CC nominates members to 8 independent commissions

The Constitutional Council headed by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has nominated chairmen and members to eight independent commissions overseeing state institutions according to the provisions of the 19th Amendment enacted in April, the Speaker’s Office said. 

The Council has provided its lists of nominees for the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption, the Public Service Commission, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, the National Police Commission, the Election Commission, the Delimitation Commission, the Finance Commission and the Public Service Commission.

Justice Titus Budhipala Weerasuriya has been nominated as Chairman of Bribery Commission, while Justice Lal Rajith Silva and Chandranath Neville Guruge have been nominated as Commissioners to the same key commission. 

Dharmasena Dissanayake has been recommended as the Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC). Abdul Salam, Vijayalakshmi Jagarajasingham, Nihal Seneviratne, Dr. Prathap Ramanujam, Sugathadasa Ranugge, Dayantha Laksiri Mendis, Sarath Jayathilake and Dhara. S. Wijethilake have been nominated to the PSC as members. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Deepika Udagama has been nominated as the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission. Upananda Vidanapathirna, Saliya Kithsiri Pieris, Hameed Gazali Hussain and Ambika Satkunanathan have been nominated as other members of the Commission. 

Prof. Siri Hettige has been recommended as the Chairman of the National Police Commission, while Anton Jayanathan, M.P.H. Manatunga, Savithri Wijesekara, Y.L.M. Zavahir, Dr. Tilak Kollure and Frank de Silva have been nominated as members of the Commission.

The Council has nominated Mahinda Deshapriya to the position of Chairman of the Election Commission. Other members of the commission were Nalin Jayantha Abeysekera and S.R.H. Hoole.

Pavalingam Kanagaratnam was recommended by the Constitutional Council as Chairman of Delimitation Commission, while Anila Dias Bandaranayake and Sahul Hameed Hisbulla were among its members.

Uditha Harilal Palihakkara has been nominated as the Chairman of Finance Commission, while Welupillai Kanagasabapathi and M. Safhulla have been nominated as the members. The Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran and Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga have been nominated as members of the commission ex officio or in their official capacity.

Meanwhile, Antony M. Fonseka has been recommended as the Chairman of the National Procurement Commission, while the commission included D. N. I. F. A. Wickremasooriya, B. E. R. C. Wedikkar, P. A. D. C. Raymondd Perera and Niyan Wahudewan as its members.

This is the first time since 2004 that the independent commissions will be fully operational as per the provisions of 19A. Previously, the 17th Amendment set up the independent commissions, but this progressive legislation was repealed with the enactment of the draconian 18A, which severely re-politicised key arms of the state by granting the President huge discretionary powers over the commission appointments.