News
Dullas chides silence of Election Commission when govt. floats doubts about polls
Sri Lanka is probably the only democratic country where people wonder if elections would be held in an election year, Nidahasa Janatha Sabawa (NJS), leader MP Dullas Alahapperuma said.
Sri Lanka is also the only country that postponed an election under the pretext of bankruptcy, he added.
“From my experience, an election boosts an economy.”
Alahapperuma said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe was a minister in a government that postponed a general election through a referendum. This was the worst episode in Sri Lanka’s electoral history.
“If he thinks he can pull off this trick this time, it’s a grave mistake. The 1982 referendum was held at a time when the people and the media were weak. ITN and Rupavahini were the only TV stations. There was SLBC and four papers. The entire country depended on those sources for information. This is completely different with social media.”
Alahapperuma said the Constitution says that the tenure of the President is five years and article 31 (3) states that “the poll for the election of the President shall be taken not less than one month and not more than two months before the expiration of the term of office of the President in office.”
“This is clear. This is not the same with Provincial Council elections. There is a timeline here. Gotabaya Rajapaksa was sworn in as President on 19 November 2019. Therefore, the election must be held between 18 October and 18 September 2024. The President has no right to make statements about when to hold elections. He just must hold them in a period stipulated by the Constitution.”
The NJS MP said that the Elections Commission must not remain silent when politicians make statements about when the presidential election will be held. The silence of the Commission encourages speculation and feeds into the uncertainty in the society.
“The President’s Media Division (PMD) is issuing a statement on the expenses for the election. The Parliament has the authority on public finance. How can the PMD, or the Cabinet spokesman, determine the amount of money earmarked for elections.”
President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government has taken a number of initiatives that they thought would weaken the general public and instil fear among its critics, he said.
“Ranil Wickremesinghe presented a proposal called ‘Regaining Sri Lanka’ in the early 2000s. This proposal was rejected by the people, as evidenced by the election results. He was then rejected by the people at the 2020 general election. Now he is President and is implementing the ‘Regaining Sri Lanka’ programme. Ironically he is supported by MPs that belong to Mahinda Rajapaksa’s party, a man who played a major role in undermining Wickremesinghe’s agenda,” he said. (SI)
The National Business Facilitation Centre (NBFC), which is being established under the Presidential Secretariat with the aim of removing administrative and regulatory barriers that exist among government institutions in relation to investment and industry and expediting these processes, will be opened tomorrow (22).
The centre is being established on the President’s initiative with the aim of bringing about a positive transformation in the industrial sector. The centre will provide solutions to issues that arise in dealing with the government machinery when starting and operating a business, while also coordinating with the relevant government institutions to provide the necessary facilities.
The “ViYASA” National Business Facilitation Centre (NBFC) has been established at Building C-80, Hector Kobbekaduwa Mawatha, Colombo 07, and is headed by Senior Additional( Secretary to the President, Seevali Arukgoda.
The centre will be opened under the patronage of Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Anil Jayantha Fernando and Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti, with the participation of Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
The website https://nbfc.presidentsoffice.gov.lk is also scheduled to be officially launched on the occasion.
President’s Media Division)
Latest News
Court of Appeal Judge M. Sri Mevan Anthony Edirimannasuriya Corea appointed as Acting President of the Court of Appeal
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed Court of Appeal Judge Mayadunna Sri Mevan Anthony Edirimannasuriya Corea as the Acting President of the Court of Appeal.
The appointment has been made as President’s Counsel Nalin Rohantha Abeysuriya, who currently serves as President of the Court of Appeal, will be overseas until the 24th.
Accordingly Judge Mayadunna Corea was sworn in as Acting President of the Court of Appeal before President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential secretariat this morning (21).
Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake was also present at the occasion.
(President’s Media Division)
Latest News
President instructs expediting further measures concerning Sivarasa Anojan, sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia
A discussion to review the further measures that could be taken regarding Sivarasa Anojan, a young Sri Lankan national who has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, was held at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (21), under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The discussion focused on the measures taken to date concerning Sivaraasa Anojan and the further diplomatic and legal steps that could be pursued. Attention was also given to expediting the necessary further measures that could be taken to secure his release.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed officials to continue the necessary diplomatic engagement with the relevant authorities in Saudi Arabia and to maintain close and continuous involvement in all further measures concerning the case.
Reaffirming the Government’s continued attention to the safety and welfare of Sri Lankans living and working overseas, the President also stressed the need for the relevant ministries and institutions to work in close coordination and pursue all possible measures that could be taken in connection with the case.
Deputy Speaker Rizvie Salih, Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs Muneer Mulaffer, Governor of the Western Province Hanif Yusoof, Secretary – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Aruni Ranaraja, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism were also present at the discussion.
(President’s Media Division)
“ViYASA” National Business Facilitation Centre (NBFC) to be opened tomorrow (22)
Court of Appeal Judge M. Sri Mevan Anthony Edirimannasuriya Corea appointed as Acting President of the Court of Appeal
President instructs expediting further measures concerning Sivarasa Anojan, sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia
It’s Shafali vs Athapaththu as Sri Lanka seek to stop India juggernaut
Trophy row unlikely to repeat in Japan
Powerful explosions at Syrian army site near Aleppo injure at least four
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News5 days agoUS embassy won’t comment on IGP’s probe into joint drug raid
-
News4 days agoBid for Basil’s extradition nears final stage: Police
-
News3 days agoShanakiyan urges urgent action over reported death sentence for Lankan in Saudi Arabia
-
Features7 days agoThe emptying university: why are academics leaving?
-
Business5 days agoAll-new Bolero MaXX unveiled in Sri Lanka
-
Opinion7 days agoWho committed genocide and created mass graves in Sri Lanka?
-
News2 days agoNamal Rajapaksa Buddhist gambit fails, bail denied
-
Opinion5 days agoA journalist who wrote across the divide