By

Namini Wijedasa

The Cabinet has sanctioned a proposal by Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella to use the Indian credit line to buy medical supplies—without competitive tender—from a handpicked, locally unregistered Indian manufacturer named Savorite Pharmaceuticals (Pvt) Ltd despite there being multiple authorised suppliers holding valid National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) registration for each of the required products.

Cabinet approval is pending for Minister Rambukwella’s proposal to entertain an unsolicited proposal from a second Indian entity named Kausikh Therapeutics (P) Ltd under the credit line and “other means of funding”. The Sunday Times has seen relevant documents.
Waiver of registration

The minister also sought blanket clearance to procure drugs via unsolicited proposals by inserting the clause through “other selected suppliers” into his Cabinet memoranda. It would’ve given Health Ministry officials—and the minister—widespread discretion to make purchases from favoured entities bypassing the competitive tender process. The Cabinet did not consent to this.

The Health Ministry has now applied for a “waiver of registration” (WoR) from NMRA for a two-page list of drugs to be imported from Savorite. The medicines cannot be cleared through Customs without this formality, which is typically granted as an exception and not a rule.

But the NMRA database shows that pre-registered suppliers, most of whom have a long history of selling medicines to Sri Lanka—and many of them Indian—currently hold valid licences for a majority of the required drugs. Should the ministry require a product that is not registered, the usual practice is to check with licensed suppliers first. This was not done.

“The preference is to request a WoR for a product from a registered supplier—as the manufacturing facility is already vetted—than an unregistered one,” said an authoritative source. All sources spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Continue reading ‘Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella Allegedly Engaging in Unhealthy Practices in Procuring Medicinal Drugs Under Indian Credit Line; Bypasses President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Directives Regarding Medical Imports’ »

By

Rajasinghe

In 1970, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) led by Sirimavo Bandaranaike contested the General Election in a coalition with the Left – the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and the Communist Party (CP). On the other hand, Philip Gunawardena and his Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) contested the 1970 election in alliance with the United National Party (UNP) led by Dudley Senanayake. The anti-UNP coalition, which was called the Samagi Peramuna, launched its campaign with a mammoth rally held at the Bogambara Grounds in Kandy. Then they started a countrywide propaganda campaign.

At this time the LSSP and CP had a strong presence in the Peradeniya campus although Rohana Wijeweera’s Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) had started making inroads in all the universities. Their stronghold was the Vidyodaya campus, where Mahinda Wijesekera ruled the roost as student leader. The SLFP ‘China wingers’ led by T.B. Ilangaratne – and including particularly Ratna Deshapriya and his Lankadeepa newspaper cohorts – were not averse to playing footsie with JVP leaders in order to enhance their electoral chances. They encouraged Wijeweera to create panic among their supporters, saying that American imperialists were waiting in a ship docked at Colombo Harbour in order to take over the country if Dudley won.

In the campaign, LSSP leaders were called upon to provide effective speakers for Samagi Peramuna meetings. Though they had brilliant orators like Colvin R. de Silva, Bernard Soysa, and N.M. Perera, the LSSP was hard put to participate in all-island meetings while fighting hard to increase the number of LSSP MPs in Parliament (it had the highest number of winners ever at this election).

Continue reading ‘Rajitha Senaratne has consistently fought for justice towards the minorities and will be supportive of Ranil’s efforts to negotiate an ethnic peace.’ »

By

Kishali Pinto -Jayawardene

Carrots tossed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the form of release of a few Prevention of Terrorism (PTA) political prisoners and return of lands to displaced owners in the North and East have given rise to unseemly jubilation on the part of Sri Lanka’s Tamil political leadership or what passes as the ‘leadership’ today.

Are these ‘gains’ worthy of mention?

To be clear, one is not being facetious in saying this. On the contrary, it beggars belief as to how the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) can cheerfully parade such trifles let alone to hold forth on the same to the national media with disconcerting ease. To put it bluntly, out of the mountainous promise of a roundtable on the ‘ethnic problem’ initiated by the President, we have the mouse of potential release of fourteen PTA prisoners being ‘discussed.

We are informed with suitable grandeur that this is to coincide with Sri Lanka’s soon approaching 75th Independence Day Celebration early next year. Alongside, the President has ‘requested’ all political parties to come to a ‘common agreement’ to provide a solution to the ethnic problem by that time.

The grand irony of all of this is, of course, profound at many levels. Not the least of this is the reference to a ‘solution’ to the ‘ethnic problem’ in a magical period of less than two months. To be kind, this is a frivolous approach to the existential dilemma of the Sri Lanka State which has paralyzed this nation for much of its post-independence years.

This ‘ethnic problem’ which the Government treats as casually as tying its collective shoelaces has, we must not forget, led to thousands of lives lost from the majority community as well as the minorities, fractured societies leading to deep mistrust fostered by racist political ideologues and hopelessly perverted the Rule of Law.

That perversion was contributory to the acute economic crisis that the country faces today. The election of unfit rulers to the seat of the Presidency was brought about by this pervasive racist political agenda.

Continue reading ‘If consensus cannot be reached on whether a Tamil or Sinhala “small” Party candidate will serve on the Council, what hope does achieving a ‘solution’ for the ‘ethnic problem’ in two months have, we may well ask?’ »

By
A.Varathar Rajan Perumal

(A.Varathar. Rajan Perumal was the first Chief Minister of the united North Eastern Province from 1988.-1990)

Since the advent of the 13th Amendment (13A) to the constitution of Sri Lanka, 13A has been facing denunciations from different quarters in Sri Lanka.

It is undeniable that the purpose of the establishment of the Provincial Councils (PCs) has not yet been achieved. Instead, successive Sri Lankan governments have been consistently degrading it, while socio-political forces among the Lankan Tamil community have been disregarding and disapproving of the Provincial Councils based on the 13A. It is not at all worthy of their aspirations and sacrifices, they feel.

After the end of the war against the LTTE, the Tamil political parties, which together have a large vote bank, have been virulently expressing the notion that no political solution would be acceptable to the Tamils other than one which embodies Federalism with the Right to Self-Determination and the unification of the Northern and Eastern Provinces, the Tamil “Home Land”.

But Ignoring ground realities, the leaders of so-called “Tamil Nationalists” parties and influential social leaders among the Lankan Tamils have been assiduously injecting their claims and ambitions into the hearts and minds of the Tamil masses.

Suddenly, since December 2021, the “Tamil nationalist” parties led by R. Sampanthan and C.V. Wigneswaran, for understandable reasons, have been voicing the demand that the Government of India (GoI) should protect the Provincial Councils and ensure the full implementation of the 13A, as it is the duty and responsibility of the GoI since it was a signatory to the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord of 1987. Accordingly, they wrote a letter addressed to the Prime Minister of India. But so far no official representative of the GoI has responded in any manner to that letter.

Continue reading ‘If proper and full implementation of the 13A is achieved within the framework of the present unitary system, then the political process will move towards the next stage of constitutional development providing greater devolution to the Provincial Councils.’ »

Fresh discussions between Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the opposition Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has focused on the release of political prisoners and lands in former conflict zones, a TNA legislator said.

TNA parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran told reporters Wednesday December 21 evening that the discussion followed an all-party meeting held recently on finding a permanent solution to Sri Lanka’s ethnic issue.

“Last week we had an all party conference on reconciliation. We had a discussionswith he president today on how to take the programme forward.

“As priorities, we discussed the release of political prisoners. It was understood that five can be released already. The Attorney General will advise on the others,” said Sumanthiran.

Continue reading ‘Tamil National Alliance meets President Wickremesinghe and group of Ministers for Further Discussions on Reconciliation related matters;”Discussions can be termed Successful only when decisions are implemented” says TNA spokesperson MA Sumanthiran’ »

By
Meera Srinivasan

Sri Lanka is waiting for financing assurances from its bilateral creditors, including India and China, to tap support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Governor P. Nandalal Weerasinghe.

In September, the IMF reached a staff level agreement with Sri Lanka for a $2.9 billion package to help the island nation facing its worst economic crisis in decades. The development came months after Sri Lanka floated the rupee, opted for a preemptive default on its external debt, and increased interest rates sharply to tighten monetary policy.

However, Sri Lanka must now obtain adequate financing assurances from its creditors, for the IMF Board to approve the promised Extended Fund Facility (EFF). Colombo is desperate for the $2.9 billion not because it is a big amount — it can barely meet two months’ worth of imports — but mainly to use the IMF package to qualify for more credit internationally, as the country struggles to recover from the dreadful economic crash that pushed citizens to the streets. Spanning months, the mass protests ousted the former Rajapaksa administration. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was elected through a parliamentary vote, has vowed to rebuild the island’s devastated economy, while repeatedly acknowledging the enormous challenge the task entails.

Continue reading ‘Delay in Getting assurances from Creditor Nations like China and India is Delaying the IMF Extended Fund Facility of $ 2.9 Billion to Sri Lanka says Central Bank Governor Dr.Nandalal Weerasinghe’ »

By

Mirudhula Thambiah

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) yesterday (20) expressed dissatisfaction that a Tamil representative was not permitted to be nominated to the Constitutional Council (CC) by some MPs who had crossed over to the Opposition from the Government.

The TNA had also brought this matter to the notice of President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana during the all-party conference that was held recently at the Presidential Secretariat.

Speaking to The Morning, TNA Spokesman and Opposition MP President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran said yesterday that his party had nominated its MP Dharmalingam Siddarthan to the CC, while those MPs who had crossed over from the Government to the Opposition had wanted to nominate their own MP.

Continue reading ‘Group of SLPP “Independent” MPs Try to Nominate Gammanpila to the Constitutional Council Instead of Siddhathan; TNA Spokesperson MA Sumanthiran MP Says Tamil Community is Being Denied Due Representation on CC which already has 5 Sinhala&1 Muslim MPs’ »

Tisaranee Gunasekara

“Winds don’t blow as ships desire.” Arabic proverb

Before Gotabaya Rajapaksa, there was S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. Before organic only, there was Sinhala only. And the related transformation of Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara from monastic colleges to secular universities. Like Sinhala only, this was an election promise; like Sinhala only, this was implemented with no forethought or planning.

The first signs of the coming malaise were evident by 1962 prompting the government to appoint a three member Universities Commission, headed by D.C.R. Gunwardane. In its report, made public in 1963, the commission called the 1958 bill an “ill-considered and irresponsible” piece of legislation pushed through by “political Bhikkus” who “dictated policies, dominated public affairs, and incited actions which people in their normal senses would have considered even possible.”

These political monks were also “responsible in large measure for inflaming the racial and religious passions that erupted in such sickening fashion in the early part of 1958,” the report pointed out.

The commissioners, all of them Buddhist civil servants, concluded that as “the higher education of Bhikku and higher education of the laity cannot be brought under one organisation, the two pirivena universities should cease to exist at the earliest possible moment.” The fusion, if continued, “would have a disastrous effect on the entire Sangha,” the report warned. (All quotes are from Prof. H.L. Seneviratne’s The Work of Kings).

Continue reading ‘According to the Institute of Health Policy’s opinion tracker survey Ratings , President Ranil Wickremesinghe with 45% rating is less unpopular than Opposition Sajith Premadasa with a net unpopularity rating of 57%.’ »

BY Kiara Warnasuriya

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has questioned 23 persons in relation to the abduction and murder of businessman Dinesh Schaffter and has recorded statements from them.

According to Police Media Spokesman, Senior Superintendent of Police and Attorney Nihal Thalduwa, two teams of detectives are investigating the available closed-circuit-television (CCTV) camera footage, and conducting a crime scene analysis.

Addressing the media yesterday (18), Thalduwa said that according to the post-mortem report, Schaffter was murdered and that the investigations which were initiated by the Borella Police have now been expanded to the Organised Crime Investigation Division under the CID, as per the instructions of the Inspector General of Police.

Thalduwa further stated that the Police are taking all measures to obtain CCTV footage and phone records related to the incident, and that a separate investigation is underway to identify any eyewitnesses of the murder.

Continue reading ‘CID Questions and Records Statements from 23 Persons Regarding the Abduction and Murder of Janashakthi Group Director Dinesh Schaffter’ »

By

Kishali Pinto-Jayawardene

When Rajan Hoole requested a review for the book, ‘Democracy Still Born; Lanka’s rejection of Equal Rights at Independence’ (Rajan Hoole and Kirupaimalar Hoole, Perera-Hussein Publishing, 2022) in characteristically succinct style a few months ago, I demurred on seeing the weighty tome (730pp).

The twisted creature of the Sri Lankan State

‘How can justice be done to such an exercise?’ This was the first and foremost question put to him with force. But an unspoken and perchance more complex dilemma lurked therein. Put bluntly, engaging with the past is exhausting when the every-day moment is filled with the helpless trauma of witnessing a country inexorably fold in onto itself in despair as financial collapse, massive social unrest and civil breakdown form a perfect trifecta of concomitant evils.

Indeed, it is extraordinarily demoralising to rationalise what citizenship has been reduced to, in the first instance. That said, this was not a request that could be declined easily. And so, even as pressing concerns of the every-day took over, ‘Democracy Still Born’ was always at the corner of my mind, awaiting a suitably philosophical time to ruminate over labours of unmistakably (if not, love) much reasoned effort to ‘understand history’ as the authors put it.

Now, an attempt is made at long last, to read through, absorb and cull relevant thoughts from the book. This is albeit with the caveat that such reflections are in no way meant to be an exhaustive account.

Limited column spaces would render that impossible. Rather, this is more a selective extraction of what resonates personally, namely the intertwining of the law and the performance of the judiciary vis a vis the strange morphing of the Sri Lankan State.

Continue reading ‘‘Democracy Still Born; Lanka’s rejection of Equal Rights at Independence’ by Rajan and Kirupaimalar Hoole offers a reflective introspection on the long road by which a promising nation-state became a bankrupt beggar of South Asia.’ »

By

Marianne David

A cost-reflective tariff system alone is not sufficient to effectively address the current power crisis and the country must simultaneously focus on other areas, especially renewable energy, asserted MP John Seneviratne, a former Power and Energy Minister, in an interview with The Sunday Morning.

Following are excerpts of the interview:

As a former Minister of Power, how do you view the ongoing power crisis in the country?

As a person who has some knowledge about the power sector, I should say that now it is already too late for us to switch over to renewable energy.

As far back as 2008, I inaugurated the Sustainable Energy Authority. The authority was started in order to encourage the creation of renewable energy based on hydro, solar, and wind power – these were the main components making significant contributions. At that time we had small wind power projects, providing about 3 MW in Hambantota and about 10 MW in Puttalam.

In order to encourage the generation of power through those sources, we formed the Sustainable Energy Authority with the approval of the then Cabinet.

However, there were certain obstacles preventing the generation of renewable energy.

Continue reading ‘“The CEB and most of the CEB unions are not genuine.There are some CEB officers who have been there for 20 to 30 years and all their family members have crawled into the CEB. Besides that, they try to do the biggest possible harm to the CEB, which is a national asset.” – Ex-Power and Energy Minister John Seneviratne’ »

Rajasinghe

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK) was on a State visit to China. She was entertained at a State banquet by then President Jiang Zemin in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

There was an interesting chatter at the head table because the Chinese President was a good English speaker. While conversing, they looked around the ceremonial table along which the accompanying senior Chinese and Sri Lankan officials were seated.

Then Jiang Zemin spotted Nanda Godage – a senior executive of the Board of Investment (BOI) and confidante of Upali Wijewardene who managed our Free trade Zones (FTZs) like Katunayake and Biyagama – seated on the Sri Lankan side.

“I know Godage; he was my liaison officer when I visited your Biyagama FTZ to learn about export zones on orders from President Deng Xiaoping when I was a party official in Shanghai. I am happy to see him again here in Beijing,” the Chinese President told a flabbergasted CBK.

Continue reading ‘While Anura Kumara Dissanayake is deservedly the most popular political leader as recent opinion polls show, his party, which includes primitives like Lal Kantha, has no comprehensive philosophy of economic growth.’ »

By Chris Kamalendran

Investigations into the killing of well-known businessman and Janashakthi Group Director Dinesh Schaffter were widened yesterday with three police teams probing the death and statements of 23 people recorded so far.

One of the key questions the investigators were trying to resolve was the person or persons responsible for the killing and the motive.

Though the Borella cemetery, where Mr Schaffter was found with his hands bound and a zip cord tied around his neck inside his care, did not have CCTV cameras, the police have secured other CCTV footage from nearby buildings and believe they will be useful in the investigations.

Continue reading ‘Investigations into the killing of well-known businessman and Janashakthi Group Director Dinesh Schaffter widened with three police teams probing the death and statements recorded so far of 23 people.’ »

Iranian authorities arrested one of the country’s most famous actors, Taraneh Alidoosti, on charges of spreading falsehoods about nationwide protests that grip the country, state media said Saturday.

The report by IRNA said Taraneh Alidoosti, star of the Oscar-winning movie “The Salesman,” was detained a week after she made a post on Instagram expressing solidarity with the first man recently executed for crimes allegedly committed during the nationwide protests.

According to the report published on the state media’s official Telegram channel, Ms. Alidoosti was arrested because she did not provide ’’any documents in line with her claims.″

Continue reading ‘Famous Iranian Actress Taraneh Alidoosti Arrested by Authorities on charges of spreading falsehoods about nationwide protests gripping the country, Announces Iran’s state media’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Sri Lanka police on Friday (Dec 16) began a probe into the death of a well-known Colombo-based businessman, apparently attacked and abandoned in mysterious circumstances.

The incident, which has shaken many in Sri Lanka, came to light late on Thursday when Dinesh Schaffter, a noted business leader and former cricket administrator, was found seriously injured and tied to his car seat, on the premises of a cemetery at the heart of Colombo. Local media reports said he was rushed to the hospital, where he died hours later.

Continue reading ‘CID Begins Probe into Mysterious Death of Colombo Business Leader Dinesh Schaffter by Pursuing Multiple Lines of Inquiry; Colombo Magistrate Court issueds order Preventing Sri Lankan cricket commentator Brian Thomas from leaving the country, in connection with the ongoing investigation.’ »

Sri Lanka’s army has decided to vacate posts of over 16,000 military personnel on a budget proposed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe as the island nation struggling to reduce government spending ahead of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal.

President WIckremesinghe last month proposed to give voluntary early retirement for military personnel in order to reduce the spending on military and train retired military personnel for other skills aiming to use the human resources for the country’s economy.

Ministry of Defence declared general amnesty for the Tri-Forces absentees, enabling legal discharge from the respective services. The period of general amnesty is in force from 15 November 2022 until 31 December 2022.

Continue reading ‘Over 16,000 Military Personnel Given Voluntary Early Retirement in a bid to Revive Sri Lanka’s Crisis ridden Economy by reducing Govt Expenditure for the Defence Sector’ »

By Chandani Kirinde

France is actively working with other members of the Paris Club group of creditors to ensure that an agreement is reached as soon as possible to assist the country to overcome its on-going debt crisis, the new French Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jean-François Pactet said yesterday.

“We all can agree that it is in the interest of everyone concerned that an agreement is found soon. Paris Club members are working quite keenly to see such an agreement is finalised,” Ambassador Pactet said.

Speaking to a group of journalists last afternoon, the French Ambassador said that since August, the Paris Club has been working continuously, sharing information with creditors to expedite the process.

“There are positive discussions taking place. We are reaching out to the creditors in order to come to a solution as soon as possible,” the Ambassador said.

Continue reading ‘France is actively working with other members of the Paris Club group of creditors to reach an agreement soon to assist Sri Lanka to overcome its on-going debt crisis says Jean-François Pactet the new French Ambassador to Colombo’ »

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya

Fifty two year old businessman, Dinesh Schaffter, a director of Janashakthi Group, who had been found tied inside a car at the Borella General Cemetery with serious injuries earlier this evening has died while receiving treatment at the National Hospital in Colombo.

Police said the businessman Dinesh Schaffter had left his home to attend a meeting this afternoon.

However, he had not responded since evening today and he was found in the Cemetery when his wife located the businessman via GPS.

Continue reading ‘Businessman Dinesh Schaffter (52) of Janashakthi Group dies in The Colombo National Hospital ICU after being found Unconscious in a car at the Borella Cemetery being tied to the driver’s seat with a wire around his neck.’ »

By

Lakmal Sooriyagoda

Filing a writ petition in Court of Appeal, 22 government Parliamentarians representing SLPP and several others have sought an order directing the authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation in order to ascertain as to whether former Army Commander General Shavendra Silva, IGP Chandana Wickremaratne or any other respondents have willfully disobeyed the orders given by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to take action to prevent the damages to property and people following the attack on Galle Face protesters on May 9.

Ministers Bandula Gunawardena, Prasanna Ranatunga and 37 SLPP activists including 20 parliamentarians whose properties were damaged or destroyed following the mob attacks filed this petition naming former Army Commander General Shavendra Silva, Defence Secretary Kamal Gunarathne, Senior DIG Deshabandu Thennakoon, Army Commander Lieutenant General H.L.V.M. Liyanage and several others as respondents. The Court of Appeal yesterday fixed the petition for support on January 16. This petition is to be supported by President’s Counsel Sanjeeva Jayawardena.

Continue reading ‘22 SLPP Ministers and MPs File Writ in Appeal Court Seeking Order to Probe Whether Ex-Army Chief Shavendra Silva and IGP Chandana Wickremaratne Wilfully Disobeyed Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Directive to Prevent Harm to Property and Persons on May 9 2022’ »

By

Kishali Pinto-Jayawardene

Truth and Reconciliation is now again in the air, we are sublimely told by the Govern-ment of Sri Lanka. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, along with his merry men and women in Parliament in the Pohottuwa ranks are singing to the eminently hypocritical refrain of truth and reconciliation commissions and the like.
‘Reconciliation with the North but not the South?

‘Reconciliation with the North but not the South?

It is perhaps only in this country that such bare faced political chicanery takes place while those in ‘civil society’ who should speak out more in regard to that contradiction, preserving a discreet silence.

How can the Tamil minority (let us leave aside its conniving and compromising politicians) be asked to accept any talk of ‘reconciliation’ even at face value when the record of the State towards the Sinhala majority has turned so violent?

In other words, what is talk of truth and reconciliation pray, when the President justifies police excesses against protestors and takes angry pot shots at oversight agencies of citizens’ rights, namely the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, at whim and fancy?

Moreover, these are ‘reconciliation’ tunes that we have heard often times before, most recently during the ‘yahapalanaya’ period of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe coalition (2015-2019).

Continue reading ‘How can the Tamil minority (let us leave aside its conniving and compromising politicians) be asked to accept any talk of ‘reconciliation’ even at face value when the record of the State towards the Sinhala majority has turned so violent?’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

In the two years since he was first elected to Parliament, Sri Lankan legislator Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has won many fans within Sri Lanka, including from the Sinhalese majority. But his recent speech in Parliament, threatening to launch a “China go home” campaign, similar to the “Gota go home” people’s movement that dislodged the former President, made more heads turn.

China was “forcing down” useless investments in Sri Lanka, China has “no democracy, no human rights,” he roared in the House. If China is truly a friend of Sri Lanka, it must restructure the bankrupt island’s debt and help the crisis-hit country access IMF support, the 32-year-old Opposition MP argued.

Continue reading ‘Southern Sinhalese establishment wary of B’caloa Tamil MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam who not only speaks to the concerns of the Sinhala majority but also does so in their own language.’ »

By

Marianne David

“Most of our people are politically savvy and today they are very silent. This silence means that they are going into a revolution. A silent revolution is coming and the old political party leaders must understand that. They must willingly leave and allow the youngsters to take over,” asserted MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, in an interview with The Sunday Morning.

Following are excerpts of the interview:

You and a group of MPs now sit independently in the Opposition in Parliament. Have you left the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)?

No, we have not left the SLPP because that is the party from which we contested and got elected. However, due to various reasons, before all these issues came to light, we knew these things would happen and we felt that they were not listening.
We come from the agriculture areas so the fertiliser issue was a key issue, along with the handling of the economy, so we decided we would be independent and we were the first to become independent. Then came Wimal Weerawansa and that group, followed by Dullas and the other group. We are sitting independently in Parliament and we are getting time as an independent group.

In terms of the recent speculation that you and several others had joined the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), what really happened there?

Actually, we are working together in the Parliament. That was what happened. We have been working with them throughout. Because we are in the Opposition, we have to work with them; it does not mean that we have to join them. We work very closely with them in relation to parliamentary work.

Continue reading ‘A silent revolution is coming and the old political party leaders must understand that. They must willingly leave and allow the youngsters to take over. Otherwise, in an election, all the old parties will be completely wiped out and new parties will emerge.’ »

By

Rajasinghe

State Minister Chamara Sampath Dasanayake is a born newsmaker. His pithy statements are a newsperson’s dream. Recently he pulled up the Speaker of Parliament for not addressing him properly as State Minister – a position awarded to him by President Ranil Wickremesinghe overlooking the claims of several seniors – forcing the latter to apologise for his ‘lese-majesty’.

Speaking about his position in Uva, Chamara Sampath said that even those who did not know him personally voted for the ‘Bada’ [Fatty] from Ella, his native village from where he emerged to be Village Councillor, Provincial Councillor, Chairman of the Uva Provincial Council, MP, and now State Minister.

In his new capacity, he has recommended the privatisation of all 14 State enterprises entrusted to his care. Earlier he lambasted his former Chief Maithripala Sirisena and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara and sang the praises of Ranil Wickremesinghe, whom he befriended when the latter was a lone voice in Parliament after being nominated as the single National List MP of the United National Party (UNP). The new State Minister says that he has attended every funeral and wedding of his supporters in the district.

Continue reading ‘State Minister Chamara Sampath Dasanayake is a people’s candidate and is in great demand among party leaders as a vote-gathering machine.He is an unabashed Ranil Wickremesinghe fan who never fails to sing his mentor’s praises both in Parliament and outside.’ »

The Budget 2023 was passed in Parliament yesterday with a majority of 43 votes thereby giving a boost to President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s reforms and recovery course.

During the vote of the third reading, 123 MPs voted in favour including Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle and Duminda Dissanayake, whilst 80 voted against and two abstentions from MPs C.V. Wigneswaran and Velu Kumar.

The comfortable passage of the 2023 Budget in Parliament also ended speculation of political instability and division within the Government ranks.

Yesterday marked the end of 24 days of debate on Budget 2023 first presented in Parliament on 14 November by President Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as Finance Minister, aimed at creating long-term stable economic growth.

Continue reading ‘Comfortable Passage of 2023 Budget in Parliament with 45 Vote Majority Boosts President Wickremesinghe’s Economic Recovery Agenda; 123 MPs Vote in Favour and 80 Voting Against with 2 Abstaining’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

Alliance Air will resume its flight services connecting Chennai and Sri Lanka’s northern city of Jaffna next week, after a nearly three-year, pandemic-induced break.

“The operations will resume on December 12, with four weekly flights between the two cities,” a senior official of Alliance Air told The Hindu. The airline was earlier a subsidiary of Air India, until the national carrier’s divestment and hand over to the Tata Group in January this year.

Continue reading ‘Jaffna -Chennai flights to resume after nearly three years of Disruption Due to Covid Oubtreak;”operations will resume on December 12, with four weekly flights between the two cities,” Says senior Alliance Air official’ »

By
Meera Srinivasan

Sri Lanka will soon resume talks with India on the stalled Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement (ETCA), authorities said, as Colombo looks to trade pacts and foreign direct investments to rebuild its crisis-hit economy.

“We hope to commence negotiations on the ETCA later this month,” said K.J. Weerasinghe, Chief Negotiator of FTAs at the International Trade Office, recently set up under the Presidential Secretariat. “We had finished 11 rounds of bilateral talks the last time [between 2016 and 2019] with the aim of broadening and deepening the [ISFTA] that is in force since India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement,” said the senior official, who was formerly Director General of the Department of Commerce, following several diplomatic stints focusing on Sri Lanka’s international trade interests.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka to Commence Negotiations with India soon Regarding the “stalled” Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement (ETCA)’ »

By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj

Last week’s article in these columns about Sri Lankan Tamil nationalist parties seeking a power sharing arrangement based on federal principles or the federal idea resulted in my getting quite a lot of responses from readers. Most of the messages as usual were from Sinhala readers while a few were from Tamil readers also.

Despite differences in writing styles and usages of words and phrases among the readers who responded,there were two underlying themes in the two different categories of responses. The Sinhala readers expressed doubts and concerns over a political arrangement based on the federal idea. Many of them equated federalism with separatism and rejected any settlement based on federal or quasi-federal lines. A few recognized the difference between both but were worried that federalism may lead to separatism rather than unity.

The opinion expressed by Tamil readers was generally supportive of a political settlement on federal lines. There was much scepticism about such a possibility because they felt Sinhala opinion was overwhelmingly opposed to federalism. Since the Sinhalese comprise 75% of Sri Lanka’s population, the chances of a solution based on the federal idea would never become a reality.

Both these types of contrary opinion were illustrative of Sri Lanka’s deeply divided society. While the essence of Sinhala reader responses To Federalism was “We wont allow it”, the Tamil viewpoint was “they will never allow it”. One thing that struck me in these responses as well as in experiences of the past was the fact that many Sinhalese genuinely yet wrongly believed that federalism amounted to separatism.

It is against this backdrop therefore that I intend re-visiting a path -breaking judicial verdict about which I have written earlier. This is about a landmark judgement by the Sri Lankan Supreme court five years ago that ruled federalism is not separatism. I shall briefly focus on the history of this case and salient aspects of the SC ruling.

Continue reading ‘Federalism is Not Separatism: Landmark Ruling by Sri lanka Supreme Court’ »

By Tisaranee Gunasekara

“No matter how powerful a man maybe, he cannot make the moon a piece of cheese, even if he can force everyone to say it is and perhaps even believe it is.”
– Roland Barthes (Men and Masks) –

Once upon a time there was a woman who adopted a newborn and half-blind doe rejected by her own mother. Melanie Butera, an Ohioan veterinarian, didn’t expect the little creature to last through the night. She did, was named Dillie, lived for 18 years, developed a liking for beds with expensive cotton sheets, and became an internet star. Her facebook fans wrote to say how much joy she gave them in troubled times.

Troubled times need hopeful narratives, ones with a connection to reality, however tenuous. When the Rajapaksas sold Candidate Gotabaya as Our Hero who Works, it could sound credible and generate hope because he was the defence secretary when Eelam War was won and he built some showy walking paths. But when the Rajapaksas tried to shrug off an economic meltdown as a passing cloud in an otherwise sunny landscape, it gave rise not to hope but to despairing fury.

In a recent newspaper interview, Basil Rajapaksa was asked, “What is the reason for Ranil Wickremesinghe’s success and Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s failure?” His answer was, “That is the misfortune of the country.” The Rajapaksas are yet to grasp the horror of the March to July days, the crippling shortages, the unending queues, and the debilitating uncertainty. According to a May CPA survey, 88% of respondents said they or an immediate family member had to stay in queues for essentials in April.

Ranil Wickremesinghe’s first step in the right direction as prime minister was to acknowledge the truth of the crisis in all its magnitude and complexity. Then came the QR system, ending fuel queues. A management change at Litro helped mitigate gas shortage. Ordinary life could resume at the most basic level.

Of course, the Rajapaksas could have done some or all of this, but didn’t. Inefficiency is in their blood. Ranil Wickremesinghe restored a kind of normalcy, thereby generating a degree of hope. He also bought time for himself, and for the country. When there’s great disorder under heavens, the situation might be excellent for political parties and movements, but not for ordinary people.

Continue reading ‘Another Aragalaya would be contrary to the interests not just of the President but also the Opposition. On 9 May, Sajith Premadasa might have suffered serious injuries, or worse, had it not been for his military guard. The Aragalaya supporters took their anger against the Govt on the leader of the Opposition, showing that they could be the equal of the Rajapaksas in irrational inanity.’ »

(Text of peech delivered by senior counsel Romesh de Silva PC at the felicitation of President Ranil Wickremesinghe on completion of 50 years at the Bar)

Today we are felicitating our president and deservedly so. The stated purpose is his completion of 50 years at the Bar. As everyone knows, you left us early for “greener” pastures.

However it is hardly known that you were responsible for the leading case of Alphonsu Appuhamy where you got the Supreme Court to lay down the principle that the Lawyers have uberrimae fides to court and have a duty to make a full and truthful disclosure of all material facts.

This obligation you left us but did not get the court to state that there is an obligation of the MPs, ministers, Prime Minister or President to make a full and truthful disclosure of all material facts to the public of the country.

There are several similarities and dissimilarities between you and me. The most fundamental dissimilarity is that you went to a school by the race course where horses run whereas I went to the best of them all.

Continue reading ‘“You are well read and a man of vision. Whilst we do not necessarily agree with your vision, it is essential to have a visionary as a leader.”- Romesh de Silva PC Tells President Ranil Wickremesinghe at Felicitation Event’ »

The time has come for an election in Sri Lanka and the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is ready to face any election, SLPP national organiser Basil Rajapaksa said, dismissing claims that the party has come to fear elections in the face of growing unpopularity and increased factionalisation.

Speaking to reporters at an event held in Colombo Monday December 05 morning to mark the fourth anniversary of the party’s media centre, Rajapaksa handwaved off assertions that the SLPP has splintered in the wake of the mass protests that ousted his brother and former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

“No, our party hasn’t fragmented, not the way this cake was cut,” he said, pointing to the cake that was cut to celebrate the media centre’s anniversary.

“There may be some dissenters, but we are with the people,” said Rajapaksa.

Political analysts, however, note that the once mighty SLPP has indeed fractured to at least four or five distinct factions.

Continue reading ‘“However, the time has come for an election. It’s difficult to say how it will be at present, but as a party, we’re ready to face any election,” says SLPP National Organizer Basil Rajapaksa’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

In a bid to scale up its dairy production to become self-sufficient, Sri Lanka has sought technical assistance from India’s National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and market leader Amul, reviving a collaboration that the island attempted in the late 1990s, but failed to take forward.

Officials from Sri Lanka’s Agriculture Ministry and National Livestock Development Board held a “preliminary discussion” with visiting Indian authorities from the NDDB, the President’s media division said on Monday. President Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a committee with representatives from Sri Lanka’s public and private sectors, to work with the NDDB and “prepare a short, medium and long-term plan to increase local milk production to reduce the country’s dependence on imported milk powder”, his office said in a statement.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka seeks technical assistance from India’s National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and market leader Amul, In a bid to scale up its dairy production to become self-sufficient’ »

”

Members of the public protesting against the Government should make sure that they are fully aware of the plans and policies of the political parties they expect to replace the current Government, or risk exacerbating the crisis in the country, warned “Independent” MP Udaya Gammanpila

“We request all the participants of the ‘araglaya’ to think about what the replacement will be if the Government is overthrown,” he said.

Continue reading ‘“We must consider what steps will be taken by any party that comes to power after overthrowing the Government, to reduce taxes and commodity prices Says Udaya Gammanoila MP’ »

Text and pix by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai

Statue of Santhaana Gopaalar

The Tamil month of “Kaarthigai” is dedicated to devotion and purity. “Kaarthigai Deepam” or “Vilakkeedu” as it’s popularly known was recently celebrated by the Hindus, which fell on the day of the “Kaarthigai” star.

“Kaarthigai Deepam” is celebrated by lighting of ghee or coconut oil lamps and clay lamps forming direct lines, circles or specific designs at temples, houses and business premises at dusk, and with the hope of dispelling darkness. The lamps are not put out until the next days.
Continue reading ‘Karthigai Vilakkeedu: Devotional Lighting of Lamps of Purity on the day of the November Star’ »

By

Kishali Pinto – Jayawardene

The New Year that beckons in less than a month will not be happy for Sri Lankans.

Leaving the land

As the unprecedented migration of skilled professionals from medical, legal, information technology and accounting fields gathers strength with financial privations becoming steadily worse for the middle class, a perfect storm of repression also quickens apace.

The more naive among us may be inclined to dismiss President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s recent gun-happy quips on the floor of the House regarding his ‘Hitler image,’ entirely inappropriate verbal onslaughts against protestors and his critics and ridiculous warnings that there cannot be ‘protests without permits,’ as mere verbose theatrics.

But that is to seriously miss the point. This is not idle chatter. What the President’s strategically aimed barbs against institutions statutorily tasked with protecting citizens’ rights such as the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, portend is in effect, the Government girding its military and law enforcement loins so to speak, against public uprisings next year. That is anticipated in the nature of what took place from May 2022 in Colombo’s public spaces and across the country.

Probably, a far worse scenario of protests is expected and with good reason since warnings are now growing on the ground, of impending long power cuts, of even more increases in utility bills relating to electricity and water and heavy tax increases. The Government may complain that it has no option as the country’s debt must be made sustainable for relief to come from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). But who made that debt unsustainable in the first place? Finally, it is the people who are being made to pay for the manifold sins of greedy, corrupt and ignorant politicians. It is as simple as that.

Continue reading ‘The President’s strategically aimed barbs against institutions statutorily tasked with protecting citizens’ rights such as the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, portend, the Govt girding its military and law enforcement loins, against public uprisings next year.’ »

By Marianne David

“We will not leave the SLFP for any reason. Even if they remove us, we will not leave. Even if we are beaten and chased away, we will not leave. Doing our duty by the SLFP is our responsibility,” asserted Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) National Organiser MP Duminda Dissanayake, in an interview with The Sunday Morning.

Following are excerpts of the interview:

What’s the current status of the SLFP? Where is the party heading?

The SLFP is currently having an internal crisis, which everyone knows. However, a majority of us in the party are currently discussing where we should stand as a party on behalf of the people amid the current crisis in the country.

Politically there may be advantages in opposing; in line with the problems that are cropping up, there are political advantages that parties can exploit. However, the SLFP is a party that has been in government the longest since 1994. Therefore, we have a responsibility towards the people.

Continue reading ‘“If you look at everyone in the Opposition today, they are all thinking about how they can gain power next time.They are trying to figure out where they can contest from during the next election.” -SLFP National Organizer Duminda Dissanayake’ »

By
Meera Srinivasan

Sri Lankan Opposition legislator Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has threatened to launch a “China go home” campaign, akin to the ‘Gota go home’ movement that ousted the former President in the wake of the island’s painful economic crash.

The popular 32-year-old MP, among the few Sri Lankan politicians comfortably trilingual in English, Tamil, and Sinhala, told the House on Friday: “I was exercising the sovereignty of the people of this country within this House. I am speaking on behalf of the people of Sri Lanka. I am not speaking on behalf of any other Embassy or country…but the Chinese Embassy repeatedly tagging me on twitter is a serious concern about this country’s sovereignty.”

Continue reading ‘“If the Chinese government and Embassy do not look after the interests of our Lankan people…there will be a China go home campaign soon and I will lead it,” warns Shanakiyan Rasamanickam ; “If China was a true friend, it would agree to either write off this debt or at least help restructure it” says TNA Batticaloa District MP’ »

By

Col R Hariharan

OVERVIEW

President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as finance minister presented the Budget 2023 in the parliament on November 14. His budget address presenting a roadmap for economic recovery was aptly titled ‘Towards a new beginning’. It showed the government’s ambitious target of increasing government revenue, record economic growth rate of 7-8% and increase FDIs to more than $ 3 billion. The splintered voting by major political parties on the Budget in parliament showed that they are yet to come to terms with the political scene after the Aragalaya protests shook up the nation. We can expect new alliances across political parties to emerge before the provincial council (PC) elections are announced in early 2023.

The President’s invitation to all Tamil MPs for a discussion on issues facing the Tamil people and development plans for the North and East indicates revival of interest in the vexed question of ethnic reconciliation. It has received positive response from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). However, the moot question is how much can the President who has no political mandate make any real progress on this three-decade long issue?

In a special address on November 24, President Wickremesinghe laid down the redlines for protests and public conduct of protestors including students and clergy. Based on the Aragalaya experience, the government is planning to bring a few measures to tighten its control of such situations in the future.

Continue reading ‘President Wickremesinghe cannot be faulted for dreaming The million-dollar question is, will the nation as a whole rise up to the occasion to heed the call of a President, who does not enjoy peoples mandate?’ »

By Rajasinghe

During the regime of Dudley Senanayake, Malaysia was the preferred Southeast Asian state for Sri Lanka.

Malaysia’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman had taken 10 years in London to pass his barrister’s examination. Even then after 10 years he had to be coached by his friends, including many Sri Lankans, to scrape through.

His mentor was a Sri Lankan – Issadeen Mohammed KC – who practised in the Colombo courts. Though both were Muslims, they were keen whisky drinkers. Malaysia’s road to independence was facilitated by Tunku’s loyalty to Britain. But Malaysia freed itself from Britain and had a compact with the West through ASEAN.

Unlike Dudley, J.R. Jayewardene (JRJ) turned to Singapore and the close relationship we enjoyed with Malaysia dimmed partly because Malaysia was also going through much turbulence, including anti-Chinese riots. How was Malaysia to favour the Malays or Bumiputras without derailing the economy and beginning an ethnic war as it happened in Sri Lanka?

In reality, it was a very complex problem but the UMNO or Malay-dominated political party managed ethnic tensions better than both Bandaranaike and JRJ.

Continue reading ‘The ”Bhumiputra” Doctrine in Malaysia became the charter for Malay ‘crony capitalists,’ who collaborated with the ethnic Chinese capitalists and made lots of money due to State patronage for them as ‘frontmen’.’ »

By

Gordon Brown

(Gordon Brown is the WHO ambassador for global health financing and was UK prime minister from 2007 to 2010)

“There is no longer such thing as the international community,” a prominent African leader recently complained to me, lamenting that this week’s G20 would, like September’s UN general assembly, October’s IMF-World Bank meetings and this month’s Cop27, fail to combat the world’s food, energy, debt, inflation, currency, pollution and poverty crises.

At the very moment the world needs to work together to address global problems that cannot be resolved without global solutions, it is being pulled apart not just by conflicts but also by a rising protectionism. And while it is not difficult to blame poor leadership, an outdated geopolitics is threatening a decade of perma-crises.

Pillars of the post-cold war world order are tumbling down as we leave behind the unipolar, hyper-globalised, neoliberal era. Those who try to build the present in the image of the past are finding themselves wholly ill-equipped to meet the challenges of the future. As Mohamed El- Erian and Michael Spence have written, we need new models for growth, national economic management and global cooperation.

No one can deny the significance of the emergence of new power centres around the world, the growing importance of services and the digital economy at the expense of manufacturing; the education-rich and education-poor divide that is replacing the old manual/non-manual divide, and the serious, existential threats to our planet. No growth model can meet the needs of the 21st century without incorporating rising concerns about environmental and economic equity and re-evaluating the role of finance.

Continue reading ‘Nationalism has replaced neoliberalism as the dominant ideology of the age. If, for the past 30 years, economics drove political decision-making, now politics is determining economic decisions,’ »

BY Sumudu Chamara

Certain reforms and policies that are currently being implemented and those that are due to be implemented in the context of the current economic crisis, such as tax hikes, the appropriate depreciation of the local currency and interest rate hikes, should not be viewed as International Monetary Fund (IMF) policies merely because the IMF is supporting them. In reality, these are much-needed reforms which Sri Lanka should implement regardless, in order to stabilise the economy. Therefore, they can be considered pro-Sri Lanka policies.

This is former Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Deshamanya Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy’s opinion about the ongoing economic reforms, regarding which he further said that he remains optimistic about economic stabilisation in a context where some of the much needed stabilisation policies are already being implemented. He spoke extensively about the past, present and future of Sri Lanka’s economy during the 17th Sujata Jayawardena Memorial Oration titled “Economic crisis: Where are we, and where do we go from here?”, which was organised by the Alumni Association of the University of Colombo.

Continue reading ‘“Sri Lanka is a classic soft State that has been unable to take tough decisions.We cannot do our usual thing this time. it is not possible to avoid taking tough decisions.The country has to push through the structural reform agenda” – Former Central Bank Governor Dr.Indrajit Coomaraswamy’ »

By

Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana

Time management and discipline of MPs were questioned today by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene saying that Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MPs are the most undisciplined lot in the House.

“Some SJB MPs rise and speak by force. This group of MPs are the most undisciplined group in the House,” the Speaker said.

Continue reading ‘Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MPs are the most Indisciplined group in Parliament: says Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene’ »

By Uditha Devapriya

A Budget vote usually shows which parties support the government and which do not. Barring the Dullas Alahapperuma faction, the SLPP voted en masse for the second reading of the recent Budget. Except for MPs like Duminda Dissanayake, the SLFP voted against it. Despite some ambivalent, vague remarks from its MPs, the SJB also voted against it, with Sajith Premadasa outlining alternative policies that this government has not bothered to consider, let alone debate and discuss. For a while, it seemed as though the minority parties, especially the Tamil ones, would follow. Yet they have refused to do so.

The rationale of the mainstream Tamil parties is interesting. In recent weeks, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has signalled his intention to resolve the National Question. Some of his more recent moves, including the establishment of a Northern Province Coordination Sub-Office of the Presidential Secretariat, suggest that he is utilising the National Question to win favour and support from these parties. The fact that he located the Sub-Office, not in the fertile Jaffna District, but in the poorer Vavuniya District, shows that he is conscious about the cosmetics of what he is doing.

Indeed, at the opening ceremony he observed that the government is seeking a solution in the North “that is acceptable to all.”
The minority parties have reacted accordingly. Having originally criticised the Budget and resolved to vote against it, the Tamil National Alliance soon reversed course. The TNA’s M. A. Sumanthiran declared that they would not oppose the Budget, stating that the President had repeatedly said that he wants to resolve the National Question and that he had invited Tamil parties to discussions. Sumanthiran did admit that they had “publicly expressed our scepticism”, but added that “nevertheless, when there is a hand that is stretched out from the President himself, we thought we must reciprocate in some way.” The TNA later elected not to take part in the voting process for the second reading.

Continue reading ‘The National Question in Sri Lanka is an eminently economic one. If we are to consider it, address it, and resolve it constructively, we need to assess its material dimensions better.’ »

By

Victor Ivan

The political situation of the country is in a state of extreme confusion. It can be said that the nature of the political power struggle in Sri Lanka has assumed a new and awfully complex form since the recent public uprising that caused the two Rajapaksa brothers to lose their positions. The series of events related to the Aragalaya that caused Mahinda to lose the post of Prime Minister and Gotabaya to lose the Presidency has led the people to believe that even a public uprising outside a parliamentary election could bring about a change in the government.

This situation has resulted not only in giving a new recognition to the Peratugami Party (The Frontline Socialist Party – FLSP) which stands for an arbitrary revolution outside the established constitutional framework but also to change the traditional dimensions of the political power struggle.

The Aragalaya can be considered as a powerful public protest movement that initially arose from the people themselves without having the influence of political parties, against manifold and unbearable hardships that they had to suffer in the face of the country plunging into a state of bankruptcy.

Continue reading ‘The Peratugami party has a closer relationship with Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka than it has with the SJB. Sarath Fonseka is a person who has supported the Aragalaya and continues to do so, and thinks that there is nothing wrong in seizing power outside the constitutional framework, if it is possible’ »

Meera Srinivasan

As Sri Lanka works hard to obtain financing assurances from its diverse creditors — a pre-requisite for the provisional $2.9 billion-IMF package — the loans obtained from China, the island nation’s largest bilateral lender, have come under sharp focus.

Earlier this week, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Nandalal Weerasinghe told reporters that if Sri Lanka missed the December deadline [to report to the IMF], “we still have time until January”. While authorities maintain that negotiations with creditors are “progressing well”, they are yet to spell out where exactly the government’s debt restructuring efforts stand, amid concerns over the apparent delay.

Months after opting for a pre-emptive and disorderly default on its $ 51 billion foreign debt, Sri Lanka reached a staff level agreement with the International Monetary Fund in September. The government said the programme would put Sri Lanka’s battered economy on a path of recovery and reform, making the bankrupt country eligible to borrow again from international sources.

The IMF made its support contingent on Sri Lanka obtaining adequate financing assurances from all its creditors. While private lenders, mainly holders of International Sovereign Bonds, account for the largest chunk of Sri Lanka’s external debt, China, India, and Japan are the top three bilateral creditors, and play a crucial part in the ongoing negotiations.

Continue reading ‘Batticaloa MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam accuses China of stalling Sri Lanka’s IMF deal and “forcing down” unnecessary projects by “paying bribes” to Sri Lankans. “If China is truly Sri Lanka’s friend, ask the Chinese to help with the [debt] restructuring and the IMF programme,” TNA legislator says in Parliament’ »

By Rajasinghe

In his Budget speech, the President stated that bilateral discussions with China regarding debt relief would start soon since the five-yearly Chinese National People’s Congress was over.

Our attention has to be focused on a priority basis since debt relief from China is a precondition for an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The anticipated relief from an IMF bailout is not likely to be available to us till next year.

Since our Chinese debt repayments are technically due to two Chinese State banks and not the Chinese State, the China Development Bank has sent a delegation to Colombo to initiate a dialogue. A settlement with China is pivotal since other creditors and the IMF are awaiting the outcome of these negotiations to look into their own problems. No doubt debt relief will be a difficult path for us to traverse.

The Chinese response will have to be cleared by supreme leader Chairman Xi Jinping, who was awarded a third five-year term as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese armed forces a few weeks ago by the People’s Congress. This long tenure is an exceptional privilege given before only to Mao Tse-tung. Thus, while Xi’s elevation has consequences for Sri Lanka, it is, even more importantly, a move which has important global implications now that China is a front rank political, economic, and military power.
What manner of leader is Xi, who dramatically showed his power to the world when he publicly had his predecessor Hu Jintao removed forthwith from the leader’s podium during the last day of the Congress meeting?

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka is a vital link in the Chinese security scenario. This will be an important consideration in the debt relief discussions with Colombo. But the Chinese are loath to write off debts or take ‘haircuts’ in repayments.’ »

By
Meera Srinivasan

Sathish Sumithra’s son, barely two years old, is too young to make sense of Sri Lanka’s unrelenting economic crisis, but not to escape it. He must cope with the drastic dietary and lifestyle changes it has brought about. His formula milk intake has halved, he is fed an occasional egg — his parents cannot afford fish or meat — and he wears old, washed diapers at night.

“An egg costs 70 rupees (₹16) now,” says Sumithra, breaking down what the country’s 70% inflation and over 80% food inflation means in her working-class household. “A formula milk tin was 800 rupees (₹177) some months ago; it is now 1,400 (₹310). Diaper packs are more than 4,000 rupees (₹886). We just can’t afford to eat and live like we did before. Surviving each day is a struggle.”

Sumithra lives in a poky line room in a tea estate in Kandy district of the Central Province. Several thousand families across Sri Lanka’s plantation districts still live in the colonial-era accommodation. Her husband is employed at a bar in a nearby town and makes 35,000 rupees a month (roughly ₹7,760) — that too only during a good sales month. Tracking the ever-changing prices of essentials is now a mandatory and daunting exercise for families, especially those who are rationing even the most basic items to survive. Everyone talks prices.

“A pack of 10 sanitary pads costs more than 400 rupees (₹88) now; it used to be 110 (₹24). Many girls can’t afford that, so they are using cloth [napkins]. They end up missing school when they get their period,” Sumithra notes. Children walk up to two hours to get to their secondary school in this estate. The roads are not motorable, and buses do not run here.

Continue reading ‘Uphill Struggle for Survival by Hill Country Tamils as Sri Lanka’s Economic Crisis Worsens Plight of Long Suffering “Malaiahath Thamizhar”’ »

By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj

President Ranil Wickremesinghe while addressing Parliament on 10 November 2022 invited all Tamil MPs for a discussion on issues facing the Tamil people and about development plans for the North and East. Jaffna district MP and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesperson , M. A.Sumanthiran responded positively by telling a morning newspaper that the TNA would cooperate. “We will fully co-operate. The resolution of the Tamil national question will be our main focus”said Sumanthiran. Later Sumanthiran reiterated this viewpoint in the presence of President Ranil Wickremesinghe at a meeting held on November 19th on the occasion of the ceremonial opening of the Presidential Secretariat Northern Province Co-ordination Sub-Office in Vavuniya.

As is well known the Tamil National Alliance is the premier political configuration representing the Sri Lankan Tamils of the Northern and Eastern provinces. The TNA comprises the Ilankai Thamil Arasuk katchi(ITAK) , the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization(TELO) and the Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam(PLOTE). The TNA contesting under the ITAK symbol oh house won ten seats – including one national list MP – in the 2020 Parliamentary elections. The ten MPs are from the electoral districts of Jaffna(3), Wanni(3), Batticalo(2),Trincomalee(1)and Amparai(1). The party – wise breakdown is ITAK -6, TELO-3 and PLOTE -1.

In a bid to present a common Tamil position in potential discussions with President Wickremesinghe the TNA issued an invitation last week to like-minded Tamil nationalist parties to meet at TNA leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan’s Colombo residence and formulate a common approach seeking a political solution “within a federal set up in the NorthEast”. The meeting did not take place as planned last week. Subsequently it has been re-scheduled for Friday 25th November at Sampanthan’s residence in Colombo.

Apart from the three constituents of the TNA namely the ITAK,TELO and PLOTE, invitations have been sent to the Tamil National Peoples Front(TNPF), the Thamil Makkal Theseeyak Koottani(TMTK), Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation front(EPRLF) and “Thamil Theseeyak Katchi(TTK) . The TNPF has two MPs in Parliament while the TMTK has one MP.

Given the inter-party rivalry among Tamil parties in general and the intra-party friction within Tamil parties in particular, it is unclear at present as to whether all invited parties will attend the meeting or consensus would be arrived at. However regardless of inter and intra-party differences the bottom line is that all Sri Lankan Tamil nationalist parties are firmly supportive of a power sharing arrangement based upon federal principles or the federal idea.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalist Parties and a Power Sharing Arrangement Based on he Federal Idea.’ »

By

Kishali Pinto Jayawardene

What is this uncanny fascination that Sri Lankan politicians (and monks) have with the late most profoundly unlamented Adolf Hitler?

Military suppression of protests

It is almost like the vulgarly cheap reprints of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa that one finds hanging in the drawing rooms of Colombo’s nouveau riche, as if to boast one’s entry into the ranks of the elite. In an apt comparison, it seems that, not a week goes by without some President, Prime Minister or Minister invoking Nazi Germany’s genocidal tyrant by name. Is this, the favourite calling card of political leaders, perchance to demonstrate their ‘toughness’? Perhaps a more thorough reading of history would disabuse them of such ridiculous notions.

In 2018, we had a monk calling upon former President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to behave ‘like a Hitler’ in the run-up to that Presidential campaign. Less than three years after the ‘Terminator’ President won, he had to abandon power along with the Prime Minister and his Cabinet cowering in the face of massive peoples’ protests over bringing the nation to financial ruin through arrogant, corrupt and foolish decisions. This week, an unholy flap has arisen as a result of Rajapaksa’s chosen successor, President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s complaining that he has been typecast as ‘Hitler’ due to his warning that a second ‘aragalaya’ (peoples’ protests) will be dealt with by military force to the highest possible extent.

Cartoonists have had a field day, lampooning President Wickremesinghe in tie-and-suit giving the Sieg Hail salute. Gleefully joining the melee, the main Samagi Jana Balavegaya has promised to ‘protect’ the people from military suppression. That promise would have been a tad more convincing if the opposition had actively performed its role of a government-in-waiting rather than merely holding press conferences. Its performance has been abysmal, there is little evidence of grass roots work in rural constituencies tippling over to desperate poverty.

Continue reading ‘Resorting to violence with the aim of coercively overthrowing the State cannot be justified under the cover of ‘fighting for the people.The State too cannot suppress lawful protests under the cover of ‘maintaining law and order’ and uphold the police as paragons of virtue. Both are sides of the same coin.’ »

By Marianne David

The Budget does not present any way out of this economic crisis and moreover still allocates heavily towards the defence sector, due to which the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is opposed to the Budget, said TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran.

In terms of resolution, Sumanthiran asserted that all the Tamil parties wanted a meaningful power-sharing arrangement on a federal basis, which was in line with what the President had said before.

Excerpts

How do you view the President’s assurance on resolving longstanding issues faced by the Tamil people? Has an appointment been given to commence discussions? Has there been any progress beyond this statement?

Nothing beyond the statement. He made this statement two weeks ago in Parliament and last week on Monday (14) he said ‘next week I will meet them’ so last week when I asked him, he said, ‘I am coming to Jaffna in January’. Then I said ‘That’s okay, but you wanted to meet us this week; when are you fixing the meeting?’ He replied, ‘If you want we can meet this week also’. It didn’t seem likely that he had any intention of meeting any time early.

Continue reading ‘“Immediate attention is needed for the land grab issue.It is actively happening in various places. We have highlighted it and brought it to the attention of this President and the former President, but all that still goes on unabated.it must be halted and then reversed. That is crucial” – TNA Spokesman MA Sumanthiran MP’ »

By

Gamini Akmeemana

President Ranil Wickremesinghe is the most literate, widely read and informed president we have ever had, after Chandrika Kumaratunga (CBK), or alongside her. Ranasinghe Premadasa tried hard, and his love of the arts was genuine. But he didn’t have Ranil’s wide reading and erudition. JR Jayewardene had a massive library (now used by scholars) but just how much he read remains a mystery, and his contempt for literature and our own writers negate any attempts now to portray him as a man of learning who respected the arts.

President Wickremesinghe is very different in that respect. While he has not done as much to help the arts and artists as Premadasa did, he is the kind of man who can drop in at an art exhibition, quote from what he has read, and I remember him writing in a Sinhala newspaper about a film he admired in the 80s or 90s. He also promoted Western classical music when he was premier during Yahapalanaya. Whoever destroyed his house, library and art collection should be ashamed of themselves.

Continue reading ‘My hopes for Sri Lanka are based on a slim hope that President Ranil Wickremesinghe is too erudite a man to entirely lose his powers of reasoning and his capacity to be compassionate towards a traumatized people.’ »

By Marianne David

‘Dress code’ for teachers or any public servant should be a personal choice of the wearer and as long as it is respectable and appropriate for the profession, teachers and public servants should be allowed to make their own choice, asserted Education Forum Sri Lanka Co-coordinator (EFSL) Dr. Tara de Mel, in an interview with The Sunday Morning Education.

Highlighting the absurdity of talking about a dress code at a time when the Sri Lankan education system was in deep crisis, Dr. de Mel pointed out that instead of micromanaging issues connected to teachers’ attire, the Government and Education Ministry should address the bigger problems at hand.

Excerpts

How do you view the dress code for teachers in Sri Lanka and the surrounding uproar these days?

I really don’t know why there is an ‘uproar’ or why there should be a ‘dress code’ for teachers or any public servant, for that matter. Shouldn’t it be a personal choice of the wearer? As long as it is respectable and appropriate for the profession, why can’t we allow teachers or any public servant to make their own choice?

Continue reading ‘“Males must be Invited to wear Saris five days a week,Travel to School and Teach for Several Hours and Return Home” says EFSL Co-ordinator Dr.Tara de Mel’ »

BY Buddhika Samaraweera

Claiming that Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya Leader Sajith Premadasa has mixed the “Buddha dharma” (Buddhist doctrine) and the “sangha” (Buddhist clergy/monks), President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the Buddha doctrine and the Buddhist clergy should be separated, and that certain acts of monks should subjected to some control.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday (29), he said: “There is the Buddha, the dhamma, and the sangha. Premadasa has mixed Buddhism with Buddhist monks. We need to separate them. Every layperson and monk should follow Buddhism. Sometimes, there are laypersons as well as monks who do not follow Buddhism. That is why there are many issues in the ‘Buddha sasana’. Therefore, we expect all laypersons and monks to act according to Buddhist principles.”

Continue reading ‘Ranil Wickremesinghe Enlightens Sajith Premadasa on the Basics of Buddhism; President says Opposition Leader has Mixed up the “Buddha dharma” (Buddhist doctrine) with the “sangha” (Buddhist clergy/monks),’ »

Following a recommendation by Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Chairman, independent Opposition MP, and former President Maithripala Sirisena concerning the possibility of devolving governmental power below the Provincial Council (PC) level through District Development Councils using the existing District Co-ordinating Committees, President Ranil Wickremesinghe stated that he was prepared to introduce the same.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday (29), Sirisena proposed the introduction of District Development Councils to devolve further power below the PC level. He emphasised that the existing District Co-ordinating Committees can be used to formulate the District Development Councils, and to constitutionally provide for District Development Councils to be empowered.

Continue reading ‘Ex-President Sirisena Proposes Setting up District Development Councils to Devolve Power Below Provincial Council Level by utilising the District Coordinating Committees; “I am ready to introduce the District Development Councils. We will discuss this.” Says President Wickremesinghe’ »

By Krishantha Prasad Cooray

Something extraordinary happened in Malaysia this week. After a bitterly fought general election with no clear winner, the King had the wisdom and the courage to appoint Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysia’s 10thPrime Minister. To those observing from the outside, it was a remarkable sight. So, one can only imagine the gravity of the moment from the point of view of Malaysia’s new Prime Minister.

Anwar Ibrahim travelled to Istana Negara for the ceremony on Thursday from Sungai Long with his wife, the accomplished and independently remarkable Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who for 24 years, has taken her husband’s crusade against corruption and bigotry in Malaysia and made it her own. When Anwar was imprisoned, she stood in for him and embodied his cause with an authenticity and ferocity that saw her become Malaysia’s first ever female opposition leader.

When they arrived at the ceremony, one of the many dignitaries assembled for Anwar’s swearing in was Malaysia’s Chief Justice, Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, the first woman to hold that office, who herself has long stood out as a judge with little patience for corruption or abuse of power. Whether in the 1MDB appeals or in holding firm against other powerful special interests, she has embodied the kind of judicial independence for which Anwar has fought.

As Anwar, the Prime Minister in waiting, took the instrument of his appointment into his hand and began reciting his oaths, he must have felt the weight of every word he swore of the pledge he has long dreamt of taking. Perhaps no Malaysian politician has distinguished himself on the world stage as Anwar did as Malaysia’s finance minister between 1991 and 1998.

Continue reading ‘Whatever policy compromises the new Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim may have to make to assemble a stable coalition government, he ,like Abraham Lincoln, will be defined by his ability to remain true to his core principles while governing effectively.’ »

BY

MARIEKE WALSH, MARSHA MCLEOD AND BILL CURRY

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the threats to Canada’s national security from last winter’s convoy protests were both economic and violent and before he invoked the Emergencies Act the premiers were unable to suggest any alternative to using the sweeping powers to end the protracted demonstrations.

On Friday, the Prime Minister was the final witness to testify at the inquiry studying the act’s use. Mr. Trudeau made the ultimate decision to invoke the never-before-used act on his own on Feb. 14, with the goal of ending protests that gridlocked the capital and jammed several border crossings across Canada.

“I am absolutely, absolutely serene and confident that I made the right choice,” Mr. Trudeau said.

He testified that before he made the decision there was consensus to invoke the act from senior cabinet ministers and top security and civil service advisers. He called a memo from the country’s top bureaucrat in favour of triggering the powers “essential” to his decision – even though that memo lacked a threat assessment. And he told the inquiry that despite the two most serious border blockades resolving, it was his understanding that overall the protests were escalating, not dissipating.’

The Prime Minister testified in a packed hearing room in the heart of the capital – where big rigs and other vehicles dug in last January – as several convoy leaders watched from front-row seats. Convoys of protesters rolled into Ottawa on Jan. 28. The demonstrations soon spread to border crossings, including, most significantly, in Windsor, Ont. However, that blockade was cleared before the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act.
Shannon Proudfoot: It’s Trudeau’s show and Friday he will have to answer for it

Continue reading ‘Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Justifies his Invoking Emergency to Control the Protracted Protests and Demonstrations that Gridlocked the Capital and Entry-Exit Points Along Borders;“I am absolutely, absolutely serene and confident that I made the right choice,” says the PM’ »

SJB MP Mr Eran Wickramaratne speaking in Parliament on the vote of Ministries of Defence and Technology said that the government needs an institution to facilitate the e- government program to run one government to the whole country.

He further said that the present ICT agency – ICTA was created when the President Ranil Wickremesinghe was the Prime Minister in 2002 when he headed a committee while working as a CEO in a private bank.

Even now the problem was retaining the best people in the field in a typical government service where market rates are much higher than for the senior civil officers in the public sector.

Continue reading ‘When Ranil was Prime Minister a Meeting was scheduled with Bill Gates in the US. But it did not happen because the then President Chandrika Dissolved the Wickremesinghe Govt. Had that meeting taken place Microsoft May have started an Enterprise here and Sri Lanka’s destiny could have been different -Eran Wickramaratne MP’ »

President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said any unlawful protest movements will not be allowed, warning to deploy military and use emergency powers if necessary.

“If there are plans to initiate another Aragalaya to change the Government, I won’t give space for that. I will get the military and the forces and I will impose the State of Emergency,” he told the House yesterday.

President Wickremesinghe added that any attempts to create another Aragalaya without permits for protests will be prevented and the Police have been instructed to take action to prevent such protests.

“Anyone has the freedom to protest. But, go to the Police and take the permission and then walk on the roads, shout ‘I am a dictator or I am like Hitler’, but just take permission and don’t obstruct traffic,” he said. Wickremesinghe by highlighting how he moved for 17th, 19th and 21st amendments to the Constitutions said he is not a dictator but a democrat.

“Yet, if anyone thinks that they can engage in another struggle without obtaining a licence, stop it. I have instructed the police. If anyone tries to stage a protest to topple the Government, I will not allow it.

Continue reading ‘“If there are plans to initiate another Aragalaya to change the Government, I won’t give space for that. I will get the military and the forces and I will impose the State of Emergency,” states President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament’ »

President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday affirmed that he will not dissolve the Parliament amidst an economic crisis, whilst extending an open invitation to all political parties to support the efforts to resolve the ethnic crisis.

“I will not dissolve the Parliament. There is a huge economic crisis. Do it (dissolve the Parliament) after resolving the economic mess. Today people are fed up with the political parties and the politics,” he told the Parliament yesterday.

The President requested both the Government and Opposition parties to finalise the five youth representatives to participate in the committees before the end of next month and to appoint them in January.

President Wickremesinghe said without delivering a system change, politicians will not be able to win the confidence of the people.

“We have not seen any new faces in the Parliament. May it be a new or an old party, the people are the same and they have been rotating. Let’s first give relief to the people and then go for an election to take office,” he said.

President Wickremesinghe also said that until the preferential voting system is scrapped, it will not be possible to eradicate corruption in the country.

Continue reading ‘President Wickremesinghe Proposes All Party Meeting in December 2nd week to Discuss Ethnic Issues and Arrive at a Consensus; Lakshman Kiriella(SJB), Mano Ganesan(TPA) and MA Sumanthiran(TNA) Express Consent to the Proposal’ »

(Text of Speech made in Parliament by Jaffna District TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran PC on 22nd November 2022)

Thank you Honourable member in the chair today.

The Budget presented by the Minister of Finance who also happens to be the President, is ending today – the 2nd reading debate.

I have consistently recorded my opposition to Minister of Finance being the President. From 2010 onwards in this house, whenever the President in his capacity as Minister of Finance has presented a budget I have recorded that protest and I wish to record that today as well. When a person who is not a member of this House presents the budget as the Minister of Finance, that seriously curtails this House’ ability to be in total control of public finance as the Constitution stipulates in article 148.

This also exposes another thing this time: And that is there’s a 21st amendment to the constitution that, was said to be going back to the 19th amendment, that is doing away with the 20th amendment, and that has been pointed out during that debate. It doesn’t really do that. Under the 19th amendment to the constitution the president could not hold any ministries; not even the ministry of defence.

For the tenure of that president at that time, personal to him, to President Maithripala Sirisena, 3 named ministries were permitted in the transitional provision. Thereafter the president couldn’t hold any ministries. But now the President actually can hold any number of ministries. In fact he can hold all the ministries. So this is another occasion on which we can expose that lie to the country that some reform was made that executive powers were curtailed through the 21st amendment. No! no such thing was done.

Continue reading ‘Now who has the brass to go and ask an Ambassador for a bribe? So you pick the most corrupt minister , to appoint to the Constitutional Council. You have a convicted extortionist as a Chief Government Whip, So so how do we then tell either the IMF or anyone else that we are dealing with corruption? – MA Sumanthiran MP’ »

(Excerpt of Speech made in Parliament by Jaffna District MP and TNA Spokesman M.A.Sumanthiran M.P on 23rd November 2022)

Thank you Hon. Speaker for the time given to say a few words on the allocation to the Presidential secretariat, Supreme Court, Independent commissions and a long list of 25 institutions.

Before I get to the subject matter, I wish to clarify what we did at the vote last evening, I did explain right at the end of my speech, nevertheless, time was insufficient so therefore I’d like to say that right through the debate on the 2nd reading, all members of the Tamil National Alliance criticised the budget.

Continue reading ‘“Though critical of the Budget,the TNA did not Vote against it because President Wickremesinghe has stated he wants to Resolve the Tamil National Question and has invited Tamil Parties to have Discussions with him”- TNA Spokesperson MA Sumanthiran MP’ »

BY Mirudhula Thambiah

A heated argument occurred in the Parliament yesterday (23) between Samagi Jana Balawegaya Opposition MP Mano Ganesan and Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles over the collecting of personal details of Colombo residents, with Ganesan levelling allegations that the Police is collecting the personal details of Colombo South residents, targeting Tamils in particular, and Alles flatly denying this, claiming that such data is not only being recorded from Tamil residents, but from Sinhalese and Muslim residents as well.

Ganesan queried as to why the Police is collecting the personal details of Colombo residents, targeting Tamils from Bambalapitiya, Wellawatte, etc., noting that these are peaceful times.

“They are registering information even now. Why is this being done? Isn’t this a peaceful time? There is no war in this country. There is no terrorism. I have spoken to the President, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the National Police Commission (NPC) Chairman, and you (Alles) regarding this issue. This is being targeted at the Tamil residents of Colombo. Don’t do this. Usually, nobody would want to provide their personal details to the Police. Not only to the Police but to anyone. Do understand that well,” he added.

Continue reading ‘Heated argument in Parliament between TPA leader and Colombo District MP Opposition MP Mano Ganesan and Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles over the collecting of personal details of Colombo residents” Mano says Tamils are being targeted while Tiran says not only Tamils but Sinhalese and Muslims also’ »

BY Kiara Warnasuriya

A proposal to replace the existing Police Ordinance, No. 16 of 1865, which has been amended 37 times in the past, especially paying attention to areas such as illicit drugs, social media, human rights, and child abuse, was presented by Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles at the Cabinet meeting held on Monday (21) and was approved by the Cabinet accordingly.

Speaking to The Morning yesterday (23), Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security S. Hettiarachchi claimed that many amendments have been made in the past of the Police Ordinance and that therefore, a completely new Ordinance is necessary in order to face contemporary issues.

Continue reading ‘Cabinet Approves proposal by Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles to replace the existing Police Ordinance, No. 16 of 1865, and Include Provisions Covering illicit drugs, social media, human rights, and child abuse.’ »

BY Buddhika Samaraweera

President Ranil Wickremesinghe charged that Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) Leader Kumar Gunaratnam was behind the “aragalaya” – noting that the latter holds Australian citizenship and should thus be rejected by the public in a manner similar to the public backlash against Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organiser and former Minister Basil Rajapaksa – while assuring that a similar protest movement would not be allowed to occur.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday (23), he said that although there are differences within the House, there is no need for intense conflict. He said that the country descended to such a level during the “aragalaya”, and recalled the incidents of houses and properties belonging to MPs being set ablaze and destroyed. He noted that of the 225 MPs in Parliament, 196 were elected by the people, and that thus setting fire to the homes of MPs – be they from the ruling party or the Opposition – is not something that should occur. As these MPs had been elected to office by the people, he said, they should be given the opportunity to work, and be taken care of.

Continue reading ‘President Ranil Wickremesinghe Equates Frontline Socialist Party Leader and Australia-Sri Lanka Dual Citizen Kumar Gunaratnam With Sri Lanka Podujana Party National Organizer and USA-Sri Lanka Dual Citizen Basil Rajapaksa in Parliament’ »

BY Mirudhula Thambiah

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, during his two-day observation tour to the Northern Province, visited the Mannar District yesterday (20) and discussed with State officials to establish a mega hydrogen project, improved water management system, and reforestation projects to mitigate the effects of global warming; inspected the renovation work carried out to revive the Mannar Dutch Fort for tourism; and engaged in discussions with the Nadukuda fishing village community looking into their issues by ensuring prompt action.

Northern Governor Jeevan Thiyagarajah who also visited with President Wickremesinghe told The Morning yesterday that the President is extremely keen on preserving the historical sites while bringing in development projects to the Mannar District.
“He is extremely keen on preserving the historical sites of Mannar, while he wants to develop the area. He visited the Dutch Fort area and wanted to revive it for tourism,” he added.

He also noted that President Wickremesinghe looked into the possibilities of the green hydrogen project.

Continue reading ‘President Wickremesinghe Completes Two day Observation Tour of the Vavuniya and Mannar districts on a Positive Note; “President is looking forward to setting up a very modern outlook of the Northern region,” ,says Northern Governor Jeevan Thiagarajah’ »

By Buddhika Samaraweera

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Founder and National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa yesterday (20) returned to the island to a warm welcome by several SLPP MPs and members at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake.

SLPP MPs, including Johnston Fernando, Gamini Lokuge, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Sanath Nishantha Perera, Piyal Nishantha de Silva, and Thenuka Vidanagamage, as well as more than 50 SLPP supporters had gathered at the BIA in Katunayake to welcome Rajapaksa, who arrived in Sri Lanka at around 8.30 a.m. yesterday on the Emirates Airlines flight EK 650.

Rajapaksa resigned as an MP in June 2022 and subsequently left for the US, as according to him, he had accomplished his two primary objectives – to face corruption and fraud-related cases filed against him; and to return incumbent MP Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was defeated at the 2015 Presidential Election, to a high post in the country.

Continue reading ‘Ex-finance minister Basil Rajapaksa Arrives in Colombo from USA to a Warm welcome; party members and MPs line up to greet SLPP National organizer with some bowing down before him;leaves Katunayake Airport in Convoy with Police Jeep and Motor Cycle Escort’ »

BY Kiara Warnasuriya

State Minister of Tourism Diana Gamage claimed in Parliament last Saturday (19) that she has proven her value to the country through her actions, warning Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa that she will continue to do so despite the Opposition’s efforts to remove her from Parliament.

“I know that the Opposition undertook a major effort to remove me from Parliament, including the Opposition Leader. You appointed a board of lawyers and tried to remove me, but I tell you now, say whatever you want to me and about me, because I have shown through my actions what I can do on behalf of this country, I have vouched for myself. I will continue to vouch for my own actions for this country.”

Gamage further slammed the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) for the recent protest by the female members of the SJB, led by SJB MP Hirunika Premachandra, which, Gamage opined, had lost all cause.
“What shocks me is that the women of this party stand only for the women of the party. They get out on the streets on behalf of the party. If women are protesting, they need to protest on behalf of all women. As a woman, if I were to get on the streets, I would do so on behalf of all the women in this country, regardless of their party, religion, or race.”

Continue reading ‘“I’d like to tell our Leader of Opposition to not do things as if he has no shame. I let you contest through my party when you had nothing and no one; you would not have even had a nomination without me. I know that Sajith is someone with no courtesy or respect, or else he would not behave like this.” Says Tourism State Minister Diana Gamage’ »

BY Buwanajee Coralage

Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) activist Duminda Nagamuwa, addressing the media yesterday (20), said that, as the workers’ struggle centre, the FSP “guarantees” to “invade the streets before the Budget is finalised” to express its “disappointment in the newly implemented economic principles”.

“Before the Budget is approved on 8 December, we guarantee to fire the first shot of disapproval at the new economic principles brought forward by it along with all trade unions in the country,” Nagamuwa further said.

Continue reading ‘Frontline Socialist Party to stage Protest Demonstrations Against Budget; FSP “guarantees” to “invade the streets before the Budget is finalised” to express its “disappointment in the newly implemented economic principles” says Duminda Nagamuwa’ »

BY Mirudhula Thambiah

Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Leader and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Opposition MP Mano Ganesan told the visiting United Nations (UN) Department of Political and Peacebuilding Director Peter Due last Friday (18) to take up the political issues of the hill-country Tamils, particularly the inhumane conditions prevalent in the plantations, with the highest echelon of the UN.

Ganesan presented Due the document compiled by the TPA, titled the “Aspirations of Tamil people of recent Indian origin towards mainstreaming as full citizens in Sri Lankan polity” on 18 November.
Ganesan said that he also presented a separate document on the food insecurity and impoverished conditions faced by plantation residents.

Continue reading ‘Tamil Progressive Alliance Leader Mano Ganesan urges visiting UN Political and Peacebuilding Director Peter Due’s intervention in hill country Tamils’ issues’ »

(Text of News Release from the Office of Mano GANESAN Member of Parliament of Sri Lanka for Colombo District and Leader of Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) on November 20, 2022 )

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has travelled to the north, opened up presidential secretariat sub office with expressions of positive notions and has assured to appoint multiple numbers of committees to resolve land, housing, health, irrigations issues of the Tamil community. We welcome these gestures and hope those produce results at the ground level.

We now request president to show the same gesture to the HillCountry Tamil community within which the plantation segment which has been identified as the most vulnerable segment by the UN and World Bank.

We trust the president should be aware of the facts that food insecurity in SriLanka is highest in the estate sector at 51% while 43% at Urban sector and at 34% in Rural sector.

Continue reading ‘“We welcome President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to the North and its Positice Outcome. He should show the same gesture to the Indian origin HillCountry Tamil community” says Tamil Progressive Alliance Leader Mano Ganesan’ »

By

Kishali Pinto- Jayawardene

Sri Lanka’s Department of the Police should stop piously quoting provisions of the Constitution and the law and instead, declare the truth without fear or shame, “we do not respect the law; we will break the law at every chance we get; who is there to stop us?”

Systemic State repression of peaceful protests

That honesty will at least, be a tad more refreshing than the nauseating twaddle that the police spokesperson trots out each time a new scandal on the behaviour of Sri Lanka’s ‘brutes in uniform’ breaks. The latest in this long and sorry line of abusive incidents is last week’s horrendous act of a male police officer grabbing a female colleague by the scruff of her neck with several abusive words thrown while thrusting her into a police vehicle along with female protestors who were peacefully demonstrating their right to protest.

There were many things grievously wrong with this incident, not the least of which concerned the legal grounds for the arrest of the female protestors. Apparently, all they were doing was walking along the road from Panadura to Colombo in protest. Pray on what grounds does this constitute an unlawful act?

The modus operandi of the police seems to be to flood the courts with cases against protestors, whether a prima facie basis exists for these arrests or not.

Continue reading ‘The President cannot escape violations of the law under the direct command of certain senior police officers and responsible ministers, on the basis that they are ‘acting independently.’ On the contrary, he has the responsibility to ensure that these abuses do not happen on his watch.’ »

By Marianne David

The main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) will not support Budget 2023 as things stand and will vote in favour only if its proposed changes are accommodated, said SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne, in an interview with The Sunday Morning.

He also spoke at length on the Budget proposals in relation to the tax regime, State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) reform, businesses and the banking sector, and protecting the most vulnerable, dissecting key proposals and outlining what they mean for Sri Lanka, its future, and its people, while also listing key measures to build confidence.

Following are excerpts of the interview:

The Government in its Budget 2023 has declared its intention of increasing Government revenue, creating a primary surplus of more than 2% of GDP by 2025, recording an economic growth rate of 7-8%, and increasing FDIs to more than $ 3 billion by 2033. Are these goals realistic or too ambitious?

I think these goals are too ambitious. Government revenue is about 8.3% of GDP. When we took office in 2015, it was about 10% of GDP and when we left office in 2019, it was 13% of GDP. Now it has crashed to 8.3%, so saying that they will get to 15% of GDP even by 2025 is very ambitious.

On the primary surplus, since 1948 Sri Lanka has had a primary surplus only five times. A primary surplus is where your revenues are more than your expenditure before your interest is paid. We’ve had this only five times – a couple of times in the 1950s, once in the 1960s or something, and then in 2017 and 2018 – so getting 2.3% of a primary surplus is also not realistic.

I would say, generally speaking, whether it is the budget deficit or getting your debt as a percentage of GDP to 100, these goals are too ambitious and I would urge the Government to really negotiate hard with the IMF.

Continue reading ‘“We are overspending on the armed forces.The defence budget is 10% of our total budget. Except India,every other country in Asia has 3-5% for defence. Some people say Sri Lanka’s situation is special. What’s special? All these countries have the same issues and problems that we have. We respect our armed forces. This is not to be confused with that.” -Eran Wickramaratne MP’ »

By the “Sunday Morning” Political Editor

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has expressed concerns over the Government’s possible deviation from the ongoing debt restructuring programme, following its move to explore a debt-for-nature swap earmarked at around $ 1 billion, The Sunday Morning learns.

However, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed his officials to commence the process of identifying the projects that could be taken under a debt-for-nature swap, it is learnt.
Wickremesinghe has tasked his Advisor on Climate Change Ruwan Wijewardene to spearhead the initiative with the support of the Environment Ministry, Presidential Economic Advisor Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga, and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL).

Given the obstacles and delays faced by Sri Lanka in finalising the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) from the IMF, which has now been pushed back to around March next year, the Government has turned to the environment and climate financing for reprieve from the ongoing economic crisis.

The Government has reportedly commenced talks with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and other agencies to explore the possibilities of a debt-for-nature swap programme.

Continue reading ‘China willing to consider a delay in repayment of the loans, but not a haircut, which is a key requirement of the Sri Lankan Govt.With China holding back on agreeing to a haircut both India and Japan adopt a ‘wait-and-see’ attitude.’ »

By Rajasinghe

After the presentation of a budget by the finance minister, the attention of the House, and indeed the country, turns to the first speech made on behalf of the Opposition.

In the good old United National Party (UNP) and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) days, this task fell on Dr. N.M. Perera (NM), with his double doctorate in economics. For well over a decade, NM’s analysis of the budget held the country spellbound by its comprehensiveness, lucidity, and economic savvy. Even his opponents could ‘scarcely forbear to cheer’ those classics, which are now enshrined in the Hansards of that time.

It must be stated however that his observations were not taken seriously by his opponents who were acting according to their own ideologies, which were different from NM’s Marxist convictions. Not only that – when NM presented his budgets as Finance Minister of Mrs. Bandaranaike’s Cabinet, they were criticised by his own Cabinet colleagues like Felix Bandaranaike, backed by the then ‘power behind the throne’ – the PM’s London-returned son Anura. Eventually, the SLFP ministers got together to dismiss NM and his Cabinet comrades Colvin R. de Silva and Leslie Goonewardene. This was another step on the way to the SLFP’s crushing defeat in 1977.

Continue reading ‘Will Harsha de Silva sacrifice his integrity and block the good and practical aspects of RW’s budgetary proposals Or will he with a group of his party colleagues, support the Budget proposals , taking the country, , on a new path to rapid economic growth?’ »

By Sandun Jayawardana

Over the years, Sri Lankans have got used to expecting price reductions, salary increases, and more state-sector jobs in government budgets.

This, however, was before the country was plunged into a crippling economic crisis.

As such, Budget 2023 presented in Parliament on Monday, had to jettison proposals that went down “the popular route,” President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe explained.

Continue reading ‘President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe Amidst an Economic Crisis,Presents a Budget that Lays the Foundation of a bright Future instead of the traditional measures like Price Reductions,Salary Increases and more State sector Jobs’ »

By Chris Kamalendran

A Presidential Secretariat Sub office of the Northern Province Development Special Unit was declared open yesterday by President Ranil Wickremesinghe with an assurance to resolve the outstanding land and other issues.

The sub-office will coordinate with the Presidential Secretariat on development activities and reconciliation matters, Vavuniya District Secretary P.A. Sarathchandra told the Sunday Times.

President Wickremesinghe yesterday met with District Secretaries of Vavuniya, Mullaitivu and Mannar and other officials at the Vavuniya District Secretariat. The meeting was attended by Minister Douglas Devananda, K. Thilipan, Selvam Adaikalanathan, Rishard Bathiudeen, Kader Masthan and Charles Nirmalanathan.
Also present were Parliamentarians M.A. Sumanthiran and S. Sritharan.

Continue reading ‘President Wickremesinghe Declares open a Presidential Secretariat Sub office of the Northern Province Development Special Unit in Vavuniya ; assures immediate solutions to land, housing, health, irrigation, and agriculture-related issues in the Northern province’ »

By Charumini de Silva

Despite many having pessimistic views about economic revival, President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday sounded confident the country would overcome the crisis aided by strong policy reforms and implementation underscored in 2023 Budget.

Speaking in first in-person public forum on Budget since presenting the reforms and relief oriented 2023 Budget as Finance Minister in Parliament on Monday, he delivered the keynote at the popular and high-profile post-Budget Forum organised by the Daily FT in partnership with the University of Colombo MBA Alumni Association yesterday at Shangri-La Colombo.

“Are we going to be the Asian version of Argentina? Or can we make it successful? In my view, Sri Lanka has to win with the framework underlined through 2023 Budget,” Wickremesinghe stressed.

Continue reading ‘“Recovery from the crisis we face is not easy, as the situation is not normal. Through the 2023 Budget, we have some fundamental restructuring of the economy and a recovery plan from the second half of next year. Hopefully, we will reach the GDP level of 2019 within four years, by 2026,” States Sri Lankan President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’ »

By

JAMILA HUSAIN

Former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa who resigned from his parliamentary seat during the recent political crisis will return to Sri Lanka on Saturday after leaving for the United States in September and will now initiate discussions to gain a 2/3rd majority for the budget, the Daily Mirror learns.

Political sources said that Rajapaksa left the USA last night and will arrive in Sri Lanka on Saturday and will also begin to restructure the SLPP as he did prior to the Presidential Election in November.

Continue reading ‘Former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa Determined to Ensure the Passage of President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s 2023 Budget with Two-thirds Majority; SLPP National Organizer and Dual Citizen Returns to Sri Lanka from the USA on 19th November to Engage ib Politics and Prepare for Local Authority Elections’ »

By

Narmada Thiranagama

(The writer lives in London and does policy work on labour market justice and workers’ rights for a trade union.)

“All the most powerful forces are invisible” observes Maali, the narrator of Shehan Karunatilaka’s Booker Prize-winning The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. “Love, electricity, wind. And the waves following a bomb blast.” Unspoken is the other powerful and invisible force animating his book: grief.

The book is set in 1989, a bloody year in Sri Lanka. Maali Almeida dies, wakes up in purgatory and finds himself amongst the ghosts of the newly dead and those who refuse to move on. Chief among them is a woman in a white sari who helps guide him on his journey. Maali recognises her, from her face and her ‘toothpaste smile’, as a Tamil human rights activist assassinated by the Tamil Tigers.

At this point, I too had a moment of recognition: this was Dr Rajani Thiranagama — feminist, academic, scientist, a fighter for truth and justice. She is also my darling Amma, who I lost when she was 35 and I was 11.

Continue reading ‘Slain Feminist Academic and Human Rights Activist Dr.Rajani Thiranagama’s Appears as a Character in Shehan Karunatilaka’s Booker Prize Winning Novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida.’ »

By
Meera Srinivasan

Reaching out to Sri Lanka’s Tamil parties in Parliament on November 10, President Ranil Wickremesinghe invited them for a discussion this week, and pledged to resolve their pending issues before the island nation’s 75 th Independence Day falling on February 4, 2023. However Tamil politicians, who are yet to receive a date for the said meeting, are highly skeptical.

Many Sri Lankan leaders have in the past promised, and invariably failed, to deliver a political solution to the island’s Tamil national question. Most recently, the Maithripala Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration, in power between 2015 and 2019, attempted to draft a new constitution but did not complete the task, much to the disappointment of Tamils who backed their government. “Let us all get together and make it a point to solve this problem by our 75th anniversary of Independence. We don’t need others to intervene in our country’s matters. We can solve our issues,” Mr. Wickremesinghe told Parliament last week.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the largest grouping of legislators from the north and east, welcomed his call and expressed readiness to “fully cooperate”. TNA Leader and 89-year-old parliamentarian R. Sampanthan, who has been trying to negotiate a constitutional settlement with various Sinhalese leaders for decades, has said that he hopes the President’s pledge is genuine this time.

Continue reading ‘There is no point in engaging with President Ranil Wickremesinghe unless he openly commits to basing the discussion on a federal constitution says TNPF Leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam MP’ »

BY
KRISHNADAS RAJAGOPAL

The Centre on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking a review of its order prematurely releasing six convicts serving life imprisonment for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.

The Union government contended that the court did not afford it adequate opportunity of hearing before ordering the immediate release of the convicts.

The government said the convicts had not made the Union a respondent in the Supreme Court despite being a “necessary and proper party” in the litigation.

“This procedural lapse on the part of the petitioners resulted in non-participation of Union of India in subsequent hearings of the case… absence of Union of India’s assistance to the Supreme Court while adjudication of the matter has resulted into admitted and glaring breach of principles of natural justice and has, in fact, resulted in the miscarriage of justice,” the Centre argued.

The government further argued that it was “extremely crucial” to highlight that out of the six convicts who were granted remission, four were Sri Lankan nationals.

Continue reading ‘BJP led Indian Central Govt Moves Supreme Court seeking a review of its order prematurely releasing six convicts serving life imprisonment for the Rajiv Gandhi assassination in 1991: “Granting remission to Duly Convicted terrorists of a foreign nation was a matter which had international ramifications” Says Union Govt’ »

By Krishantha Prasad Cooray

There is something about Malaysia, something special that you cannot describe unless you have lived there. The people in Malaysia are kind, friendly and always willing to lend a helping hand. There is more natural beauty in every nook and cranny of Malaysia than anyone will ever get to see in a single lifetime, from lush forests and pristine mountains to spectacular beaches and magnificent coral reefs. The ‘tiger cub’ economy not only survived Covid but is bouncing back strong.

And yet, the country feels like it is at a crossroads, and GE15 may well determine the destiny of the country. In many ways, this election will determine whether Malaysia will stay on the path to becoming a first world developed nation, or whether it will fall into stagnation or worse.

The future of any country rests with the best and the brightest of its youth. Unlike at any other election since independence, the youth – those aged 18 to 30 – will make up nearly a third of the electorate. In today’s globally connected world, the things that matter to these young Malaysians are very similar to the priorities of their peers who are beginning to decide the fates of governments everywhere.

This may be the first generation that doesn’t naturally inherit the political allegiances of their parents. They know more than their parents or grandparents about what they are entitled to expect, based not on historical standards, but on what rights and opportunities are available to their peers abroad. They value equality of opportunity, freedom from corruption and persecution and the efficiency and transparency of government service. By and large, they have little interest in nationalist or ethnic group identities or preserving patriarchies and patronage networks.

Continue reading ‘Malaysian youth, who are about to vote for the first time in a General Election will want to see politicians push to make Malaysia closer resemble Singapore than Sri Lanka. They will not be swayed by nationalist promises of preferential treatment’ »

By

Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka

(Excerpted from the “Lanka Guardian Colu,m” appearing in the “Daily FT” of 17 November 2022 under the heading “Ranil’s ‘Big Bang’ Budget bomb and the tempting of Tamil politicians)

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has invited all Tamil MPs for discussions on resolving the problems of the Tamil people before the 75th Independence Day which falls on 4 February 2023. He has flagged his development plans for the North and East, especially Trincomalee.

The Tamil MPs have assented, with the more prominent TNA MPs understandably signalling that they would prioritise the political and Constitutional goals.

Ranil Wickremesinghe is a stand-in President, continuing what’s left of the term of his elected predecessor who was ousted by a momentous civic uprising. Furthermore, he is not elected to the President or the Parliament, nor yet is the party he leads. He has no mandate to negotiate anything with the Tamil parties and certainly no mandate to deliver on anything, however laudable.

M.A. Sumanthiran has reminded the President of his 2016 Constitutional draft and suggested that he carry it forward. This suggestion omits the glaring fact that whatever mandate Wickremesinghe had for that particular project evaporated in 2020 when he and his party utterly failed to be elected to Parliament, and therefore any resumption of that venture would be completely illegitimate.

Continue reading ‘Tamil politics has been governed by a” priori” principles rather than a shrewd sense of time and place.No agreement between President Wickremesinghe and the Tamil politicians can stick in a context of economic contraction, austerity and polarising economic policies.’ »

By

Krishantha Prasad Cooray

Siblings have common traits and but each is nevertheless unique. All my uncles were greatly loved, but loved differently for different reasons. It is the same with Egerton Cooray, my father’s younger brother. Unlike most of his siblings, Egerton Bappa never held powerful positions, was never ambitious and yet in my opinion he was the finest human being in the Cooray family and undoubtedly the most light-hearted of the lot.

He was fond of all his siblings and was very loyal to each of them, but had an extra warm and special bond with my father, which perhaps made him extra special to me. He had an exemplary life. He had a very simple lifestyle and was a truly humble human being. He never aspired the heights most of his brothers reached, but never grudged their success, always full of admiration and always content with what he had.

Egerton Bappa revelled in the circumstances he found himself in, never lost his sense of humour and was always ready to laugh at himself. In fact it was impossible to offend him. He took rebuke with a smile, often cutting in by saying ‘I did something wrong and you are going to blast me, aren’t you?’ How could one not find that endearing?

Continue reading ‘“My “Bappa” Egerton Cooray never held powerful positions, was never ambitious and yet in my opinion he was the finest human being in the Cooray family”’ »

They were to be a “civic fiesta”, said Brenda Rocha, the boss of Nicaragua’s electoral council. Instead, Nicaragua’s municipal elections on November 6th were a farce. The ruling party, the Sandinista National Liberation Front, took control of all 153 municipalities, after capturing the remaining 12 that were run by other parties. Nicaragua is now, in effect, a one-party state. Some would say one-family.

The election tops off years of creeping authoritarianism in the country, which is run by President Daniel Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla, and Rosario Murillo, his wife and vice-president. Mr Ortega became president in 1979, after taking part in a revolution against the last of the Somozas, a kleptocratic dynasty with American backing which had ruled for 43 years. Mr Ortega lost an election in 1990 and stepped down. Since coming back to power in 2007, he has vowed not to lose it again.

On returning to office he cosied up to businessmen and won over the Roman Catholic church with one of the world’s strictest abortion bans. Between 2008 and 2015 Nicaragua bought $4.5bn of Venezuelan oil at discounted prices. The proceeds from selling it were funnelled into banks owned by the ruling party and lavished on Mr Ortega’s supporters. The economy grew on average by 5% a year between 2010 and 2017. The share of people living on less than $3.20 per day fell from 27% in 2005 to 10% by 2017. With potential critics silenced or bought off, Mr Ortega took over all branches of the state. The Supreme Court (widely considered to be controlled by Mr Ortega) abolished term limits and expelled the leader of the opposition and 16 of his supporters from Congress.

Continue reading ‘“Nicaragua Turning into a “One party One Family” State Under President Daniel Ortega and wife Rosario Murillo as Vice President; Of the ruling couple’s nine children, eight have posts in government or help run public companies – The state now looks like a family business!’ »

(Towards a New Beginning:TFull Text of 2023 Budget Speech – 2023
made by Sri Lankan President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament on 14 November 2022)

Honorable Speaker,

A glimmer of hope on emerging from the economic abyss is currently visible, as a result of the strenuous and difficult policies we have been compelled to adopt during the past few months. After the era of waiting in queues for days and various protests, our distress has been eased to some extent, reaching a sense of satisfaction.
Negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are currently in progress. We are in dialogue with India and China on debt restructuring, and confident that these discussions will lead to positive outcomes.

Inflation could be controlled to some extent due to the recent action in this regard. Similarly, the rupee is strengthening. We expect to sustain these developments. I am confident that by moving along the same path, we will be able to stabilize the economy within the next year.

But we cannot be satisfied and therefore must start a new journey.
Presenting the Interim Budget proposals last August, I stated that the purpose of these proposals is to lay the basic foundation for transforming the economy that has continued to exist in our country. On that occasion I proposed, that the process of building a new economy suitable for the modern world, would be initiated through the budget proposals of 2023.

Seventy-five years after independence, can we be satisfied with the status quo? Where did we go wrong? How did we go wrong? Continue reading ‘“Seventy-five years after independence, can we be satisfied with the status quo? Where did we go wrong? How did we go wrong? Queries President Ranil Wickremesinghe while presenting the 2023 Budget Themed “Towards a New Beginning”’ »

BY Isuru Panditha

Two independent Opposition MPs who were among the five such MPs who are reported to have joined with the Samagi Jana Sandhanaya led by the main Parliamentary Opposition Party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), namely John Seneviratne and Piyankara Jayaratne, yesterday (15) denied claims of joining any such coalition.

In a media briefing held after a discussion took place at the Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa’s Office on Monday (14) between some MPs of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Party’s breakaway faction – led by Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, who became an independent MPs in the Opposition since the outset of the “aragalaya” – and Premadasa, Yapa asserted that they were entering into a coalition led by the SJB.

Soon after the news circulated about their alliance, Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle denied the claims and stressed that she has been working as an independent Opposition MP.

Continue reading ‘Dr.Sudharshini Fernandopulle, John Seneviratne and Piyankara Jayaratne Refute Claims that they have joined the SJB Coalition led by Sajith Premadasa: “President Ranil Wickremesinghe is doing something to alleviate the crisis, this is not the right time to upset the apple cart”Says Seneviratne’ »

By

Veeragathy Thanabalasingham

After the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was passed by Parliament last month and the Speaker signed and put into force, no one with dual citizenship can enter into the Parliament. It has also become impossible for them to contest any election and come to positions elected by the people. It is in keeping with the dignity of their posts that the so-called people’s representatives who are now in Parliament admit to holding dual citizenship and resign their posts. But three weeks later, none of our MPs have done so.

Ten MPs are said to have dual citizenship. Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) leader Champika Ranawaka has stated this openly. If there are indeed ten such people, they are illegally sitting on the chairs of Parliament. Look at how Sri Lankan democracy is being ridiculed if there are illegal representatives within the country’s highest legislative council.

All members of the current Parliament were elected at the August 2020 general election. At that time, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which had a provision prohibiting dual citizens from contesting elections was in force. It is obvious that the MPs, who are said to hold dual citizenship, have concealed the truth when they filed nomination papers to contest that election. They have hidden the truth not only to the Election Commission, but also from the leaders of their parties. Or it must be said that the leaders nominated them as candidates despite knowing the truth.

The major issue in the matter is the problem facing the state institutions involved, including parliament, in identifying dual-citizenship MPs.

Continue reading ‘Political Party Leaders have a Moral Responsibility to find out if any of their party’s MPs have dual citizenship and if so ask them to resign their posts. Will they do so?’ »

Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said yesterday (15) that Sri Lanka was able to avoid the crash-landing of its economy, and turn it into a soft landing, but at a lower point.

“If we had not taken those macroeconomic measures, the situation would have been much worse,” he stated.

Commenting on the 2023 Budget presented to Parliament on Monday (14), the CBSL Governor emphasised that this stability could be carried forward with necessary reforms.

Sri Lanka needs to implement Budget proposals and reform measures to start earning crucial foreign exchange to help stabilise its economy and ensure it does not return to crisis, the Central Bank chief said.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka has Avoided a ‘crash-landing’ of economy and Instead Turned it into a Soft Landing at a Lower Point says Central Bank Governor Dr.Nandalal weerasinghe’ »

BY Dr. Jehan Perera

(The writer is the Executive Director of the National Peace Council)

The primacy being given to the defence budget at a time of cost-slashing in virtually every other area is a pointer to the Government’s reliance on the security forces to maintain and exhibit political stability, and tighten its grip on power. It is also a reflection of the Government’s fears that the worst is still to come.

This does not bode well for the people, who are hoping that the country will overcome its worst-ever economic crisis soon. President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s accession to power was greeted with the hope, beyond its query of legitimacy, that he would be able to navigate through the prevailing political instability and access international support through his familiarity with international systems. This hope has yet to materialise. The last significant economic support to the country came from India before President Wickremesinghe took office.

At present, hopes are pinned on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) giving the country the loans it needs, which will be a green light to other credit agencies to resume business with Sri Lanka, which has been ostracised since it defaulted on its debt in March of this year. President Wickremesinghe has been forthright in saying that the Budget reflects the economic targets set by the IMF. The President has also promised to disclose the IMF proposals, which have so far remained a tightly guarded secret to the general public, which has in turn created doubts as to its impact on the standards of living for the majority of the people

.
The anger at the sacrifices that the IMF package is likely to call for may be directed against the President by potential successors. Other aspiring leaders in both the Government and the Opposition have been conveying the message that they will protect the people better if they get the chance.

Continue reading ‘It appears that the President and his team do not wish the people to express their opposition to the economic reforms, either through elections or public protests.’ »

BY SANGEETHA DEVI DUNDOO,R. RAVIKANTH REDDY

Krishna Ghattamaneni, fondly referred to as Superstar Krishna by legions of Telugu cinema viewers and hailed for his iconic portrayal of Alluri Seetharama Raju, breathed his last at 4:10 a.m. on Tuesday (Nov 15).

He was being treated at Continental Hospitals in Hyderabad, reportedly following a cardiac arrest. He was 79 and is survived by a son and actor Mahesh Babu, and daughters Padmavati, Manjula, and Priyadarshini. Krishna’s passing comes barely weeks after the demise of his first wife Indira Devi on September 28, 2022. His second wife Vijaya Nirmala passed away in 2019. His eldest son Ramesh Babu too is no more.

Condolences have been pouring in from film personalities across the country, political dignitaries, and millions of fans. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao condoled the death while TPCC president, A. Revanth Reddy hailed him as a hero who brought dynamism into Telugu films introducing Hollywood kind portrayals.
Career spanning more than five decades

Continue reading ‘Veteran Actor Krishna Renowned as the ‘Daring and Dashing Hero’ of Telugu Cinema passes away at 79; father of Actor Mahesh Babu was at one time Described as the James Bond of Telugu films’ »

By

N.Ram

(N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu and Frontline , is currently a Director in The Hindu Group Publishing Private Limited. He is the recipient of several journalism awards and of the Padma Bhushan (for journalism), 1990, and Sri Lanka Ratna, 2005).

The military-style “search and seize” raid conducted on October 31, 2022 by the Crime Branch of the Delhi police at the offices of The Wire and the homes of its three founding editors, Siddharth Varadarajan, M.K.Venu, and Sidharth Bhatia, deputy editor Jahnavi Sen, and product-and-business head Mithun Kidambi marks a new low for media freedom in India.

The police seized various devices and the hard disks of two computers used by the accounts staff under cover of investigating a criminal case. This case is based on a complaint made by Amit Malviya, a BJP leader who heads the ruling party’s national Information Technology department, that the three Meta stories published earlier in October by The Wire were a conspiracy to harm his reputation through forgery.

The Wire placed on record its demand for the hash value—a unique numerical value used to ensure the integrity of a device and its data—of the mobile phones, iPads, computers, and hard disks seized and for cloned copies of the devices and hard disks seized to be kept at a neutral place. But this reasonable and lawful demand was simply ignored.

The First Information Report (FIR) registered by the police against the journalists covers charges under the Indian Penal Code of “cheating and dishonesty” (Section 420) , “forgery for purpose of cheating” (468), “forgery for the purpose of harming reputation” (469), “using as genuine a forged document or electronic record” (471), “punishment for defamation” (500), all read along with provisions covering “punishment for criminal conspiracy”(120B) and “acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention” (34).

Continue reading ‘Freedom of the press has come under increasing pressure, risk, threat, and targeted assault in India over the past eight years, after a BJP-majority gov came to power at the Centre, setting the stage for a communal-authoritarian offensive that has been termed “the second coming of Hindutva.”’ »

(TEXT OF EDITORIAL APPEARING IN “THE HINDU” OF 14 NOVEMBER 2022 UNDER THE HEADING “A SENSE OF AN ENDING”)

The release of the six remaining convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case marks the end of a tragic episode that began with India’s disastrous involvement in Sri Lanka’s internal strife in the 1980s. The assassination in May 1991, ordered by the LTTE leadership and carried out by a suicide bomber, caused revulsion.

However, over time, the prolonged incarceration of the seven persons ultimately found guilty evoked some public sympathy. Political parties in Tamil Nadu campaigned for the release of the four convicts on death row and three serving life terms.

The Supreme Court commuted the death sentences to life in 2014. A resolution adopted by the Tamil Nadu Cabinet in 2018 for releasing them under Article 161 of the Constitution was not acted upon by the then Governor for a long time.

Ultimately, he forwarded it to the Centre for its opinion. The Court, earlier this year, found no constitutional basis for the Governor’s action and invoked its extraordinary powers to order the release of A.G. Perarivalan. The same benefit has now been extended to others. While their release is no occasion to celebrate, contrary to what sections of the media and the political class seem to believe, it is not one for lamentation either.

Continue reading ‘While their release is no occasion to celebrate, contrary to what sections of the media and the political class seem to believe, it is not one for lamentation either. A sense that 31 years of imprisonment is punishment enough does indeed prevail.’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

Sri Lanka will adopt policies geared towards a “social market economy”, to achieve high growth, increased export revenue and Foreign Direct Investment, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Monday, presenting his first annual Budget since assuming charge in July.

The Sri Lankan economy plunged into its worst ever crisis this year. As the island’s acute Balance of Payments problem rapidly drained its foreign reserves, the government opted to default on its $51-billion debt in April. Through the following months, citizens endured severe shortages of essentials, including food items, fuel, and medicines. Sri Lanka witnessed an unprecedented people’s uprising that ousted former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government.

Continue reading ‘President Wickremesinghe presents crucial Budget aimed at ‘recovery and reform’ of Sri Lankan economy;govt plans to achieve economic growth of upto 8%, annual growth of $3 billion from new exports, and over $3 billion in FDIs in the next decade’ »

By
Amanda Taub

A decade ago, Kate Cronin-Furman, then a Ph.D. student in political science at Columbia University, noticed something odd.
The government of Sri Lanka, which the United Nations and international observers had accused of killing tens of thousands of civilians during the final phases of that country’s devastating civil war, had started creating what Cronin-Furman called “strange institutions” that were supposedly tasked with accountability for atrocities during the war.

“There was a Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission. There was a so-called Army Court of inquiry. There were a couple of other commissions set up,” said Cronin-Furman, who is now a political science professor at University College London.

These proliferating new commissions and courts seemed to accept, for the first time, the possibility that atrocities had taken place, even though the Sri Lankan government was still furiously denying that. But the new institutions seemed to bring few if any results, and accordingly did nothing to stem the torrent of international criticism from survivors’ groups and human rights organizations, or from the countries that had backed calls for an international inquiry.

So why create them?

Answering that question led Cronin-Furman to a much bigger question: whether, and how, international pressure can convince states to change their behavior, with a specific focus on something they tended to be very, very reluctant to do: provide accountability for mass atrocities. Her answer is the subject of her new book, “Hypocrisy and Human Rights.”

To my great surprise, I found it actually gave me some hope about the way power works and can be worked with. Here’s my conversation with Cronin-Furman, edited for length and clarity, about the issue.

Amanda Taub: When you went looking for an explanation for these strange institutions, as you called them, what did you discover?

Continue reading ‘While Evading Accountability Issues, Sri Lanka Created “Strange Institutions”like the LLRC in a Strategic Move to Provide “Fig Leaf “Excuses for Countries not wanting to Take a Strong Position on Accountability for Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva’ »