A high-level delegation of Members of Parliament from the United Kingdom, visiting Sri Lanka under the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) programme, met this week with a diverse group of Sri Lankan legislators, legal professionals, and civil society leaders to advance dialogue on inclusive governance, post-legislative scrutiny (PLS), and democratic reform.
The engagement was jointly organised by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) and the Coalition of Inclusive Impact (CII), and held in Colombo with the participation of senior representatives from the British High Commission, WFD, and a broad cross-section of Sri Lankan political and civic leadership.
The UK parliamentary delegation was led by Yasmin Qureshi, MP-Head of Delegation and Chair of WFD, Jamie Stone, MP – Chair, Petitions Committee and Paulette Hamilton and MP – Acting Chair, Health and Social Care Committee.
The delegation was accompanied by British Government officials and representatives of WFD’s global and Sri Lanka-based teams.
Representing Sri Lanka at the forum were MP Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam, former Minister Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Attorney-at-Law and former Member of Parliament Mohamed Shafeek Rajabdeen, Attorney-at-Law and senior legal officer of the United National Party (UNP) Shehara Hearth, Attorney-at-Law and legal advisor to the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Chamathka Ratnayake, Attorney-at-Law, Vice President (International Affairs & Communications) of the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Barath Arullsamy and Democratic People’s Front (DPF) Sanjeev Vignarajah, representing WFD Sri Lanka.
The roundtable centred on how post-legislative scrutiny (PLS) can enhance the implementation and accountability of legislation, and how evidence-based advocacy can lead to meaningful policy change.
The UK MPs shared the Westminster experience in supporting legislative oversight and inclusive political reform, while Sri Lankan representatives highlighted the country’s evolving democratic landscape and community challenges.
Speaking at the session, Barath Arullsamy shared a successful policy advocacy initiative achieved through the collaboration of WFD and CII during the previous administration. He recounted a decade-long issue concerning the estate healthcare system, where Estate Medical Assistants (EMAs) were under threat following a government attempt to integrate plantation medical dispensaries into the public health service. The GMOA had opposed continued EMA practice, insisting only registered medical officers be appointed leading to a long-standing stalemate.
“Through research, multi-stakeholder consultations, and direct policy engagement, we were able to influence the Ministry of Health and ultimately secure Cabinet approval to appoint registered medical doctors to 10 key estate hospitals. This was a historic win for thousands of families in plantation areas,” Arullsamy noted, while urging the current Government to implement the Cabinet decision in full.
Participants welcomed the UK Government’s continued support for Sri Lanka’s democratic institutions, especially through the WFD. Special appreciation was extended for the upcoming reforms to the UK Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), which will expand zero-tariff access for Sri Lankan exports, including garments a critical sector for employment in plantation-linked regions.