News

CBK plan to get country on an even keel

Published

4 years ago

2022/05/15

Former president Chandrika Kumaratunga made the following proposals to tackle the enormous problems no confronting the country. She has said her draft must be perfected in legal terms.

This proposal is made in the present context of the major political crisis facing the country. The Government has totally failed to deliver proper governance, resulting in the complete breakdown of the economy. The country has no Government. The vast majority of the citizens are out on the streets demanding the resignation of the President and the entire Government in a peaceful but powerful movement. Peoples’ power seems to have taken over the country.

This proposal is an attempt to find a resolution to the immediate problems arising from the situation. We have taken into serious consideration the need for a creation of a Government with the participation of Civil Society.

The present situation does not permit an election to be held immediately. It seems evident that an interim government is needed, in order to bring back political and social stability, and to resolve the most urgent economic issues.

The most feasible option is that of an interim Government that will function for a maximum period of six months, with the responsibility to restore order and stabilize the economy before calling for Parliamentary elections.

The proposal below has been worked out after dialogue with representatives of civil society, academics and the youthful protesters on the one hand, and taking into consideration the Constitutional stipulations as well as the existing Parliamentary situation, on the other.

PROPOSAL

1. An Interim Government will be formed for a maximum of six months.

2. (i) The Head of the Government shall be the Prime Minister elected from among the Members of Parliament, who enjoys the confidence of the majority of Parliament.

(ii) The Prime Minister will be the Head of Government and Head of the Cabinet.

(iii) The Cabinet of Ministers will be charged with the direction and control of the Government.

They shall be collectively responsible and answerable to Parliament.

3. The Cabinet will comprise of 12 Ministers from among the Members of the present Parliament as per Article 42 of the Constitution.

4. The Interim Government shall bring amendments to the Constitution which will :-

(a) abolish the office of the Executive President and replace it with that of a Head of State who will be the nominal President.

5. Strengthen the Constitutional Council and Independent Commissions.

The independence of all these Institutions from political influences shall be guaranteed.

Chairman of the Constitutional Council will be the Speaker of the Houses of Parliament. The Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition will be members, together with seven others who will be distinguished citizens from the professions and academia.

The Chairman of the Council of State will be one of the seven members.

Members of Parliament, Pradeshiya Sabhas and Local Government bodies shall not be members of the Constitutional Council.

All members of the Constitutional Council shall be selected from those who have no allegations of corruption or other wrong doing.

The members of the Independent Commissions shall be appointed by the Constitutional Council, selected by consensus, from among persons who have recognized expertise in their professions with no allegations of wrong doing.

The President of the Republic and the Leader of the Opposition shall nominate one member each. One-third of the total number of members shall be below 40 years of age and one-third of the total members shall be women.

6. There will be a Council of State for National Policy (COS).

The Cabinet shall act in consultation with the Council of State on all matters relating to the drafting and implementation of Policy, Laws and Regulations.

(a) The Council of State will promote democratic governance and prevent authoritarianism through the effective participation of citizens in decision making and implementation of government policy.

(b) Provision is made for 40% of the members of the Council to comprise of youth, permitting effective youth participation in the government.

(c) The Council of State shall act in close collaboration with the Cabinet of Ministers and other relevant government institutions in the performance of its duties.

(d)The Cabinet of Ministers is deemed to consult the COS on important laws and policies, before they are presented to Parliament and/or implemented.

(e) The Council of State will review important laws and policies before they are presented to Parliament by the government. It may also propose laws to the Cabinet and Government.

The Council of State will review policies of the Government, especially regarding Constitutional Amendments; the Economy; Governance, Education and matters relating to anti-corruption and transparency in government. The Council may also present proposals to the Government on the Economy and economic development and social matters.

(f) The Council of State will promote dialogue between the Government and the various sectors of civil society- professionals, business/private sector, academics and NGOs in the process of Government policy formulation and implementation.

7. The membership of the Council of State shall comprise of representatives of all ethnic and religious communities in Sri Lanka.

The term of office of the members of the Council will be five years and shall be concurrent with the term of office of the Parliament.

Elected members of political parties, individual MPs, Provincial Councillors and members of Local Government bodies will not be eligible for membership of the Council of State.

(i) The Council of State will be comprised of 36 members of which 27 shall be nominated by Civil Society Organizations, the professions, business and private sector, academics and NGOs and nine members nominated by the PM and Leader of the Opposition.

The 27 Civil Society representatives will be nominated as follows: –

(ii) A total of 16 members will be from the professional associations in the following fields on the basis of one /two representatives from each association:

a) The Legal Profession – 02

b) The Medical Profession – 02

c) Accountants – 02

d) IT Professionals – 1/2

e) Engineers – 01

f) Surveyors &Valuers – 02

g) Teachers& Principals – 02

h) Retired Senior Public servants – 03

Other professions

(iii) Representation from the following fields will be as follows:

a) Artists – 02

b) Private sector- 05

c) Academics – 02

d) NGOs – 02

(iv)not less than 40% of the total no.of members shall be below the age of 40 years, (15)

(v) 40 % of the total shall be women as per 6 (ii)and (iii) above. (15)

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News

Fast Attack Craft P 4447 recovered in successful salvage operation

Published

7 hours ago

2026/09/14

Priyan

The Sri Lanka Navy successfully recovered its Fast Attack Craft P 4447 following a successful salvage operation, bringing a multi-stage emergency response to a close.

The craft, which ran into distress during a routine patrol on 15th August 2026 off Angulana, was brought to the surface on 11th September, from a depth of approximately 80 feet. It was
subsequently towed to the Colombo Dockyard premises.
The initial phase of the operation immediately following the incident focused on search and rescue. A joint effort involving the Navy, Air Force, Police, and local fishermen from Angulana
resulted in the rescue of 11 crew members. The search and rescue phase drew to a close with the recovery of the remains of the Second in Command of the craft, on 4th September.

Following the search and rescue phase, specialized Navy diving and salvage teams launched a dedicated recovery phase against rough sea conditions and underwater challenges, adhering to
strict safety protocols. The Navy’s marine, hull, electrical, and electronic engineering teams utilized specialized technical know-how and equipment to raise the vessel in stages.

Thus, the salvage operation marked an outstanding achievement attained through the professionalism, technical expertise of Navy divers, and coordinated contribution of all
engineering and technical branches of the Sri Lanka Navy. Technical support and specialized expertise were also extended by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and Colombo Dockyard PLC.

News

CIABOC member’s appointment: Controversy over Speaker under probe heading selection process

Published

9 hours ago

2026/09/14

Thilina Walpola

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The Opposition should intensity its focus on the forthcoming selection of a member of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and remain vigilant as Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickremaratne, MP, the head of the Constitutional Council (CC) tasked with making the relevant recommendation, is under investigation by the CIABOC, sources familiar with the ongoing inquiry told The Island.

Chethiya Goonasekara, PC, is expected to complete his three-year term on Dec 31, 2026. Sources pointed out that CIABOC Commissioners are appointed by the President on the recommendation made by the 10-member Constitutional Council.

The CIABOC initiated the investigation following a complaint lodged by suspended Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General of Parliament Chaminda Kularatne in early February this year. Sources said that as Goonasekera is scheduled to complete his term toward the end of 2026, the CC would have to call applications soon to choose the successor.

Goonasekara received his appointment from President Ranil Wickremesinghe in January 2024. A Justice W. M. N. P. Iddawala was appointed Chairman of the CIABOC. The other commissioner is K. Bernard Rajapakse.

Asked whether Iddawala and Rajapakse, too, would complete their terms soon, sources said that in terms of the Anti-Corruption Act No 09 of 2023, the Chairman of CIABOC would hold office for a period of five years, second commissioner (K. Bernard Rajapakse) for four years and the third commissioner (Chethiya Goonasekara) for a period of three years.

Sources said that the Opposition as well as civil society representatives in the CC should take up the issue of Speaker facing an investigation by the CIABOC taking part in the forthcoming selection process. Responding to queries, sources emphasized that the issue was whether in terms of Section 107 of the Anti-Corruption Act the participation of the Speaker in the selection process amounted to a violation of the Act itself.

The current members of the CC are Dr Jagath Wickramaratne, Speaker and Chairman of the Constitutional Council, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister, Sajith Premadasa, Leader of the Opposition, Bimal Rathnayake, MP, Aboobucker Athambawa, MP, Ajith P. Perera, MP, Sivagnanam Shritharan, MP, Austin Fernando, Civil society representative, Prof. Wasantha Seneviratne, Civil society representative and Ranjith Ariyaratne, Civil society representative.

Sources pointed out that in spite of the sensitivity of the case, the CIABOC recorded Kularatne’s statement in the second week of August, six months after he lodged the complaint.

The CIABOC on 3, 8 and 10 Sept recorded the statements from the Transport Officer, Deputy Director, Administration and Assistant Director, Finance regarding the use of facilities by the Speaker, those assigned to his staff and other relevant matters.

The NPP named Dr. Wickramaratne as the Speaker after Asoka Ranwala resigned over controversy regarding his higher education qualifications.

SJB lawmaker Dayasiri Jayaskera has repeatedly raised the issues concerning the Speaker with the focus also on the Speaker using two government-managed residences, relevant staff in addition to expenditure on food, transport and fuel provided to the Speaker’s private secretary.

Political sources said that trouble erupted after the Parliamentary Staff Advisory Council in late January sacked Kularatne accusing him of providing false information to secure his appointment. Before being appointed as the Deputy Secretary-General of Parliament in 2023, Kularatne held several high-ranking positions, including Secretary to the Chief Government Whip, Additional Secretary to the President, Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister, and Additional Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition.

The SJB declared in Parliament that Ranwala should be brought back as the Speaker as they have no faith in Wickramaratne. MP Mujibur Rahuman jokingly told parliament that the Opposition wouldn’t raise Ranwala’s educational qualifications.

News

GMOA: Countrywide cadre revision not done since 2015

Published

9 hours ago

2026/09/14

Thilina Walpola

Dhammika

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has stressed the need to conduct a comprehensive countrywide cadre revision urgently.

GMOA spokesman Dr. Lasitha Dhammika told The Island that the failure on the part of successive governments to conduct cadre revision caused the deterioration of the public sector health services. Due to the absence of required statistics, they hadn’t been able to fully comprehend the situation on the ground and to ascertain the requirements of the public.

Dr. Dhammika pointed out the expansion of the services without supporting statistics and the need to initiate an immediate cadre revision. According to him, the GMOA had raised this issue with successive governments without success. The GMOA spokesman said that they also sought relevant information from the Health Ministry in terms of the Right to Information (RTI) Act two weeks ago but was yet to receive response.

(SF)