News

Dayasiri issues dire warning over national economy

Published

5 years ago

2021/08/25

Sahan Weerasooriya

‘Waste, corruption and irregularities as devastating as corona’

By Shamindra Ferdinando

SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera says the government lacked the wherewithal to provide those struggling to make ends meet sufficient financial assistance.

The decision to provide Rs 2,000 for a family during the current Covid-19 lockdown highlighted the deteriorating economic crisis, State Minister Jayasekera points out.

“In fact, the national economy is in such a bad shape the government found it difficult to pay that amount,” MP Jayasekera told The Island while warning of dire consequences unless the government and the Opposition reached a consensus on a strategic plan to save the economy.

Responding to another query, the Kurunegala District MP discussed the crisis in his pocket borough of Bingiriya electorate, where alone approximately 15,000 persons had been affected by the lockdown. The State Minister emphasised that it wouldn’t be fair to blame one administration or a particular person for the current crisis.

The SLFP group in the government consists of 14 members, including one accommodated on the SLPP National List. MP Jayasekera said that the government found it difficult to pay even Rs 2,000.

Successive governments over the years had allowed key public sector enterprises such as the Ceylon Petroleum

Corporation (CPC), Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), SriLankan Airlines to bleed the national economy, MP Jayasekera said.

Noting Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila’s declaration in June that the entire banking sector faced collapse due to staggering amount of money owed to the Bank of Ceylon and the People’s Bank by the CPC and CEB, lawmaker Jayasekera said that tangible measures were required to address the crisis.

The Presidential Secretariat subsequently estimated the amount owed by the CPC and CEB at Rs 737 bn.

MP Jayasekera said the public sector was a massive burden on the people. Instead of taking a political stand on the public sector, the government and the Opposition should at least now address the issue at hand.

The national income was primarily utilized to pay the salaries of the public sector and pensions, Jayasekera said, adding that the government lacked the financial strength to meet its obligations due to dwindling income.

State Minister Jayasekera said that further expansion of the public sector was unthinkable. However, the government and the Opposition should reach an agreement without further delay that they wouldn’t exploit the issue for political advantage. “Let there be a consensus on a workable plan,” lawmaker Jayasekera said. The unprecedented devastation caused by the raging Covid-19 pandemic had compelled all political parties represented in parliament to act swiftly and decisively, the former minister said.

“If we do not take meaningful measures to stop the rot in the wake of economic catastrophe the country will be bankrupt,” State Minister Jayasekera said.

Referring to the continuing failure on the part of the revenue collection mechanism to meet its obligations, lawmaker Jayasekera explained utterly irresponsible conduct of the Customs. The continuing legal battle between the Customs and Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) over the former seeking massive rewards from the latter as regards a detection made a decade ago, MP Jayasekera said the case underscored the absurdity of the situation. “We are talking about a massive scam. Having allowed the SLPA to clear the equipment, the Customs imposed a penalty for non-payment of duties but the issue at hand is that the penalty money ended up with Customs officers,” MP Jayasekera said.

The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) that inquired into the scam, but hadn’t been able to resolve the issue yet, lawmaker Jayasekera said, asserting that even the Parliament seemed helpless as various interested parties continued to take advantage of an utterly corrupt system. There couldn’t be a better example than the Customs moving court against the SLPA under questionable circumstances to highlight the severe financial impropriety, the former minister said.

Explaining his role as COPA member, MP Jayasekera said that the revelations made at COPA as well as COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises) and Committee on Public Finance (COPF) proved beyond doubt that the parliament over the years had pathetically failed to ensure financial discipline. The lawmaker said that actually he was at a loss and felt so sorry over the failure of the parliament to address the situation.

The Customs, Inland Revenue and the Excise Department responsible for revenue collection operation owed an explanation, the former minister said, pointing out how the public suffered due to negligence on the part of those responsible for ensuring financial stability.

Lawmaker Jayasekera said that as a member of the parliament he couldn’t absolve himself of the responsibility for the overall failure of the parliament. Ensuring financial discipline and transparency were primary responsibilities of the parliament whoever controlled the parliamentary majority, MP Jayasekera said. “Another responsibility is the enactment of new laws. We seem to have failed in both spheres,” the SLFPer said.

The State Minister discussed how Inland Revenue bungled on numerous occasions. One occasion was IR’s failure to collect massive amount in taxes from casinos, lawmaker Jayasekera said, alleging in spite of parliamentary watchdog intervention remedial action couldn’t be taken.

State Minister Jayasekera said that the simmering controversy over Indian involvement in the East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo port and the offering of West terminal which is something only on paper to India revealed the crisis in the government. Some of those who talked about mega plans simply didn’t take into consideration the ground situation nor were they capable of what MP Jayasekera called rationale thinking.

Acknowledging the importance of using organic fertiliser and how it benefited the country, lawmaker Jayasekera said that the whole exercise was now in turmoil as a result of hasty implementation of the project. The former minister said that the systematic destruction caused by successive administrations that turned a blind eye to waste, corruption, irregularities and negligence was immeasurable.

According to him the economy is in such a bad shape preparing budget for 2022 seemed unrealistic. The annual debt servicing amounting to as much as USD 4 bn underscored the catastrophic environment the country was in at the time national economy withered under continuing disruptions caused by Covid-19.

If the country maintained financial discipline, Sri Lanka would have been in a much better position to face the current health emergency, the State Minister said. Pointing out significant assistance received from foreign governments, the private sector as well as various individuals to fight the raging epidemic, lawmaker Jayasekera said that the government and the Opposition needed to review the situation. “We have to adopt a national plan to restore financial discipline or be prepared to face the consequences,” the former minister said.

The MP said that the decision to do away with a range of taxes at the onset of the government that resulted in the loss of over Rs 500 bn caused a debilitating setback.

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Arshdeep and Prabhsimran star as Punjab Kings hammer Mumbai Indians

Published

12 hours ago

2026/04/17

Priyan

Quinton de Kock opened his IPL 2026 with a cracking century [Cricinfo]

Quinton de Kock’s hundred on his comeback to the Mumbai Indians XI was overshadowed by Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer’s demolition of the chase of 196 with 21 balls to spare to keep Punjab Kings unbeaten five games into the season. Arshdeep Singh swung the new ball, reversed the old one, and bowled a quiet over in the middle to lead PBKS’ strangle job on MI, who suffered their fourth successive defeat.

An injury to Rohit Sharma opened the door for de Kock to play his first match of this season and become only the third batter to score a century for three different IPL teams. He scored 112 off 60 balls, Naman Dhir was promoted to No. 4 and scored 50 off 31, but the rest of the MI innings never got going.

Allah Ghazanfar briefly threatened to scupper a typically boisterous PBKS chase with two wickets in the powerplay, but Prabhsimran and Iyer never let MI back in. Like Dhir and de Kock before him, Prabhsimran enjoyed a reprieve on 11, and finished unbeaten 80 off 39 to take his sensational IPL 2026 tally to 211 runs in 122 balls. It was the first time he stayed unbeaten in a successful chase in the IPL.

Iyer scored an equally important 66 off 35, his third consecutive half-century, starting with a four first ball when MI had taken two quick wickets.

Arshdeep came into the match with two wickets and an economy rate of 10.6 in four games this season. Two left-hand openers were the ideal setting for him to improve his performance. The new ball swung in the air and moved off the surface, and Arshdeep kept taking it away from Ryan Rickelton. He beat the bat three times in the first over. In his second, he bowled a wobble-seam ball that ended up on the pads, but Rickelton found deep square leg to perfection.

Arshdeep backed Suryakumar Yadav to walk out expecting movement from left to right, but he angled the seam away, drew a thick edge and doubled his season’s wickets tally in two balls, and also went past 100 IPL wickets.

Even before those two wickets, de Kock signalled dangerous intent with a silken, aerial extra-cover drive first ball off fellow South African Marco Jansen. In Jansen’s next over, Yuzvendra Chahal lost the ball in the lights and missed a sitter from Naman Dhir. In the last over of the powerplay, de Kock gave up on making his ground but Iyer missed the stumps from mid-off.

That drop wasn’t the last error Chahal made. He started his spell by searching and frequently over-pitching and ended up conceding five sixes in his three overs for 45. Dhir hit two of those, the one over extra cover the highlight of his innings.

By the time de Kock got to fifty, MI looked set for a total in excess of 200. From 97 for 2 in 10 overs, de Kock went up a gear even as Dhir caught up with him. At 125 for 2 in 12 overs, PBKS were looking at a challenging target.

The comeback for PBKS began with Jansen conceding just seven in the 13th over, but like in the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the lack of pace from Shashank Singh once again produced a game-changing wicket. In his 31-ball 50, Dhir evoked a lot of Hardik Pandya with a compact bat swing and shots that looked quite like the MI captain’s. Pandya himself, though, hardly got anything out of the middle of the bat. He eventually fell for 14 off 12 to what could well end up as the catch of the tournament.

Iyer didn’t even get his name on the scoreboard for this effort at long on: he went full length as he leaped to rein the ball in, caught it in his left hand while airborne, transferred it to his right even as he came down over the boundary, and managed to throw it to Xavier Bartlett before he touched ground.

With the ball reversing, Jansen and Arshdeep bowled excellent yorkers, going for eight and nine in overs 18 and 19. Sherfane Rutherford got four tailing pinpoint yorkers during his five-ball stay for one run. Only 70 came in the last eight, prompting Dhir to say during the innings break that MI were 20 runs short.

The way Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran tucked into some buffet bowling from Deepak Chahar, it looked like 195 was not 20 short but 40. However, led by Jasprit Bumrah who bowled four straight dots to Arya, Ghazanfar ended up with two wickets in the powerplay: Arya caught at midwicket and Cooper Connolly caught behind.

There was a time when MI had strung together 10 balls for one run and a wicket across the second and third overs of the chase. Prabhsimran cut the 11th for a regulation catch to backward point but Bumrah, wicketless in six straight IPL matches now, dropped it.

When Connolly fell, MI were still hopeful of a comeback. Iyer, though, brought a sense of calm, playing Ghazanfar’s mystery spin like you would offspin. He cover-drove the first ball he faced for four, and PBKS never looked back.

Prabhsimran faced just six balls in the first five overs, which means he did most of the damage with the field spread out. It started when Chahar came back to bowl the eighth over. Prabhsimran charged at him to hit a 90-metre six over wide long-off before tucking one off the hip for four.

Now Prabhsimran began to dominate the strike and the scoring, bringing up his fifty with successive fours off Shardul Thakur in just 23 balls.

Bumrah might be wicketless but his bowling has been good through the season. However, when Iyer pulled him for a disdainful six in the 13th over, it was all over for MI. If there were any doubts remaining with 50 needed off the last seven overs, Prabhsimran dispelled them with a four and a six off Pandya. The end was swift and brutal with even Bumrah finishing with 0 for 41 in his four overs.

Brief scores:
Punjab Kings 198 for 3 in 16.3 overs (Priyansh Arya 15, Prabhsimran 80*, Cooper Connolly 17, Shreyas Iyer 66, Marcus Stoinis 10*; AM Ghazanfar 2-31, Shardul Thakur 1-42 ) beat Mumbai Indians 195 for 6 in 20 overs (Quinton De Kock 112*, Naman Dhir 50, Hardik Pandya 14; Arshdeep Singh 3-22, Marco Jansen 1-30, Shahshank Singh 1-19) by seven wickets

[Cricinfo]

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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district

Published

14 hours ago

2026/04/17

Priyan

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 16 April 2026, valid for 17 April 2026.

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern
and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district.

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.

News

Ex-COPE head questions Prez Secy’s intervention in coal scam probe

Published

14 hours ago

2026/04/17

Thilina Walpola

“Auditor General’s reports a matter for Legislature not the Executive”

Former Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) Charitha Herath has said it is the COPE, and not the Secretary to the President, that should have asked the CID to probe irregularities in the procurement of coal for the Lakvijaya power plant.

Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, who is the Secretary to the President, lodged a complaint with the CID last week seeking an investigation into coal procurement.

No previous Secretary to a President had done so, the former parliamentarian and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Working Committee member said. Herath said so responding to The Island query regarding Kumanayake calling for a probe into coal procurement, since 2009, following the National Audit Office (NAO) report on the controversial procurement process for the 2025/2-26 period.

Herath emphasised that COPE, taking into consideration the growing discontent over coal procurement, especially after the NAO exposed serious irregularities, should have initiated action. Herath cited the National System Operator’s (NSO) seeking an additional electricity tariff increase of 15%, in addition to 10% increase announced on 01 April, for the second quarter, to cover-up Rs 16 bn deficit in power generation, as a matter of grave concern. NSO has cited the prevailing dry weather, the continuing crisis in West Asia, and the low-grade coal that had been procured as primary reasons for the unanticipated shortfall in electricity generation.

Herath said that as the Secretary to the Ministry concerned was the Chief Accounting Officer, the actions of the Secretary to the President caused a technical issue. Prof. Udayanga Hemapala, now under a cloud over the violation of procurement procedures, as confirmed by the NAO, is the Secretary to the Energy Ministry. Herath emphasised the importance of the procedure adopted in appointing a Secretary to a Ministry. “President issues one letter making the appointment. Secretary to the Finance Ministry issues a second letter underscoring the responsibilities of a Ministry Secretary as the Chief Accounting Officer of a particular Ministry,” Herath said.

The second letter emphasised the accountability on the part of the Ministry Secretary regarding public finance and his direct answerability to Parliament.

The ex-COPE Chief pointed out that the Secretary to the President was part of the executive. He was not part of the legislature. If there had been a directive from COPE, that should have been issued to the Secretary to the Energy Ministry, Herath said, emphasising the entire process had to be led by the legislature not the executive. In this instance to make matters worse the finger is also pointed at the executive for being part of the alleged cover up.

The Auditor General, who heads the NAO, is answerable to Parliament, Herath said, pointing out that the AG never sent reports to the Secretary to the President, who, too, comes under the purview of the NAO. The intervention made by the Secretary to the President could set a very bad precedent and it was unfortunate that the NPP, having campaigned on an anti-corruption platform at national elections in 2024 was now struggling to cope up with the major post-Aragalaya coal scandal.

The NAO undertook the examination of the 2025/2-26 coal procurement on a request made by Dr. Nishantha Samaraweera, Galle District lawmaker, representing the ruling NPP.

Lakvijaya, the country’s sole coal power plant, situated at Norochcholai, requires approximately 2.25 mt million annually and is credited with generating 30% to 40% of the overall national electricity requirement.

According to the NAO report, the Energy Ministry had awarded the term tender for the supply of coal to India’s Trident Chemphar Ltd., though it wasn’t properly registered. The NAO also pointed out the failure on the part of the supplier to follow proper procedure in respect of loading and unloading at respective ports.

Herath said that intentionally, or inadvertently, the NPP had erred in handling the investigation. He said after receiving the NAO’s report, COPE could have averted unnecessary controversy by following the laid down procedures. The COPE Chairman could direct the Energy Secretary to inquire into the coal procurement within seven days and submit a report to Parliament. In addition, if there had been any wrongdoing on the part of officials, relevant documents/files should be sent to the CIABOC or the CID.

The COPE, in consultation with the Speaker, could also take up in Parliament as an urgent/emergency issue at the onset of the proceedings, Herath said, adding that an interim report could be presented. On the basis of that report, in terms of the Standing Orders the Parliament could immediately decide to send it to the CID.

In addition to the above mentioned procedures, the COPE could on its own initiate a fresh inquiry and submit a report to Parliament and the country, Herath said. Pointing out that the coal company comes under the purview of the executive and not the legislature, Herath said that actions of the executive could be investigated. Herath explained how the British and the US responded to such situations. Unfortunately, here in Sri Lanka apparently the COPE was being used to clear the Minister concerned while holding the officials responsible for the coal scandal.

In the wake of the NAO report signed by Auditor General Samudrika Jayarathne, the defeat of the no-confidence motion moved against Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody couldn’t be considered a victory for the government, the ex-MP said. In fact, the coal scam has challenged the NPP’s much propagated anti-corruption stance, Herath said, adding that the issue couldn’t be examined without discussing the Energy Minister being indicted over corruption by the Colombo High Court recently.

By Shamindra Ferdinando