Senate of Ceylon
Encyclopedia
The Senate of Ceylon was the upper chamber of the parliament
of Ceylon
(now Sri Lanka
) established in 1947 by the Soulbury Commission
. The Senate was appointed/indirectly elected rather than directly elected. The Senate was housed in the old Legislative Council
building in Colombo Fort and met for the first time on 12 November 1947. The Senate was abolished on 2 October 1971 by the eighth amendment to the Soulbury Constitution, prior to the adoption of the new Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka on 22 May 1972. In 2010 it was considered to reintroduce the Senate.
, the Senate of Ceylon was established in 1947 as the upper house of Parliament of Ceylon
. The Senate was modelled on the House of Lords
in the United Kingdom
. It was a thirty-member Senate where the members where appointed rather than elected. One of its fundamental aims was to act as a revising chamber by scrutinizing or amending bills, which had been passed by the House of Representatives
. This was intended to act as a stopgap barrier to prevent the government in power trying to rush through important legislations without giving adequate time to consider such legislations.
and other republicans considered the Senate, with half its members being appointed by the British monarch's representative - the Governor General, to be one of the last vestiges of colonial rule. The Senate had also been dominated by the United National Party
since its creation. Soon after United Front
, an alliance consisting of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party
, main opposition party, and the leftist parties came to power at the May 1970 election it brought in a parliamentary bill to abolish the Senate. The bill's second reading was passed by the House of Representatives on 21 May 1971. The Senate met for the last time on 28 September 1971. The Ceylon (Constitution and Independence) Amendment Act, No. 36 of 1971 received Royal Assent on 2 October 1971, becoming the eighth amendment
to the Soulbury Constitution. The Senate was abolished in 1971 after nearly 24 years of existence. A unicameral parliamentary system was introduced with the adaptation of the Democratic Socialist Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka in 1972.
. The United People's Freedom Alliance
Government, led by Mahinda Rajapaksa
, is exploring possibilities to change the existing parliamentary system significantly. The government proposes that the new Senate will have around 45% of the members from the Parliament and the remaining 55% to be appointed by the President taking the recommendations of the religious leaders and other distinguished personalities of the Civil Society. Therefore the proposed Senate will have a total of 65 Members, 28 Sinhalese
and the rest, 37, would be appointed from minority communities, professionals and other intellectuals.
in the United Kingdom
.
All Parliamentary Bills other than Money (finance) Bills could originate in the Senate. The Senate couldn't reject or amend or delay beyond one month a Money Bill. If any other Bill, that had been passed twice by the House of Representatives, is rejected by the Senate twice it was deemed to have been passed by both chambers.
, using the proportional representation system, each MP having a single transferable vote. The other 15 members were appointed by the Governor-General of Ceylon
on advice of the Prime Minister and generally consisted of distinguished individuals. The Senators were known as "Elected Senators" and "Appointed Senators" respectively.
The minimum age for membership of the Senate was 35 and members of the House of Representatives weren't allowed to be members of the Senate. At least two government ministers had to be Senators. No more than two Senators could be Parliamentary Secretaries (deputy ministers).
The normal term of office of a Senator was six years. One third of the Senate (five elected and five appointed) retired every two years. Retiring Senators were eligible for re-election or re-appointment. If a Senator resigned, died or was otherwise removed from office, their replacement, elected or appointed, would serve the remainder of their term of office.
Parliament of Ceylon
The Parliament of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon established in 1947 by the Soulbury Constitution, prior to independence on 4 February 1948...
of Ceylon
Dominion of Ceylon
The Dominion of Ceylon, known today as Sri Lanka, was a dominion, in the British Empire between 1948 and 1972. In 1948, British Ceylon was granted independence as the Dominion of Ceylon. In 1972, the Dominion of Ceylon became a republic within the Commonwealth, and its name was changed to Sri Lanka...
(now Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
) established in 1947 by the Soulbury Commission
Soulbury Commission
The Soulbury Commission, announced in 1944 was, like its predecessor, the Donoughmore Commission, a prime instrument of constitutional reform in Sri Lanka. The immediate basis for the appointment of a commission for constitutional reforms was the 1944 draft constitution of the Board of Ministers,...
. The Senate was appointed/indirectly elected rather than directly elected. The Senate was housed in the old Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Ceylon
The Legislative Council of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon established in 1833, along with the Executive Council of Ceylon, on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission. It was the first form of representative government in the island...
building in Colombo Fort and met for the first time on 12 November 1947. The Senate was abolished on 2 October 1971 by the eighth amendment to the Soulbury Constitution, prior to the adoption of the new Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka on 22 May 1972. In 2010 it was considered to reintroduce the Senate.
Creation
With the recommendations of the Soulbury CommissionSoulbury Commission
The Soulbury Commission, announced in 1944 was, like its predecessor, the Donoughmore Commission, a prime instrument of constitutional reform in Sri Lanka. The immediate basis for the appointment of a commission for constitutional reforms was the 1944 draft constitution of the Board of Ministers,...
, the Senate of Ceylon was established in 1947 as the upper house of Parliament of Ceylon
Parliament of Ceylon
The Parliament of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon established in 1947 by the Soulbury Constitution, prior to independence on 4 February 1948...
. The Senate was modelled on the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was a thirty-member Senate where the members where appointed rather than elected. One of its fundamental aims was to act as a revising chamber by scrutinizing or amending bills, which had been passed by the House of Representatives
House of Representatives of Ceylon
The House of Representatives of Ceylon was the lower chamber of the parliament of Ceylon established in 1947 by the Soulbury Constitution. The House was housed in the old State Council building in Galle Face Green, Colombo and met for the first time on 14 October 1947...
. This was intended to act as a stopgap barrier to prevent the government in power trying to rush through important legislations without giving adequate time to consider such legislations.
Abolishment
The leftist parties of CeylonSri Lanka leftist parties
During the Donoughmore period of political experimentation , several Sri Lanka leftist parties were formed. Unlike most other Sri Lankan parties, these leftist parties were noncommunal in membership....
and other republicans considered the Senate, with half its members being appointed by the British monarch's representative - the Governor General, to be one of the last vestiges of colonial rule. The Senate had also been dominated by the United National Party
United National Party
The United National Party, often referred to as the UNP ), , is a political party in Sri Lanka. It currently is the main opposition party in Sri Lanka and is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe...
since its creation. Soon after United Front
United Front (Sri Lanka)
The United Front was a political alliance in Sri Lanka, formed by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party , the Lanka Sama Samaja Party and the Communist Party of Sri Lanka in 1968...
, an alliance consisting of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party
Sri Lanka Freedom Party
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is one of the major political parties in Sri Lanka. It was founded by S.W.R.D Bandaranaike in 1951 and, since then, has been one of the two largest parties in the Sri Lankan political arena. It first came to power in 1956 and since then has been the predominant party in...
, main opposition party, and the leftist parties came to power at the May 1970 election it brought in a parliamentary bill to abolish the Senate. The bill's second reading was passed by the House of Representatives on 21 May 1971. The Senate met for the last time on 28 September 1971. The Ceylon (Constitution and Independence) Amendment Act, No. 36 of 1971 received Royal Assent on 2 October 1971, becoming the eighth amendment
Constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment is a formal change to the text of the written constitution of a nation or state.Most constitutions require that amendments cannot be enacted unless they have passed a special procedure that is more stringent than that required of ordinary legislation...
to the Soulbury Constitution. The Senate was abolished in 1971 after nearly 24 years of existence. A unicameral parliamentary system was introduced with the adaptation of the Democratic Socialist Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka in 1972.
Recent developments
Recently there have been consideration into the reintroduction of a senate into the Parliament of Sri LankaParliament of Sri Lanka
The Parliament of Sri Lanka is the 225-member unicameral legislature of Sri Lanka. The members of Parliament are elected by proportional representation for six-year terms, with universal suffrage. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws...
. The United People's Freedom Alliance
United People's Freedom Alliance
The United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:...
Government, led by Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Percy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa ; ; born November 18, 1945) is the 6th and current President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as prime minister from April 6,...
, is exploring possibilities to change the existing parliamentary system significantly. The government proposes that the new Senate will have around 45% of the members from the Parliament and the remaining 55% to be appointed by the President taking the recommendations of the religious leaders and other distinguished personalities of the Civil Society. Therefore the proposed Senate will have a total of 65 Members, 28 Sinhalese
Sinhalese people
The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...
and the rest, 37, would be appointed from minority communities, professionals and other intellectuals.
Role
The Senate was intended to act as a revising chamber, scrutinizing and amending bills which had been passed by the House of Representatives. The model for the Senate's role was the House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
All Parliamentary Bills other than Money (finance) Bills could originate in the Senate. The Senate couldn't reject or amend or delay beyond one month a Money Bill. If any other Bill, that had been passed twice by the House of Representatives, is rejected by the Senate twice it was deemed to have been passed by both chambers.
Membership
The Senate consisted of 30 members. 15 member were elected by the lower chamber, the House of RepresentativesHouse of Representatives of Ceylon
The House of Representatives of Ceylon was the lower chamber of the parliament of Ceylon established in 1947 by the Soulbury Constitution. The House was housed in the old State Council building in Galle Face Green, Colombo and met for the first time on 14 October 1947...
, using the proportional representation system, each MP having a single transferable vote. The other 15 members were appointed by the Governor-General of Ceylon
Governor-General of Ceylon
The Governor-General of Ceylon was the representative of the Ceylonese monarch, and head of state, who held the title of Queen of Ceylon from 1948 when the country became independent as a Dominion until the country became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972.-Role:The monarch, on the advice of the...
on advice of the Prime Minister and generally consisted of distinguished individuals. The Senators were known as "Elected Senators" and "Appointed Senators" respectively.
The minimum age for membership of the Senate was 35 and members of the House of Representatives weren't allowed to be members of the Senate. At least two government ministers had to be Senators. No more than two Senators could be Parliamentary Secretaries (deputy ministers).
The normal term of office of a Senator was six years. One third of the Senate (five elected and five appointed) retired every two years. Retiring Senators were eligible for re-election or re-appointment. If a Senator resigned, died or was otherwise removed from office, their replacement, elected or appointed, would serve the remainder of their term of office.
See also
- Parliament of Sri LankaParliament of Sri LankaThe Parliament of Sri Lanka is the 225-member unicameral legislature of Sri Lanka. The members of Parliament are elected by proportional representation for six-year terms, with universal suffrage. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws...
- State Council of CeylonState Council of CeylonThe State Council of Ceylon was the unicameral legislature for Ceylon , established in 1931 by the Donoughmore Constitution. The State Council gave universal adult franchise to the people of the colony for the first time...
- Legislative Council of CeylonLegislative Council of CeylonThe Legislative Council of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon established in 1833, along with the Executive Council of Ceylon, on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission. It was the first form of representative government in the island...