Sri Lanka, March 25 -- To ensure the Speaker's office remains impartial and transparent; the Speaker should relinquish party ties upon assuming office; ensure a transparent and merit-based selection process

Erskine May's Parliamentary Practice says, the Speaker is required to relinquish any party or group affiliation upon appointment and to abstain from political engagement. This title, originating in England, was first recorded in 1377. Two and a half centuries later, on January 4, 1642, King Charles I made an unprecedented move by entering the House of Commons to arrest five Members of Parliament.

However, Speaker William Lenthall bravely defied the King to uphold the privileges of Parliament. As a result, the King was forced to leave...