Features

Govt acts as if there is no political question to be solved – Wigneswaran

Published

4 years ago

2021/11/28

Speech by Jaffna District MP Justice C.V.Wigneswaran in Parliament on Friday (26) during the third reading stage debate on Budget 2022

Let me first thank the Chair for giving me this opportunity to speak at this 2022 Budget Debate.

Even though our Budget Debates for each day centres around the Ministries and their subject matters with the relevant officials being present on these days, discussion of matters important would entail not only subjects pertaining to the respective Ministries, such as Ministries of Agriculture and Irrigation today, but many other matters intricately interwoven with the Budget, its purposes. its possible effect on the Country, its peoples and on our foreign relations with the International Community.

Therefore let me refer to certain matters pertaining to Agriculture, Irrigation and allied matters and stray over to other matters later in this short speech..

I am told that there was a Presidential Communique released recently. It said that Government subsidies and allied reliefs would hereafter be available only to users of Organic fertilizers. That seems to have meant that anyone could import inorganic fertilizers or chemical fertilizers. But those who would use them would not receive any governmental subsidies or benefits. Instead of saying the Government has changed its mind on account of the Peoples protests, specially the Farmers’ protest and therefore had allowed import of inorganic fertilizers, it has used this ruse to circumvent the politically embarrassing situation!

Now the law seems to be anyone can import inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, weedicides and so on, but the Government will not give any benefits to those who use them. This means that the subsidies and other benefits given so far to the Agriculture Sector would be discontinued. All in the name of sustainable organic Agriculture!

But this could have been done right at the beginning instead of getting the masses to get agitated and demonstrate against the Government.

We are an agrarian society and place farmers as an important part of our society not a demeaning one where we can play with their livelihoods. Thaipongal festival as all of you know celebrates and thanks farmers’ contribution to the world at large. Farmers who have been penalised due to the inconsistent and wrongful approach on fertilisers, should be compensated for the loss of efficiency and yield suffered due to the arbitrary policies pursued by the Government with regard to fertilizers. I would suggest that on the upcoming Thaipongal day all farmers in the country would get compensated accordingly.

The Government today on its part has started using the Army more and more in order to control its dissatisfied people, Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim or others. The Country now seems to be dependent entirely on its Armed Forces and its retired fraternity to run its government!

The highest allocation in this Budget has been made to the Ministry of Defense. Direct Military allocation to all the Armed Forces is a staggering Rs.308 billion. This is 12.3% of the total estimated government expenditure of Rs. 2.5 trillion. This is an increase of 1.74% from the 2021 allocation.

Use of the Army seems to be given preference in recent times more and more. The Minister of Finance, Basil Rajapaksa said in his Budget speech the other day that the government employees have turned out to be a big financial burden on the Country. But that is not so. Even after the war, continuing to keep an Armed Force far in excess of the Country’s needs, paying their salaries and other infrastructural dues, bringing back officers of the Armed Forces after their retirement, employing them in high governmental posts and in the Foreign Service, has become a huge drain on the Country’s finances. It is not the Government Employees who are a drain on the Country’s finances. May be there is lack of fraternal communication between the President and the Minister of Finance on these matters!

The huge sum now paid to the Armed Forces if reduced could be used to pay off part of our Foreign Debts. Despite the end of the war in 2009 the defense expenditure has been rising every year. There is an unfortunate slant given to the People by successive Sinhala majority governments that defense should be the most prioritized expenditure in the Budget. Defense from whom is an unanswered question. This only shows that there is no real peace in this Country. There is only the absence of war. But it is high time we realized that our so called enemies are not Indians nor Maldivians but our own people whom we want to repress through our Armed Forces!

The Budget as a whole has been prepared not for the long term benefits of the Country but to gain short term political benefits. It lacks the blueprint of plans and schemes prepared for the long term amelioration of the people. If it did there would have been the mention of production economy, long term proposals for the ultimate reduction of our Foreign Debts, ways and means to save the people from impending famine and pestilence, schemes for the reduction of unemployment and so on.

I like to point out that poverty is significantly higher in the Mullaitivu, Mannar, Batticaloa and Moneragala Districts. It is high time that separate urgent budgets e prepared to allocate their needs based on actual poverty rates found in the Districts. In addition poverty base line calculation needs to be updated as per World Bank guidelines since we have, I am told, the 2002 baseline still which is outdated.

There is reference to the increase of Foreign Tourists in the coming months. But the Hon’ Minister of Finance has forgotten that unless a solution is found to the burning unresolved ethnic question it would be futile to expect a sizable increase in the coming of the Foreign Tourists.

The Government acts as if there is no political question to be solved. The desire for a new Constitution is based on the anxiety of the Government to get rid of the provisions of the Thirteenth Amendment to the present Constitution through the Indo Sri Lanka Accord 1987. Even if a new chapter with the provisions of the present Thirteenth Amendment enshrined in it were to be passed, it would effectively deter India interfering!

This Budget has not provided any reliefs for the people of the North and East who were the main victims of the war. There is no reference to those widows who lost their husbands to the war, to those seriously disabled by the war and to those who lost all their worldly belongings to the war. Even after 12 years since the end of the war these victims of war continue to be ignored. No government has formulated policies in this regard.

Of course as Chief Minister of the Northern Province, I had started talks with the Former Prime Minister Hon’ Ranil Wickramasinghe to prepare a Needs Assessment for the North and East. But little was allowed to be done in that regard. We have not been able to prepare even until now. a Needs’ Assessment for the war affected areas like done in the year 2003. That needs to be done comprehensively. Only then could we find out the needs of the war affected families and individuals and provide them relief.

Still a large section of our people who had lost their living residences to the war remain to be compensated. It is a criminal waste of finances to continue with the building of war memorials and the like twelve years after the end of the war. These are political gimmicks which will not help the Country in the long run. Instead the people will feel the pinch of the financial drains on such ethnically and religiously designed war memorial projects and their resistance and antipathy will increase. The government would be forced to depend on its Armed Forces more and more.

The ‘One country One law’ project would not unify the Country. Instead it would polarize the different communities further. This Country cannot be one Country except due to its insular location. There are more than one Nation within its boundaries. Only if we recognize the right of self-determination these Nations have within their determinable boundaries and give equal rights and opportunities to all communities would we be able to bring this Country back on the road to peace and progress. Thus only a Federal type of government which would recognize the right of self -determination of determinable categories of people living for centuries in defined areas within the Country would bring reconciliation, peace and prosperity to this Country.

Before concluding I would like to remind Honourable Members that today is a special day to the Tamils of the North East during a special week the Maveerar Week since they remember the martyrs who were killed during the War during this week. I would like to quote what the non- violent Mahatma Gandhi said of Subash Chandra Bose who took to arms against the British- ‘ Netaji’s “patriotism is second to none. His bravery shines through all his actions. He aimed high and failed. But who has not failed.” On another occasion Gandhi said, “Netaji will remain immortal for all time to come for his service to India.”

As a votary of non- violence may I commit those words vis a vis the North and East of Sri Lanka in remembrance of the Brave Tamil whose birthday it is today? Thank you.

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Features

Political violence stalking Trump administration

Published

14 hours ago

2026/04/30

Sahan Weerasooriya

A scene that unfolded during the shooting incident at the recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington. (BBC)

It would not be particularly revelatory to say that the US is plagued by ‘gun violence’. It is a deeply entrenched and widespread malaise that has come in tandem with the relative ease with which firearms could be acquired and owned by sections of the US public, besides other causes.

However, a third apparent attempt on the life of US President Donald Trump in around two and a half years is both thought-provoking and unsettling for the defenders of democracy. After all, whatever its short comings the US remains the world’s most vibrant democracy and in fact the ‘mightiest’ one. And the US must remain a foremost democracy for the purpose of balancing and offsetting the growing power of authoritarian states in the global power system, who are no friends of genuine representational governance.

Therefore, the recent breaching of the security cordon surrounding the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington at which President Trump and his inner Cabinet were present, by an apparently ‘Lone Wolf’ gunman, besides raising issues relating to the reliability of the security measures deployed for the President, indicates a notable spike in anti-VVIP political violence in particular in the US. It is a pointer to a strong and widespread emergence of anti-democratic forces which seem to be gaining in virulence and destructiveness.

The issues raised by the attack are in the main for the US’ political Right and its supporters. They have smugly and complacently stood by while the extremists in their midst have taken centre stage and begun to dictate the course of Right wing politics. It is the political culture bred by them that leads to ‘Lone Wolf’ gunmen, for instance, who see themselves as being repressed or victimized, taking the law into their own hands, so to speak, and perpetrating ‘revenge attacks’ on the state and society.

A disproportionate degree of attention has been paid particularly internationally to Donald Trump’s personality and his eccentricities but such political persons cannot be divorced from the political culture in which they originate and have their being. That is, “structural” questions matter. Put simply, Donald Trump is a ‘true son’ of the Far Right, his principal support base. The issues raised are therefore for the President as well as his supporters of the Right.

We are obliged to respect the choices of the voting public but in the case of Trump’s election to the highest public position in the US, this columnist is inclined to see in those sections that voted for Trump blind followers of the latter who cared not for their candidate’s suitability, in every relevant respect, and therefore acted irrationally. It would seem that the Right in the US wanted their candidate to win by ‘hook or by crook’ and exercise power on their behalf.

By making the above observations this columnist does not intend to imply that voting publics everywhere in the world of democracy cast their vote sensibly. In the case of Sri Lanka, for example, the question could be raised whether the voters of the country used their vote sensibly when voting into office the majority of Executive Presidents and other persons holding high public office. The obvious answer is ‘no’ and this should lead to a wider public discussion on the dire need for thoroughgoing voter education. The issue is a ‘huge’ one that needs to be addressed in the appropriate forums and is beyond the scope of this column.

Looking back it could be said that the actions of Trump and his die-hard support base led to the Rule of Law in the US being undermined as perhaps never before in modern times. A shaming moment in this connection was the protest march, virtually motivated by Trump, of his supporters to the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021, with the aim of scuttling the presidential poll result of that year. Much violence and unruly behaviour, as known, was let loose. This amounted to denigrating the democratic process and encouraging the violent take over of the state.

In a public address, prior to the unruly conduct of his supporters, Trump is on record as blaring forth the following: ‘We won this election and we won by a landslide’, ‘We will stop the steal’, ‘We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn’t happen’, ‘If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.’

It is plain to see that such inflammatory utterances could lead impressionable minds in particular to revolt violently. Besides, they should have led the more rationally inclined to wonder whether their candidate was the most suitable person to hold the office of President.

Unfortunately, the latter process was not to be and the question could be raised whether the US is in the ‘safest pair of hands’. Needless to say, as events have revealed, Donald Trump is proving to be one of the most erratic heads of state the US has ever had.

However, the latest attempt on the life of President Trump suggests that considerable damage has been done to the democratic integrity of the US and none other than the President himself has to take on himself a considerable proportion of the blame for such degeneration, besides the US’ Far Right. They could be said to be ‘reaping the whirlwind.’

It is a time for soul-searching by the US Right. The political Right has the right to exist, so the speak, in a functional democracy but it needs to take cognizance of how its political culture is affecting the democratic integrity or health of the US. Ironically, the repressive and chauvinistic politics advocated by it is having the effect of activating counter-violence of the most murderous kind, as was witnessed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Continued repressive politics could only produce more such incidents that could be self-defeating for the US.

Some past US Presidents were assassinated but the present political violence in the country brings into focus as perhaps never before the role that an anti-democratic political culture could play in unraveling the gains that the US has made over the decades. A duty is cast on pro-democracy forces to work collectively towards protecting the democratic integrity and strength of the US.

Features

22nd Anniversary Gala …action-packed event

Published

14 hours ago

2026/04/30

Sahan Weerasooriya

The Skyliners: Shanaka Viswakula (bass), Mario Ranasuriya (lead guitar), Daryl D'Souza (keyboards) and Kushmin Balasuriya (drums)

The Editor-in-Chief of The Sri Lankan Anchorman, a Toronto-based monthly, celebrating Sri Lankan community life in Canada, is none other than veteran Sri Lankan journalist Dirk Tissera, who moved to Canada in 1997. His wife, Michelle, whom he calls his “tower of strength”, is the Design Editor.

According to reports coming my way, the paper has turned out to be extremely popular in Toronto.

In fact, The Sri Lankan Anchorman won a press award in Toronto for excellence in editorial content and visual presentation.

However, the buzz in the air in Canada, right now, is The Sri Lankan Anchorman’s 22nd Anniversary Gala, to be held on Friday, 12 June, 2026, at the J&J Swagat Banquet Convention Centre, in Toronto.

An action-packed programme has been put together for the night, featuring some of the very best artistes in the Toronto scene.

The Skylines, who are classified as ‘the local musical band in Toronto’, will headline the event.

Dirk Tissera and wife Michelle: Supporting Sri Lanka-Canada community events, in Toronto, since launching The Anchorman
in 2002

They have performed and backed many legendary Sri Lanka singers.

According to Dirk, The Skylines can belt out a rhythm with gusto … be it Western, Sinhala or Tamil hits.

Also adding sparkle to the evening will be the legendary Fahmy Nazick, who, with his smooth and velvety vocals, will have the crowd on the floor.

Fahmy who was a household name, back in Sri Lanka, will be flying down from Virginia, USA.

He has captivated audiences in Sri Lanka, the Middle East and North America, and this will be his fourth visit to Toronto – back by popular demand,

Cherry DeLuna, who is described by Dirk as a powerhouse, also makes her appearance on stage and is all set to stir up the tempo with her cool and easy delivery.

“She’s got a great voice and vocal range that has captivated audiences out here”, says Dirk.

Chamil Welikala, said to be one of the hottest DJs in town, will be spinning his magic … in English, Sinhala, Tamil and Latin.

Both Jive and Baila competitions are on the cards among many other surprises on the night of 12 June.

This is The Anchorman’s fifth annual dance in a row – starting from 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 – and both Dirk and Michelle, and The Anchorman, have always produced elegant social events in Toronto.

“We intend to knock this one out of the park,” the duo says, adding that Western music and Sinhala and Tamil songs is something they’ve always delivered and the crowd loves it.

“We have always supported Sri Lanka-Canada community events, in Toronto, since launching The Anchorman, in 2002, and we intend to keep it that way.”

No doubt, there will be a large crowd of Sri Lankans, from all communities, turning up, on 12 June, to support Dirk, Michelle and The Anchorman.

Features

Face Pack for Radiant Skin

Published

14 hours ago

2026/04/30

Sahan Weerasooriya

* Apple and Orange:

Blend a few apple and orange pieces together. Add to it a pinch of turmeric and one tablespoon of honey. Apply it to the face and neck and rinse off after 30 minutes. This face pack is suitable for all skin types.

According to experts, apple is one of the best fruits for your skin health with Vitamin A, B complex and Vitamin C and minerals, while, with the orange peel, excessive oil secretion can be easily balanced.

* Mango and Curd:

Ripe mango pulp, mixed with curd, can be rubbed directly onto the skin to remove dirt and cleanse clogged pores. Rinse off after a few minutes.

Yes, of course, mango is a tasty and delicious fruit and this is the mango season in our part of the world, and it has extra-ordinary benefits to skin health. Vitamins C and E in mangoes protect the skin from the UV rays of the sun and promotes cell regeneration. It also promotes skin elasticity and fights skin dullness and acne, while curd, in combination, further adds to it.

* Grapes and Kiwi:

Take a handful of grapes and make a pulp of it. Simultaneously, take one kiwi fruit and mash it after peeling its skin. Now mix them and add some yoghurt to it. Apply it on your face for few minutes and wash it off.

Here again experts say that kiwi is the best nutrient-rich fruit with high vitamin C, minerals, Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E, while grapes contain flavonoids, which is an antioxidant that protects the skin from free radical damage. This homemade face pack acts as a natural cleanser and slows down the ageing process.