Although main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has super majority in the People’s Majlis, democracy must be respected and maintained, says Sri Lanka’s Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya.
In an exclusive interview to RaajjeMV, Jayasuriya stated democracy must prevail whether or not there is a big or small majority in parliament.
Further, he stated that parliamentarians are not the “masters”, but rather the servants of the people and so long as they have that mentality during their work, there can be nothing wrong.
“Whether it is a big majority or a small majority, democracy has to prevail and of course at the end of the day parliamentarians are not the masters, they are the servants of the people, so long as you have that mentality, I think nothing can go wrong”Speaker Jayasuriya
While a 100-member Maldivian delegation was in Lanka earlier this month, Jayasuriya shed light on some of the discussions he had held with Maldives Parliament Speaker and former President Mohamed Nasheed.
“Visit of the parliamentary delegation was a step in the right direction and gives us hope and confidence. It also shows the world that Sri Lanka is a safe place to travel”Speaker Jayasuriya
Further shedding light on the bonds shared between both countries, Jayasuriya went on to highlight the importance Sri Lanka gives towards maintaining people-to-people relations.
“Although geographically separated, historically we were together, so that bond of friendship is there and whenever we see a Maldivian, we see a part of us, in all aspects we look alike. In a lot of issues, we have been thinking the same way and we have also gone through the difficult time that’s the Maldivians went through and we also appreciate Speaker Nasheed for the way he spoke for human rights, stood up for democracy and the way he stood up for preserving the democracy”Speaker Jayasuriya
The delegation was in the neighboring country to assure the international community that Sri Lanka is still a safe country after the terror attacks on April 21.
