Category: Daily Financial Times

As the apex body representing Sri Lanka’s shipping and agency community, the Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA) has, for decades, served as the collective voice of the maritime industry, engaging policymakers, regulators and stakeholders on matters that directly impact trade facilitation and national competitiveness.

From this vantage point, CASA observes a clear shift in the factors that determine maritime success. While Sri Lanka’s strategic location and port infrastructure remain important, the industry is increasingly shaped by how efficiently and coherently it operates as a digitally connected ecosystem. In a region where competing hubs are moving rapidly towards integrated digital platforms, digitalisation has become fundamental to sustaining Sri Lanka’s position in global shipping networks.

For the shipping industry, digitalisation is not about technology for its own sake. It is about reducing friction across the value chain, improving predictability, and ensuring that Sri Lanka remains an efficient and reliable node in international trade.

Beyond the Port: Digitalisation across the maritime ecosystem

While terminal productivity remains important, port efficiency is ultimately shaped by processes that extend well beyond the terminal gate. Vessel and cargo operations involve multiple stakeholders – shipping lines, agents, forwarders, terminals, haulers, Customs, port authorities and other border agencies.

When these entities operate on fragmented or partially digital systems, inefficiencies accumulate. Parallel submissions, manual interventions and inconsistent processes increase transaction costs and undermine service reliability.

CASA has consistently emphasised that digitalisation must be industry-wide and integrated. Isolated digital solutions, however well-intentioned, cannot deliver meaningful improvements.

Integrated industry solutions such as Port Community Systems should be fast tracked to add value to the logistics industry to enable seamless, real-time information exchange among all stakeholders, reducing delays, costs, and inefficiencies across the supply chain.

ASYHUB: Progress that must translate into outcomes

The introduction of ASYHUB by Sri Lanka Customs represents a positive step toward modernising trade processes. The move towards electronic manifest submission and enhanced pre-arrival data exchange aligns Sri Lanka with global best practices and has the potential to improve clearance timelines.

From an industry perspective, however, the effectiveness of ASYHUB will depend on execution. The platform must be fully integrated with terminal operating systems, carrier platforms and the broader Port Community System to avoid duplication and manual reconciliation.

Digital initiatives should yield improved and measurable outcomes enabling real-time coordination among stakeholders, data driven decision-making and faster cargo flow – and not replicating existing processes in electronic form.

The Maritime National Single Window: From intent to implementation

Sri Lanka’s Maritime and National Single Window initiatives reflect the right strategic intent: a single point of submission for regulatory requirements. For industry stakeholders, the objective is straightforward – one submission, shared data and coordinated approvals.

Progress to date has been uneven, and partial implementation risks creating additional layers rather than simplification. CASA believes that clear governance, defined accountability and enforceable timelines are essential if the Maritime and National Single Window solutions are to deliver tangible efficiency gains whilst meeting international mandates.

Digitalisation as a driver of resilience

Recent operational disruptions, including adverse weather events affecting vessel schedules, have underscored the importance of digital readiness. While such disruptions are unavoidable, prolonged congestion and administrative delays are not.

Ports, maritime, and trade systems that are digitally integrated recover faster by enabling pre-arrival processing, dynamic re-sequencing and coordinated decision-making. This reinforces the view that digitalisation is not only an efficiency related tool, but a resilience mechanism as well

A measured but urgent call for action

Sri Lanka’s maritime industry operates in an environment of increasing competition and diminishing tolerance for inefficiency. Shipping lines have the flexibility to adjust networks in response to cost and reliability considerations.

Digital transformation must therefore be coordinated, consultative and outcome-driven.

Systems should reduce costs, simplify processes, and enhance predictability for all stakeholders. They should be governed in a manner to contribute to strengthening the country’s competitive position and to continuously improve Logistics and Port Performance.

CASA supports digital reforms that strengthen Sri Lanka’s maritime ecosystem while recognising the operational realities of the industry.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa recently convened a meeting with Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (MSME) stakeholders to engage in a comprehensive discussion on the critical challenges currently confronting the sector.

During the meeting, stakeholders highlighted issues such as cash flow constraints, high taxation, rising operational costs, currency volatility, and regulatory bottlenecks that continue to place immense pressure on MSMEs.

Premadasa assured participants that he will take these concerns forward by arranging discussions with the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) and by engaging with the Finance Ministry, which operates under the authority of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, with the objective of seeking practical and timely solutions.

The MSME representatives extended their appreciation to Premadasa for his consistent advocacy and strong representation of the MSME community. They said his willingness to raise these issues at every possible forum and his commitment to fighting for policy-level reforms clearly reflect his role as a true champion of MSMEs and their contribution to the national economy.

The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) last week began the operations of Phase III of the Eastern Container Terminal (ECT), marking a key milestone in the Government’s efforts to strengthen the Port of Colombo as a regionally competitive maritime hub.

With the completion of Phase III, 1,090 metres of the terminal’s planned 1,300-metre quay length has now been completed, while 82% of the balance construction work is also finished. The commissioning of this phase enables the Eastern Container Terminal to handle three container vessels simultaneously.

Operations at the new phase were inaugurated with the arrival of a container vessel operated by the CMA CGM Group.

In 2025, the Eastern Container Terminal handled over 500,000 container movements. With the commissioning of the additional terminal capacity, the SLPA expects container handling at the ECT to exceed 1.5 million movements in 2026, further reinforcing the Port of Colombo’s position as a leading transhipment and re-export hub in South Asia.

Lea Hedges PLC has appointed Hisham Jamaldeen and Archie Warman to its Board as Non-Independent Executive Directors.

Jamaldeen brings over 20 years of experience in corporate finance, accounting and strategic business leadership across the real estate, leisure, hospitality, retail, energy and logistics sectors. He began his career in London’s financial sector and has been involved in real estate transactions exceeding $ 1.6 billion.

He is the founder and Executive Director of Steradian Capital Investments Ltd. and currently holds directorships in forty companies, including Managing Director of On’ally Holdings PLC and Chairman/Managing Director of Lanka Realty Developments Ltd. Jamaldeen has also served as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Hayleys PLC and has contributed to national institutions such as People’s Bank PLC, Sri Lanka Cricket Interim Committees and the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK) and holds an Engineering and Business degree from the University of Warwick, UK.

Warman is a seasoned real estate and investment professional with over two decades of experience in corporate finance, property investment, development and asset management in both the UK and Sri Lanka. He is a Co-founding Partner of Steradian Capital Investments Ltd. and an Executive Director of Lanka Realty Investments PLC, with a strong track record in structuring capital market transactions, mergers and acquisitions and large-scale real estate developments. He has led and executed significant transactions on the Colombo Stock Exchange, including rights issues, private placements and mandatory offers and has been instrumental in the development of landmark projects such as HQ Colombo, Mulberry Residences and the W15 hospitality brand. Warman is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) and holds a Master’s degree in Property Valuation and Law from Cass Business School, City University of London.

Barely two weeks before the start of the ICC T20 World Cup, the pitch at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (RPICS), which is one of the three venues hosting the World Cup matches, came for some harsh criticism from England Captain Harry Brook and star batsman Joe Root at the end of the second ODI played there on Saturday.

Although England managed to win the contest by five wickets to level the three-match series one-all, the slowness of the pitch and the lack of pace in it was a real struggle for the batsmen.

England did well to bowl Sri Lanka out for 219 in 49.3 overs, and had to depend on Root’s extraordinary skills as a world class batsman who has excelled on subcontinent pitches to get over the line. Root’s magnum opus knock of 75 off 90 balls saw England home comfortably with 22 balls to spare.

‘It’s nice to get a win away from home. On a tough surface, but we’re happy to get the victory. Probably the worst pitch I’ve ever played on and you had to go out there and adapt as quickly as possible and just try and get off strike and get the other batter on strike,’ said Brook at the post-match press conference.

Root, who took the Player of the Match award, said: ‘Nice to get the win on a very difficult surface. Just tried to take the ball as late as possible. I don’t think that’s a great wicket for ODI cricket if I’m being brutally honest, but we found a way today and we adapted and learnt from the mistakes we made in the first game with both bat and ball and got across the line.’

‘We knew it was going to be a case of trying to maximise the powerplay and then a couple of big partnerships. If a couple of guys bat for a period of time there, then it’s going to be difficult for Sri Lanka to wrest momentum back in their favour. That’s how we tried to approach it. And thankfully, we got the job done. Just used experience, really. I’ve played a lot of cricket in the subcontinent, I’ve played a lot of cricket here in Sri Lanka. Have an understanding of the different nature of the bounce and how the ball can turn. Tried to work out the delivery from the hand as much as possible. As the ball gets softer and a bit older, then it makes it a little bit easier to play. When it’s newer, you’ve got to be really precise with your footwork.’

Brook praised his bowlers for bowling Sri Lanka out inside the 50 overs after they had won the toss for the second time in the series and opted to bat first. ‘I thought the bowlers did an amazing job there to bowl that side out. Obviously, they’re used to these conditions, so to bowl them out was awesome work from them guys.’

England went in with a bowling attack loaded with spinners and it worked out well for them. ‘It was just rotating the spinners really. We lost Creeps (Jack Crawley) for selection last night with his knee, so we brought Jacksy (Will Jacks) in to replace him back in the middle order and he did a really good job with the ball as well,’ said Brook.

Commenting on Root’s innings, Brook said: ‘He’s an awesome player. His ability to get off strike and put the bad ball away when they slightly miss is awesome. He’s a phenomenal player to have in our side.’

Sri Lanka top order batsman Dhananjaya de Silva said that their batsmen could not finish the innings off and that’s why they fell about 25-30 runs short. ‘We didn’t get the amount of runs we required in the final overs. England executed their plans well to keep us down to this total.’

As regards the pitch, de Silva said: ‘The wicket was a bit slow when we batted but I think the ball came onto the bat a little quicker under lights.’

The third and final ODI will be played at the same venue tomorrow.

Sri Lanka’s banking sector is entering a more demanding phase of transition, as institutions built on trust, regulation and extensive physical networks confront rising digital expectations, tighter supervisory scrutiny and growing cyber risk. At the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka’s inaugural National Banking and Finance Conference themed ‘Digital Transformation and Financial Stability’ last week, chief executives from a cross-section of State-owned, private, Islamic and mid-tier banks offered a grounded assessment of how they are pursuing digital transformation while preserving financial stability.

The CEO Forum, the conference highlight, followed broader discussions on technology, talent and regulation, but shifted the focus decisively towards execution. Bank of Ceylon Acting General Manager/CEO Y.A. Jayathilaka, Amana Bank Managing Director/CEO Mohamed Azmeer, Seylan Bank Director/CEO Ramesh Jayasekara, Pan Asia Banking Corporation Director/CEO Naleen Edirisinghe and Union Bank of Colombo Executive Director/CEO Dilshan Rodrigo spoke less about aspiration and more about constraints: cost, culture, governance and the limits imposed by legacy systems.

Rather than portraying digitalisation as an endpoint, the discussion reflected a shared view that transformation is continuous, capital-intensive and inseparable from leadership and organisational discipline.

A journey, not an event

For Bank of Ceylon, digitalisation has unfolded as a long-running structural shift rather than a discrete technology upgrade. Jayathilaka framed the process as one that reshapes systems, procedures and customer experience over time.

‘Digital transformation is, by its name itself, a transformation journey. When it’s a journey, we can’t do it overnight,’ he said, pointing to the cumulative nature of change over the past decade.

At branch level, the shift is now visible in routine banking. Account opening has moved online, paper forms have been removed and digital signatures have become standard. Jayathilaka noted that adoption is no longer confined to major cities.

‘Use of debit cards, credit cards and automated transaction channels has expanded across the country, including rural areas,’ he said.

However, higher digital penetration has not reduced demand for physical banking. Despite digital transactions now accounting for close to 90% of activity, Bank of Ceylon continues to expand both its branch network and workforce.

‘We won’t be able to reduce it over a period. We have to respond to customer demand and customer requirements,’ Jayathilaka said.

The scale of parallel operations remains significant. ‘For every transaction done at a counter, around four are carried out through online channels,’ he said. Monthly online transaction volumes rose from around Rs. 250 billion to over Rs. 350 billion by December, even as cash usage and counter transactions also increased.

Maintaining this dual infrastructure requires substantial capital. ‘When we upgrade our switches, we are not talking in millions. We invest around Rs. 3-4 billion in a single server,’ Jayathilaka said, adding that total IT infrastructure investment last year reached Rs. 12-15 billion.

Leadership, culture and challenges

Across the banking sector, Amana Bank CEO Mohamed Azmeer located the core challenges of digital transformation less in technology than in leadership and organisational culture.

‘Very often, banks fail in digital transformation not because they lack technology,’ he said. ‘They fail because leadership does not change decision-making, risk assessment and governance.’

While regulatory constraints are significant, Azmeer argued they can be managed through early engagement and alignment. Leadership mindset, however, determines whether transformation delivers value or stalls.

He described Amana’s operating model as one that links the real economy with the financial system through trade, investment and partnership relationships, with technology acting as an enabler.

‘Technology plays a key role because we are able to connect all these relationships on a single platform,’ Azmeer said.

Capability building has been central to execution. Azmeer pointed to early investment in leadership development, including overseas training for senior staff. He cautioned against treating technology as an objective in itself.

‘AI is a technology, not an objective. Blockchain is a technology. We have to use them to reach our objectives,’ he said.

Governance has moved in parallel. Amana has deployed chatbots in compliance functions and is testing AI-based tools in audit processes to ensure controls keep pace with faster digital operations. ‘If these areas are well protected, the business can move at the speed it needs to,’ Azmeer said.

He also highlighted the role of education in building trust, citing early initiatives to explain Sharia banking through short digital content. ‘At that time, we had 25,000 customers. Today, we have over half a million.’

Inclusion, simplicity and the power of fewer clicks

Seylan Bank’s Ramesh Jayasekara framed digital transformation as an open-ended process, shaped as much by ecosystem coordination as by bank-led initiatives. ‘Even five years from now, we will still be talking about transformation,’ he said.

Digital inclusion, he argued, depends on collaboration across telcos, fintechs, Government platforms and the digital ID framework. Seylan’s own experience reflects this. Digital penetration has risen from about 15% to around 45% over the past few years, supported by the introduction of Sinhala and Tamil language interfaces.

‘A large share of customers transact primarily in local languages,’ Jayasekara said, arguing that language accessibility is a core driver of adoption rather than a peripheral feature.

Simplicity has been the guiding design principle. Referring to a cash-backed loan product, Jayasekara said: ‘If a customer can access their own money in five clicks, adoption improves.’

‘The fewer the steps, the easier the adoption,’ he added, drawing parallels with consumer technology platforms such as Uber and PickMe.

He also stressed the importance of embedding risk and compliance early in product design. ‘They need to be involved from day one,’ he said, linking this approach to cyber security and customer confidence.

Balancing innovation, regulation and efficiency

Pan Asia Banking Corporation CEO Naleen Edirisinghe of described digitalisation as a balance between customer experience, regulatory discipline and operational efficiency.

‘Technology is a tool, not a goal,’ he said, pointing to the Central Bank’s risk-resilient framework as a common constraint across banks.

Efficiency has been the most tangible outcome. Pan Asia’s digital on-boarding platform, Lime, reduced account-opening time from about 30 minutes to nine.

‘Earlier, we opened about three accounts a day. Now it is around 15 to 16,’ Edirisinghe said, highlighting the immediate productivity gains.

He also pointed to changing customer behaviour, including complaints logged digitally during early morning hours. ‘Customer behaviour is changing,’ he said. Internally, Pan Asia has deployed platforms that provide a consolidated, real-time view of customer relationships. ‘One screen gives a full overview of the customer relationship,’ Edirisinghe said.

Legacy systems and hard investment choices

For Union Bank CEO Rodrigo, legacy systems are the single largest constraint on seamless digital banking.

He outlined three strategic options: replacing core systems, upgrading existing platforms, or layering functionality through open APIs. Each carries material cost implications.

‘For a large bank, this could be a $ 5 million investment. For a smaller bank, even $ 1 million could represent a year’s profit,’ Rodrigo said.

Transformation, he argued, must be led by the business rather than technology teams. ‘In the past, technology drove projects. Now business has to take ownership,’ he said, identifying customer journey mapping as the starting point.

Execution must occur without disrupting operations. ‘Digital transformation is like changing tyres on a vehicle moving at speed,’ Rodrigo said. ‘The business cannot stop.’

Looking ahead, Rodrigo emphasised ecosystem development through vendors, open APIs and experimentation environments. ‘Banks do not need to build everything themselves,’ he said.

Navigating transformation

The discussion made clear that technology alone will not deliver outcomes without leadership, organisational change, regulatory alignment and sustained investment. While strategies differ by scale and business model, the constraints posed by legacy systems, cyber risk and evolving customer expectations remain shared, shaping how Sri Lanka’s banking sector navigates its next phase of transformation.

Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith (right) met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Friday (23), according to the Holy See News Bulletin. Secretary to Cardinal Ranjith Fr. Derinton Subasinghe also participated in the meeting.

DFCC Bank has made a financial contribution of Rs. 50 million to the Government’s ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, established to provide relief to people affected by Cyclone Ditwah. The relevant cheque was handed over by DFCC Bank Deputy CEO Shamindra Marcelline (left) to Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Russell Aponsu, at the Presidential Secretariat recently.

David Gower, a former Captain of England, was one of the most elegant and stylish left-hand batsmen of his era. His batting has been described as poetry in motion. He played 117 Tests and 114 ODIs scoring 8,231 and 3,170 runs respectively. He was a part of the English squad that finished runner-up in the 1979 World Cup. After retiring in 1993, Gower became a successful cricket commentator with Sky Sports. He is currently in Sri Lanka as part of the commentary team for the Sri Lanka v England ODI and T20I series and took time off from his duties to speak to Daily FT.

Q: You played in only two Test matches against Sri Lanka in 1982 and 1984, your memories of them?

The inaugural Test match was important (Sri Lanka v England 1982) because of the historic nature of it. Also, the first time in a Test at Lord’s was equally important for Sri Lanka cricket. The Test match here was interesting to say the least. I’ve been here five years before that (1977) with the DH Robins team and I’d seen a lot of those players who played in that first Test match in Sri Lanka. On that tour players like Roy Dias growing up, looking good and one or two others. Everyone knew it would be interesting.

Taking nothing for granted we had to play the 11 on the field. I was quite proud that we did win that game actually. Proud of myself, ‘cos it took a few runs here and there to get us across the line. But when you look back on that and the Lord’s Test, we already had five Tests against the West Indies and were beaten soundly. So, at the end of the summer, I think our heads were a bit frazzled. I remember it was Peter May who was the chairman of selectors. It was a classic morning when someone in the nets with an old ball polished up on one side saying it’s swinging this morning and thought it’s best to stick him in.

I was thinking that Sri Lanka for the first time at Lord’s we could take advantage of that. The ball did nothing, it was a very good flat pitch. One of the most amusing things was that (Ian) Botham for the second innings was bowling off spin, that’s what I hated about most. I didn’t mind his bowling pace and taking five wickets but bowling off spin and taking five wickets was taking a bit. Sidath (Wettimuny) played so well it was not quite what I had in mind. Obviously, as captain of the team you want to win, you’ve got to have a proper game. Looking back in the same way, it was two crucial games in the history of Sri Lanka cricket. We won the first one and you performed beautifully in the second and in no time at all winning the World Cup. It’s a great story.

Q: Botham, although bowling off-spin, got the wicket of Duleep Mendis, depriving him of scoring a rare century in each innings in a Test at Lord’s?

Obviously, the chance to make early history would have been fantastic. It would have been a great story to tell his children and his grandchildren. Great story to put into Sri Lankan cricket, but still you’ve got to do it.

Given the context of that era, we didn’t see much of Sri Lanka at all. I guess once you get to the golden age of Sri Lankan cricket I was no longer playing. I watched it from a distance. That World Cup win was mind blowing in many ways. Earlier, a team deciding on a positive approach, is the way to win. Someone came in and gave it a go. Similar in a way to 30-40 years later with Afghanistan coming through from nowhere. Sri Lanka cricket coming through the eighties, not being a Test playing nation and a fully-fledged international nation to go so quickly to winning a World Cup was outstanding. The hard thing is keeping that momentum going. You’d have some great players. I particularly loved watching (Mahela) Jayawardene, (Kumar) Sangakkara, two of the greats of any era for any team.

Q: England’s cricket has been on a downward trend since winning the 2019 World Cup?

It’s been a mix. It took us a long time to get there, but once you reach the pinnacle the hardest thing is sustaining it. We had this contrast between 2015 where we were absolutely rubbish and Eoin Morgan taking over. He is one of the best captains I’ve seen in the one-day format who somehow put together a team that covered all the bases. It is all about fine margins. In a game like today (1st ODI), a lot of the innings it was pretty evenly balanced. Then we had one horrible over in the end which pushed the game beyond England.

When you look around the world there aren’t too many weak teams. The big 3 or 4 will be there at the closing stages of any World Cup 50-overs or 20 overs. In the T20I ranking England is there in the top 4, but for some reasons they seem to be down at 8 in the ODIs. It is a sort of trend which is hard to change. It just needs one, two or three good games and the confidence and suddenly people start to do the things they are meant to do as opposed to weak moments, where balls go astray and shots don’t work. The only gripe I have with these World Cups is that they come around too quickly. You sit down for 25 minutes and there is another World Cup, which I think is probably too much. I am sure it’s good for business for now. We spend so much time talking about workloads. There’s always been a sense of excitement when the original World Cup came around once every four years.

Q: How much has the game evolved from your time?

There are one or two exceptions if I was to go back to Mahela, if there was a touch player with timing to dream of who made runs in T20, you can still do that, obviously against the big guns literally out there to be seen all around the world with the help of big bats. The trend is for muscle and new techniques. We had our own tricks of the trade of making runs in the eighties backing away and making runs quickly over extra cover. We didn’t have stuff that goes over your shoulder involving dentists and new teeth. Things evolve. I guess there is still space for someone who can use timing to make runs. Jacob Bethell is not a muscleman but he is strong and he has timing as much as brute force. There has to be a place for both.

What is reassuring is great players of the current era still rate what they do in Test matches above all else. (Virat) Kohli’s quotes not so long ago winning the IPL was good but not as good as playing for India in Test matches. Crowds don’t necessarily come the same way for Test matches as especially at lots of grounds across the world like West Indies, India, Pakistan and here. Just because people don’t come physically to watch, people think there is no interest in Test cricket. I think that’s wrong. There is a lot of attention paid to it online, on television. It’s not easy to judge necessarily by the number of people sitting in the stadium. The fact is if the best players say that Test cricket is the best thing, we should listen to them. One of the things is that the style of cricket played at Test match level now varies. England’s attempt to make it more exciting is laudable. It’s entertaining, win games dramatically, and score runs at a furious rate is fantastic to watch. It’s important to make Test cricket entertaining as well as it’s important to win. Fans and supporters travel to see teams win.

Q: Your views on Bazball?

For a long time now, people have been saying the intent is good and the culture is good. It needs to be smarter and that was proven in patches in Australia. Whatever your intent, if you don’t play according to the match situation, you don’t realise that you are under pressure, and if you don’t work out a way to deal with the pressure, then you end up losing games. People like myself, Mike Gatting, Graham Gooch care about English cricket. We want to see them do well. One of the misunderstandings about Bazball is it’s not just about trying to move the game ahead quickly, there is a culture in the room about supporting players, giving players the right environment to produce their best and there is a fine line between not fearing failure and not respecting the situation.

Tamil National Alliance MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has criticised the suspension of a senior Parliamentary official, warning that the action reflects a serious breakdown of due process within Parliament.

Taking to ‘X,’ Rasamanickam said the suspension of Parliament’s second most senior official had raised ‘grave’ concerns. Citing media reports, he alleged the move amounted to retaliation linked to Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne and was carried out without a charge sheet, an inquiry, or an opportunity for the official to be heard.

‘This is not just interference with a public servant. This is happening inside Parliament itself, a core pillar of democracy. When due process collapses at Parliament, the message sent to the country is deeply dangerous,’ he said.

It is reported that the Parliamentary Staff Advisory Council has decided to suspend from duties with immediate effect Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General G.K.A. Chaminda Kumara Kularatne, who is the second most senior officer of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

According to reports, the decision was taken at a meeting of the Advisory Council held on Friday (23), chaired by Dr. Wickramaratne. The meeting was attended by Minister Bimal Rathnayake, Opposition MP Gayantha Karunathilaka, Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, and Parliament Secretary General Kushani Rohanadeera.

However, reports indicate that differences of opinion emerged within the Council over the suspension. In particular, the Chief Opposition Whip and the Finance Deputy Minister are reported to have raised concerns that the decision was taken without summoning the Deputy Secretary General or seeking an explanation from him.

Media reports have further alleged that the preliminary inquiry targeting the Deputy Secretary General was conducted in violation of constitutional law and established administrative procedures, and that the process was driven by malicious intent and an abuse of authority.

Political sources have also claimed that the suspension was prompted by suspicions that the Deputy Secretary General had disclosed personal information relating to the Speaker. Media reports have appeared in connection with these allegations.

It is further reported that Deputy Secretary General Kularatne has decided to pursue legal action in response to what he considers an unjust suspension.