Such examples would terrify most children. But not the Bandaranaike family. His quick repartee and humour have added to the luster of a long parliamentary tradition. Parliamentary debates have given prominence to many a backbencher. Indeed, parliamentary debates have enriched anecdotal history.
Parliamentary debates are at the heart of a democracy.
Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka have parliamentary systems born from Westminster, the mother of parliaments. Both of us were part of an empire on which the sun never set. But that, it is said, was because God could never trust the English in the dark. Of course Elections are not only about winning but also about losing. There is nothing as wonderful as the warmth of a triumph and nothing as dismal as the chill of a loss.