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| Thursday, 13 January 2005 |
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Sunday 26th December 2004 brought news which left the whole nation numb with shock. By Monday 27th I got news which dealt an additional blow to us in Parliament. Mr. B.M. Amit, Editor of Hansard, his wife Mrs. Kanthi Wickramasinghe Amit, the Chief Parliamentary Interpreter and their two children had fallen victims to the devastating Tsunami the previous day. Mr. Amit who had joined Parliament in 1977 as a young Hansard Reporter had worked his way to the top position of Editor by 2003. His long years of experience had given him a good grasp of the practices and procedures of our Parliament, so much so that he hardly, if ever, needed my guidance in editing the speeches of Members of Parliament. Even when he had to ruthlessly expunge chunks off speeches he would gently explain matters to the respective Members without exciting their wrath. Never puffed-up with his own self-importance, he was always kind and generous to his subordinates, which ensured that no staff problems reached his superiors. He maintained a high standard in the Hansard which is the chief publication of Parliament and endeavoured to have it released as expeditiously as possible. Always affable and sensitive Mr. Amit was a gentleman to the marrow of his bones. His absence will be keenly felt by the Members and staff of Parliament for many years to come. Mrs. Kanthi Amit joined the Parliament as an Interpreter in 1982 and was appointed Chief Parliamentary Interpreter in April 2004. Kanthi was an Interpreter in the Sinhala/English stream. She performed this demanding task with precision and speed. Her expertise as an interpreter was well recognised and often she had been called upon for interpretation even by other organisations at various seminars and conferences. It was to her that I entrusted the translation of my book "Parliamentary Practice in Sri Lanka" into Sinhala, which she did with dedication. In fact it is this Sinhala copy which is more in demand than the English one. I shall miss hearing her crisp, clear voice over the Chamber head-phones when I sit at the Table of the House. The Sri Lanka Parliament has lost two excellent officers in one blow. My deepest sympathies go out to the families of these two officers who must be equally devastated. I can only conclude with our grateful appreciation of this dedicated couple for the service they rendered to Parliament. Priyanee Wijesekera, Secretary-General of Parliament |
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