By: Isuru Parakrama
December 16, Colombo (LNW): Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has officially lodged a complaint with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), urging an inquiry into the inaccurate information regarding his educational qualifications listed in the official Parliament database.
This comes after the Sri Lankan Parliament acknowledged last week that there were discrepancies in the details pertaining to Minister Nanayakkara’s educational background on its website.
The error, which was found in the directory of Members of Parliament, erroneously included the title “Dr.” before Nanayakkara’s name.
Jayalath Perera, the Director of Legislative Services, clarified that the mistake occurred due to an error in data entry.
This situation has raised concerns about the accuracy of the information published on the Parliament’s official platform.
Minister Nanayakkara, addressing the media, expressed his concern that this incident may not be an isolated case, particularly in light of the recent controversies surrounding the educational qualifications of certain government MPs.
He stressed the importance of investigating how such errors had occurred and who was responsible for entering misleading data into the system.
In addition to calling for a thorough investigation into the matter, Nanayakkara announced that legal action would be pursued to address the harm caused to his reputation by misleading media reports that followed the revelation.
He made it clear that he intended to file a civil suit over the damage inflicted by these inaccurate reports.
Minister Nanayakkara also took the opportunity to reflect on a broader shift in public discourse. He expressed satisfaction that the public was beginning to ask more pertinent questions about the qualifications and conduct of MPs, a significant change compared to earlier times when discussions were often centred on issues such as the alleged sale of ethanol or drugs, or concerns over the appointment of convicted individuals to Parliament.
He commended the public for now questioning the educational credentials of MPs, claiming that this newfound scrutiny marked a significant shift, one that he considered a victory for the government and a positive development in Sri Lanka’s politics.
