The Hon. Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan
Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan raised concerns that expanded powers under the Telecommunications Amendment, alongside the Online Safety law, could restrict online freedom of expression. He proposed appointing an independent professional as Chair of the Commission through the Constitutional Council rather than a Ministry Secretary, and emphasized the need to strengthen technical capacity, protect consumer rights, and ensure neutral handling of market competition in implementing the law.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, please give me one minute. There is concern that the expanded powers under the Telecommunications Amendment, together with an Online Safety law, could be used to restrict freedom of expression on the internet. To address critics’ concerns while achieving the law’s objectives, I propose:
¶ 02 - Ensure independence: the Commission’s Chair should be an independent professional appointed by the Constitutional Council, not a Ministry Secretary. - Success depends on implementation: build the Commission’s technical capacity, safeguard consumer rights, and handle market competition with neutrality.
¶ 03 These will determine Sri Lanka’s digital transition over the next decade. Thank you!
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Tuesday, 3 February 2026 ·No. 23252 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 3 February 2026. No. 23252. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/8851