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Regardless of expulsion of Diana G, dual citizens may have received nominations- Rohana

Published

1 year ago

2024/11/15

Thilina Walpola

Rohana

‘Results will highlight deterioration of party system due to coalition politics’

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Executive Director of People’s Action for Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL) Rohana Hettiarachchi yesterday (14) said that in spite of State Minister Diana Gamage (SJB/National List) losing her parliamentary seat over the citizenship issue in May this year, the possibility of foreigners or dual citizens having contested the Nov 14 general election couldn’t be ruled out.

Gamage entered parliament following the last parliamentary election conducted in Aug. 2020.

Hettiarachchi, who is also the co-convenor of March 12 Movement said that during the parliamentary election campaign claims were made regarding some dual citizens receiving nominations. “They may not get elected. But, the issue at hand must be addressed.”

The civil society activist said so in response to The Island queries. The bottom line is that if prospective contestants decided to withhold information regarding their citizenship status, the Election Commission couldn’t do anything about it.

A three-judge Supreme Court bench on May 08 declared that Gamage is not legally qualified to serve as a Member of Parliament.

Hettiarachchi said that regardless of a specific constitutional provision that barred foreigners and dual citizens from either contesting or entering parliament on the National List, the EC was yet to take appropriate measures to implement the law of the land.

A senior EC official acknowledged that they couldn’t verify the citizenship status of candidates. “We have to go by the information provided by them,” the official said.

Hettiarachchi pointed out that the dismissal of Gamage and three other ministers Naseer Ahamed (SLMC/Batticaloa) in early Oct last year and Manusha Nanayakkara (SJB/ Galle) and Harin Fernando (SJB/National List) by SC in August this year have had a consequential impact on the political party set-up. Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara contested yesterday’s general election on the New Democratic Front (NDF) ticket, led by Ranil Wickremesinghe, who did not contest.

All of them had been in the cabinet of President Ranil Wickremesinghe when the SC upheld their dismissal by the party, Hettiarachchi said, emphasising the responsibility on the part of once major political parties to review their strategies.

Warning political parties that certain practices could face legal challenges due to the developing situation, Hettiarachchi said that the new parliament scheduled to meet on Nov 21 would be full of newcomers. According to him, the total number of new entrants would be the highest since the introduction of the Proportional Representation system at the 1989 general election.

Hettiarachchi said that the devastating defeat experienced by major parties at the presidential election prompted several dozens of prominent lawmakers, including party leaders to skip the general election.

Hettiarachchi noted that some sought the refuge of the National List. However, inclusion in the National List couldn’t guarantee a seat, Hettiarachchi said, underscoring the importance of filling National List slots with those already named in respective lists.

Parliament consists of 196 elected and 29 appointed members from National Lists. Commenting on deterioration of political parties over the past two decades, Hettiarachchi pointed out there couldn’t be a better example than the decimation of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) that won 145 seats at the 2020 general election.

Hettiarachchi also referred to the UNP being reduced to just one seat at the 2020 general election after having 106 seats at the previous parliament.

Commenting on the postponement of Local Government polls in 2023, Hettiarachchi said that the then major parties paid a huge price for allowing President Wickremesinghe to indefinitely put off polls. The veteran polls monitor said that the outcome of the presidential and general elections should be examined taking into consideration political parties’ response to Wickremesinghe’s action. The PAFFREL Chief said that the then Premier Dinesh Gunawardena couldn’t absolve himself of the responsibility for the postponement of the LG polls.

One of the most important features in the presidential and parliamentary polls campaigns was the absence of religious and ethnic rhetoric, Hettiarachchi said, adding that all appreciated the peaceful conduct of the election.

However, a major overhaul of the system was necessary to restore public confidence in the electoral system, Hettiarachchi said.

Pointing out that 49 political parties and 282 independent groups have been in the fray, Hettiarachchi emphasised that opportunistic coalition politics dealt a severe blow to major political parties.

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Landslide Early Warnings issued to the Districts of Kurunegala and Ratnapura

Published

5 hours ago

2026/04/23

Priyan

The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has issued Landslide Early Warnings to the Districts of Kurunegala and Ratnapura effective from 16:00 hrs on 23.04.2026 To 16:00 hrs on 24.04.2026

Accordingly,

Level 1 landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Rideegama in the Kurunegala district and Kuruwita, Kalawana, Ratnapura, Nivithigala, Pelmadulla and Eheliyagoda in the Ratnapura district.

Latest News

Advisory for Severe Lightning issued for the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-western, North-central, Southern, Uva provinces, and Ampara and Batticaloa districts

Published

7 hours ago

2026/04/23

Priyan

Advisory for Severe Lightning
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology
Issued at 12.00 noon 23 April 2026 valid for the period until 11.30 p.m. 23 April 2026

Thundershowers accompanied with severe lightning are likely to occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-western, North-central, Southern, Uva provinces, and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts after 1.00 p.m.

There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.

ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
• Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.

News

Compensation payments and reconstruction activities related to the Ditwah relief measures must be expedited with special attention at the district level – PM

Published

17 hours ago

2026/04/23

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya emphasized that compensation payments and reconstruction activities related to the Ditwah relief measures must be expedited with special attention at the district level. She further stated that all necessary allocations have already been made to Provincial Councils and instructed that the progress of disaster damage assessments and reconstruction efforts be closely monitored at the provincial level.

The Prime Minister made these remarks at a discussion held on Tuesday (21) at Temple Trees under her patronage, aimed at informing Chairpersons of District Coordination Committees and public representatives from disaster-affected districts, in order to accelerate the implementation of the “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” programme. The discussion focused on expediting disaster relief and compensation payments, as well as the swift restoration of infrastructure damaged by the disaster.

The Prime Minister emphasized that Rs. 500 billion has been allocated for damages caused by the Ditwah cyclone, and that all relevant development activities must be completed before the end of 2026. The Prime Minister also instructed officials to pay special attention to resolving issues at the local level that are causing delays in compensation payments.

Senior Additional Secretary to the President, G.M.R.D. Aponsu, stated that the estimated cost for reconstruction following the Ditwah cyclone is approximately USD 3.4 billion. Accordingly, funds have been allocated for compensation across several sectors including housing and social infrastructure, agriculture and livestock, fisheries, industry and livelihoods, and irrigation. He further noted that 99% of the Rs. 25,000 allowance has already been disbursed, while 95% of the Rs. 50,000 resettlement allowance has been paid. Compensation for fully and partially damaged houses is still ongoing, and 99% of temporary relief centres have been closed.

Additionally, attention was drawn to several other measures, including providing Rs. 25,000 to affected schoolchildren, paying Rs. 1 million as compensation for each deceased individual, compensation for children who lost one or both parents, support for persons with disabilities affected by the disaster, compensation for agricultural losses, and expediting resettlement of displaced families. Measures such as allocating land for new housing construction and accelerating the issuance of reports from the National Building Research Organization were also discussed.

Focus was also placed on the reconstruction of affected schools, hospitals, and daycare centres, improving the accuracy and speed of data collection at the local level, and accelerating infrastructure development.

The event was attended by Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Samantha Vidyarathna, Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Dr. Chandana Abayarathna, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne, Deputy Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperatives R.M. Jayawardena, Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Madhura Senevirathna, Members of Parliament, Chairpersons of District Coordination Committees, Chief of Staff to the President and Commissioner General of Essential Services Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Additional Secretary to the President Jayantha Bandara; and officials of the Prime Minister’s Office.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]