News
Economic reforms alone will not create a stable government
Former Director General of Government Information:
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Sri Lanka will only achieve stability through democratic political reforms, and economic reforms alone will not create a stable government, former Director General of Government Information, Dr. Ranga Kalansooriya, said on Tuesday, at an event, organised by the Media Law Forum.
Commenting on the new Bureau of Rehabilitation Bill, he said that the vagueness of the Bill is a serious concern.
“Among those who need to be rehabilitated is an ‘other’ category. Who are these ‘others’? It’s obvious that this allows the government to send anyone, that it deems a problem, for rehabilitation. At this rate, Sunil Ariyaratne and Nanda Malini, too, could be sent to rehabilitation camps for their songs,” he said.
Kalansooriya said that in the past few months a large number of Sri Lankans came forth and said they are tired of the existing political culture and that they want something better.
“Now, the government can decide to send them to a camp. There is a phrase on the Bill which alludes to nomaga giya satankamin (misguided activists). However, there is no definition of them. The vagueness of this Bill should make anyone uneasy. The government must remember that without political stability, economic reforms will mean nothing,” he said.
Meanwhile, Saliya Peiris, PC, President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), said that there is no need to strike a balance between freedom of speech and law.
“Freedom of speech is guaranteed by law. This is a sovereign right because all rights are based on freedom of speech. By restricting freedom of speech, our other rights will be affected, even the right to peaceful assembly. We must be careful about any attempts to stifle freedom of speech under any pretext,” he said.
Following the conclusion of bilateral discussions between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, official-level talks between the delegations of Sri Lanka and India commenced this morning (05) at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.
Representing the Government of Sri Lanka were Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath; Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Anil Jayantha; Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake; Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, along with other senior officials.
The Indian delegation included Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and His Excellency Santosh Jha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, along with several other senior officials of the Government of India.
Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who arrived in Sri Lanka on the invitation of President Anura Kumara Disanayake on Friday [04] night, visited the Presidential Secretariat this morning (05).
The Indian Prime Minister was warmly welcomed by President Anura Kumara Disanayake upon his arrival at the Presidential Secretariat.
Prime Minister Modi is currently on a state visit to Sri Lanka, reaffirming the theme “Friendship of Centuries — Commitment to a Prosperous Future” which symbolises the longstanding ties between Sri Lanka and India. The Indian Premier is scheduled to remain in the country until tomorrow (06).
[PMD]
The official welcoming ceremony for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was held this morning (05) at the Independence Square in Colombo.
On arrival at the Independence Square the Indian Prime Minister was warmly welcomed by President Anura Kumara Disanayake.
Discussions between Sri Lankan and Indian delegations at the presidential secretariat
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Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi arrives at the presidential secretariat
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