News
Prez poll 2024: Sharply divided SLFP pulling in different directions
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Jaffna District SLFP parliamentarian Angajan Ramanathan yesterday (06) said that he would decide whom to support at the forthcoming presidential election depending on the response of independent candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa to his proposals.
Lawmaker Ramanathan said so when The Island asked him what he would do as the solitary SLFPer elected under the hand symbol at the last general election held in August 2020.
Acknowledging that the 13 SLFPers who had been elected and appointed on the SLPP National List were divided over the party’s stance at the presidential poll, MP Ramanathan said that he recently handed over a set of proposals, based on aspirations of those living in the Jaffna electorate, to President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
MP Ramanathan said: “President Wickremesinghe, during his visit to Jaffna late last week visited my political office there. People’s proposals were handed over to him. The President responded positively. I’ll be handing over the same set of proposals to SJB leader today.”
Responding to another question, MP Ramanathan said that he wouldn’t discuss their proposals with other Jaffna-based political parties. “I have no intention to do so,” the Deputy Chairperson of Committees said.
Having unsuccessfully contested Jaffna on the UPFA ticket at the 2010 and 2015 general elections, Ramanathan first entered Parliament in 2015 on the UPFA National List. Ramanathan switched his allegiance to Maithripala Sirisena’s SLFP at the 2020 general election.
Meanwhile, a section of the SLFP led by General Secretary of the Party Dayasiri Jayasekera following lengthy deliberations has decided to back SJB leader Sajith Premadasa’s candidature at the presidential election.
The SLFP and SJB will finalize their agreement at the Waters Edge today (07). General Secretary of the UPFA Thilanga Sumathipala, too, has pledged his support to this endeavour.
Lawmaker Jayasekera told The Island that it would be a grave blunder on the part of those who enjoy ministerial perks to believe the voters would follow them.
Acknowledging that of the 14-member parliamentary group, the majority backed President Wickremesinghe’s candidature, the former Yahapalana Minister said those who voted for them wouldn’t be swayed and the party was confident of their continuous support.
MP Jayasekera pointed out that the SLPP secured a staggering 145 seats at the last general election, with the backing of the SLFP. Unfortunately, that party quite conveniently had forgottten the SLFP’s contribution and acted in such a brazen manner much to the disappointment of those who expected a genuine change.
“We are at crossroads,” MP Jayasekera said, urging the electorate to be mindful of President Wickremesinghe’s machinations. Whatever Wickremesinghe’s ministers say, voters should be aware of the danger in case the UNP leader won the election with the backing of an utterly corrupt section of the ruling party.
One-time SLFP Chairman and ex-General Secretary as well as current Senior Vice President Prof. Rohana Lakshman said that the party followed, what he called, a proper consultation process before reaching consensus on Premadasa’s candidature.
Prof. Lakshman said that he didn’t want to support Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe though the former leader Sirisena did so. “We had no option but to take a decision in the wake of the Election Commission declaring the date of the presidential election,” Prof. Lakshman said.
Asked whether the party considered fielding its own candidate after legal challenge against their original choice the then Justice Minister Rajapakshe, Prof. Lakshman said that they felt such a move as unrealistic due to post-Aragalaya realignment of political parties.
Both MP Jayasekera and Prof. Lakshman said that President Wickremesinghe, backed by the SLPP, posed a massive threat to the democratic system. Their project should be thwarted at any cost, they declared, urging the voters to rally around the SJB candidate.
Prof. Lakshman said that those who betrayed the party for ministerial portfolios and other perks and privileges squandered a golden opportunity to present a united face to the electorate. The bottom line is they treacherously held onto positions at the expense of the party, thereby undermined the very principles of the party, Prof. Lakshman said.
The Government’s ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, established to provide relief and support to communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, continues to receive financial contributions on a daily basis.
Accordingly, the Containers Transport Owners Association made a financial contribution of Rs. 1.5 million, while the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers contributed Rs. 1.35 million to the Fund.
The respective cheques were formally presented to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday (19).
The occasion was attended by W. M. S. K. Manjula, Chairman of the Containers Transport Owners Association, together with Dilip Nihal Anslem Perera and Jayantha Karunadhipathi.
Representing the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers were Deshan Rajapaksa, Samudika Perera and Devshan Rodrigo handed over the cheque.
A meeting between Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and a delegation of UNICEF representatives was held on Saturday, (December 20) at the Prime Minister’s Office.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister explained the measures taken by the Government to ensure the protection of the affected student community and to restore the damaged school system, as well as the challenges encountered in this process.
The Prime Minister stated that reopening schools located in landslide-prone areas would be extremely dangerous. Accordingly, the Government is focusing on identifying such schools and relocating them to suitable locations based on scientific assessments.
The Prime Minister further noted that financial assistance has been provided to students affected by the disaster, enabling parents to send their children back to school without an additional financial burden. Emphasizing that school is the safest place for children after their homes, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the school environment would help restore and improve students’ mental well-being
The Prime Minister also highlighted that attention has been given to several key areas, including the relocation of disaster-affected schools, restoration of school infrastructure, merging and operating certain schools jointly, facilitating teaching and learning through digital and technological strategies, and providing special transportation facilities. She emphasized that the Government is examining these issues and is committed to finding long-term solutions.
The UNICEF representatives commended the Government’s commitment and the initiatives undertaken to restore the education sector and assured their support to the Government. Both parties also discussed working together collaboratively on future initiatives.
The meeting was attended by the UNICEF representatives to Sri Lanka Emma Brigham, Lakshmi Sureshkumar, Nishantha Subash, and Yashinka Jayasinghe, along with Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwewa, Director of Education Dakshina Kasturiarachchi, Deputy Directors Kasun Gunarathne and Udara Dikkumbura.
(Prime Minister’s Media Division)
Drug controversy:
“Setting up state-of-the-art drug testing facility will cost Rs 5 billion”
Activists call for legal action against politicians, bureaucrats
Serious questions have been raised over Sri Lanka’s drug regulatory system following revelations that the National Medicines Regulatory Authority’s (NMRA) quality control laboratory is not accredited by the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB), casting doubt on both the reliability of local test results and the adequacy of oversight of imported medicines.
Medical and civil rights groups warn that the issue points to a systemic regulatory failure rather than an isolated lapse, with potential political and financial consequences for the State.
Chairman of the Federation of Medical and Civil Rights Professional Associations, Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, said the controversy surrounding the Ondansetron injection, which was later found to be contaminated, had exposed deep weaknesses in drug regulation and quality assurance.
Dr. Sanjeewa said that the manufacturer had confirmed that the drug had been imported into Sri Lanka on four occasions this year, despite later being temporarily withdrawn from use. The drug was manufactured in India in November 2024 and in May and August 2025, and imported to Sri Lanka in February, July and September. On each occasion, 67,600 phials were procured.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the company had informed the NMRA that the drug was tested in Indian laboratories, prior to shipment, and passed all required quality checks. The manufacturer reportedly tested the injections against 10 parameters, including basic quality standards,
pH value, visual appearance, component composition, quantity per phial, sterility levels, presence of other substances, bacterial toxin levels and spectral variations.
According to documents submitted to the NMRA, no bacterial toxins were detected in the original samples, and the reported toxin levels were within European safety limits of less than 9.9 international units per milligram.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the credibility of local regulatory oversight had come under scrutiny, noting that the NMRA’s quality control laboratory was not SLAB-accredited. He said establishing a fully equipped, internationally accredited laboratory would cost nearly Rs. 5 billion.
He warned that the failure to invest in such a facility could have grave consequences, including continued loss of life due to substandard medicines and the inability of the State to recover large sums of public funds paid to pharmaceutical companies for defective drugs.
“If urgent steps are not taken, public money will continue to be lost and accountability will remain elusive,” Dr. Sanjeewa said.
He added that if it was ultimately confirmed that the drug did not contain bacterial toxins at the time it entered Sri Lanka, the fallout would be even more damaging, severely undermining the credibility of the country’s health system and exposing weaknesses in health administration.
Dr. Sanjeewa said public trust in the health sector had already been eroded and called for legal action against all politicians and public officials responsible for regulatory failures linked to the incident.
by Chaminda Silva ✍️
Financial contributions received for ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund
UNICEF representatives and PM discuss rebuilding schools affected by the Disaster
A few showers may occur in the Uva province and in Ampara, Batticaloa, Matale, Nuwara-Eliya, and Hambantota districts
NMRA laboratory lacks SLAB accreditation
Air quality deteriorating in Sri Lanka
Cardinal urges govt. not to weaken key socio-cultural institutions
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
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