Safeguard State properties without bartering them away

IT was announced recently that the official residence allocated for the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka in Kotte is to be turned into a “Centre for Parliamentary Studies and Research,” for the exclusive use of Members of Parliament, Provincial Council members, and Local Government representatives. It is to become a place for advanced research resources, specialised training, and policy analysis.

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The building located in close proximity to the Parliament building opened in 2000 to replace the Mumtaz Mahal, Colombo which served as the official residence of the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka till then. With the shifting of the Parliament building to Kotte, it was logically more feasible to have a residence for the Speaker in Kotte, hence it opened for speakers to occupy.

Since taking office, the leaders of the National People’s Power (NPP) have shunned official residences and have chosen to live in private dwellings with other plans for official residences.

The newly elected NPP Mayor of Colombo Vraie Cally Balthazaar announced recently that the official residence allocated to her, Sirinivasa, will be opened for children recreation activities.

“Many years ago, Sirinivasa was home to the city’s library. So, it felt just right to bring a new reading initiative here — one where children from all 12 preschools run by the council could come together,” the mayor said. Colombo has the biggest public library in the country, and it is underutilised so it would be better if she focuses on getting that place going first.