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21 A: Sri Lanka Direct submit far reaching proposals; Prevention of crossovers among issues raised

Published

4 years ago

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Justice Minister Dr. Rajapakse receiving proposals from Sri Lanka Direct

Civil society grouping Sri Lanka Direct has forwarded a set of proposals to Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC, spearheading the efforts to promulgate the 21st Amendment to the Constitution.

Sri Lanka Direct comprising professionals in different fields has dealt with several issues, including the executive’s power to prorogue and dissolve Parliament, prevent crossovers and the appointment of Governors and heads of overseas missions.

The grouping asked the Justice Minister to share their proposals with the Cabinet of Ministers for due consideration and inclusion in the proposed amendment. A senior spokesperson for the group said that they expected the proposed amendment would be an interim arrangement before definitive changes at a future date which could require amendment necessitating a referendum.

The proposals are:

1. Article 44 of the

Constitution – Ministers and their subjects and Secretaries:-

It is our view that the President should not hold any portfolio and therefore Article

44(2) of the Constitution is best deleted / appropriately amended to reflect the same.

Articles 51 and 52 of the Constitution related to appointment of Secretaries:-

It is our submission that the appointments under Articles 51 and 52 of the Constitution, i.e. the appointment of the Secretaries to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet of Ministers and Ministries should be on the advice of the Prime Minister, and this is also important for purposes of practicality.

2. Article 41A – Constitutional Council:-

It was originally envisaged in the Draft Bill of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution that there would be greater representation by appointees from outside Parliament.

The present draft provides for three (3) such persons in a total of ten (10).

We urge that there be an increase in the outside parliament appointees towards increased citizen participation recognizing a greater role of the sovereign people to at least reflect a balance between appointees from Parliament. This is especially in the context where the role and function of the Constitutional Council is to ascertain objectively the suitability of nominations by the Executive and a Constitutional Council in the proposed format will not fully achieve that objective.

3. Persons / Institutions coming under the purview of the Constitutional Council:-

May we suggest that the following institutions also be brought under the purview of the Constitutional Council and the Constitutional Council should approve the appointments for the members of;

a) The Right to Information Commission.

b) The Office bearers of the Port City Commission.

c) The University Grants Commission.

d) The Members of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

4. The President’s Power to Prorogue and Dissolve Parliament:-

It is also submitted that the President’s Power to prorogue and dissolve Parliament unless by effluxion of its term as provided by the Constitution should only be on the advice of the Prime Minister.

5. Appointment of Governors and Heads of Mission Abroad:-

We also submit that in appointing Governors and Head of Missions Abroad, the President should only act on the advice of the Prime Minister.

6. Prevention of Crossovers of Members of Parliament:-

We are also deeply concerned on the impact that crossovers of Members of Parliament have on the system of governance and submit that suitable provision should be included to prevent unethical crossovers by Members of Parliament which are influenced by collateral motivations and which are against the will and intent of the sovereign people. One possible way of addressing this issue could be to introduce suitable provision disqualifying such Members of Parliament from accepting appointment as a Minister in terms of Articles 43, 44, or 45 of the Constitution upon such cross over.

We are making the above submissions in the considered view that the suggested changes will not necessitate the need for a referendum.”


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Heat Index at ‘Caution level’ in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Anuradhapura, Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts

Published

3 hours ago

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2026/03/26

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Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of  Meteorology
at 3.30 p.m. on 25 March 2026, valid for 26 March 2026.

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

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.

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US dodges question on AKD’s claim SL denied permission for military aircraft to land

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4 hours ago

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2026/03/26

By

President

By Shamindra Ferdinando

A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Colombo declared that the United States and Sri Lanka maintain a long-standing defence partnership, grounded in transparency, mutual respect, and shared interests.

The official said so in response to The Island query regarding President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent bombshell disclosure, in Parliament, that his government declined to allow the US Air Force to use the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, following the eruption of the latest West Asia war.

We sought views of the US on President Dissanayake’s claim against the backdrop of Sri Lanka being a party to the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) since 2007. Sri Lanka extended the ACSA in 2017, for another 10-year period, and its extension comes up next year.

The President revealed that the US had requested permission to use Mattala, between 04 and 08 March.

Claiming that the request had been made on 26 February, two days before the war began, President Dissanayake said that the US had sought to land two aircraft, carrying eight anti-ship missiles, but that the request had been turned down to maintain Sri Lanka’s neutrality. The President revealed that the aircraft were to come from a US base in Djibouti.

The US embassy pokesperson explained that questions related to operational movements, including ‘Operation Epic Fury’, should be directed to the Department of War (DOW) in Washington.

Camp Lemonnier is the primary base of operations for US Africa Command in the Horn of Africa. China, too, has its only overseas military base in Djibouti in the vicinity.

Military sources said whatever various interested parties said about US-Sri Lanka relations, the former provided significant intelligence support during last phase of the conflict that enabled the Navy to hunt down floating LTTE arsenals in international waters. Of the eight LTTE vessels sunk, the US backed four hits with specific intelligence, sources said.

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No decrease in remittances from workers due to Gulf conflict, but significant drop in tourist arrivals – CB Governor

Published

4 hours ago

on

2026/03/26

By

CBSL Governor

Sri Lanka’s worker remittances had not seen a decrease despite the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Central Bank (CBSL) Governor, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said yesterday.

“Based on currently available data, they have not seen a decline in remittances. In fact, according to that we have observed, is a slight increase in remittances in the past few days, ” the Governor said at a media conference held at the Central Bank head office in Colombo.

Governor Weerasinghe also mentioned that he had not seen any reports about Sri Lankans returning to the country from the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict.

The Central Bank Governor, however, acknowledged that there had been a decrease in tourist arrivals. He confirmed that tourist arrivals had decreased by around 17 percent due to the current volatile situation in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has decided to maintain the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) at the current level of 7.75%, following its latest Monetary Policy Board meeting.

By Hiran H Senewiratne

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