appointment was made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake made this known in a special gazette notice that was released on November 2.
Because of this, Alan Carmichael Vere David has been appointed as the PCoI’s tenth member. It has been noted that the current number of commissioners in office is insufficient to carry out the commission’s duties more quickly and effectively.
Furthermore, after realising the need to broaden the commission’s mandate, President Wickremesinghe has given the PCoI more authority.
The PCoI members are now responsible for making recommendations, including proposed legislation, on the following aspects in addition to the initial tasks and functions allocated to them;
i. Strengthening the multi-party system of Sri Lanka based on credible and stable political parties similar to other multi-party democracies
ii. The role of money in politics and prevention of policy capture, as well as public funding of political parties
iii. The accountability of the leadership to the members of the political parties
iv. The reduction of the expenditure incurred on election campaigns
v. The role of the political parties in strengthening national unity by promoting cooperation and mutual confidence among all sections of the people
vi. The promotion of policy-based political parties by having the following factors as the objectives
• safeguarding the sovereignty and independence of Sri Lanka
• political and economic stability
• a Sri Lankan identity and
• raising the social and economic standards of the people by transformation into a developed economy
On October 15, 2023, a nine-member PCoI led by former Chief Justice Priyasad Gerard Dep was established with the mission of gathering data, conducting investigations, requesting clarification, and reporting on proposals for amending election rules after reviewing the current legislation.
Suntharam Arumainayaham, Senanayake Alisandaralage, Nalin Jayantha Abeysekara, PC, and Rajitha Naveen are additional members of the PCoI. Ahmed Lebbe; Christopher Senaratna Perera Vitharanage Deepani, Mohamed Saleem, Sagarica Delgoda, and Esther Sriyani Nimalka Fernando Rachel Rodrigo.
The panel was also entrusted with formulating guidelines for political parties and independent organisations regarding the proper use of media, establishing a code of conduct for them, and fortifying the laws and rules pertaining to political party registration and operations in a way that fosters public accountability and trust.
