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IMF working with a government without a mandate – Handunnetti
By Saman Indrajith
President Ranil Wickremesinghe had told opposition political parties that they would be given an opportunity to meet a high powered International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation last Monday to discuss the IMF programme, but he had not invited representatives of the IMF to the discussion, National People’s Power (NPP) stalwart and former MP, Sunil Handunnetti told journalists in Colombo on Thursday (14) after attending a meeting with the IMF.
The two sides met yesterday at a hotel in Colombo.NPP representatives had inquired from the IMF officials the current state of Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring, Handunnetti told journalists.
IMF had no idea. They said they have to ask the government,” he said.
“We also told them that they work with the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration that does not have a popular mandate.
“Such a government cannot solve the economic crisis,” he said.
Handunetti added that the government had appointed Rohitha Abeygunawardena as the head of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). This committee plays an important role in maintaining the parliament’s hold on public finances.
“What is the message that the government gave by appointing Abeygunawardena? We told IMF representatives that by appointing Abeygunawardena the government has shown its blatant disregard to any conventions or decorum. We also told the IMF that Sri Lanka needs elections so that people could elect a government that they think can dig the country out of the economic hole,” Handunnetti said.
It has been reported that Attorney at Law Rakitha Rajapakshe, the son of former Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, has been arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) over alleged links with the underworld.
… alleges NPP trying to implement UPFA, UNP plan
Front-line Socialist Party (FSP) yesterday (24) alleged that the NPP government’s move to amalgamate the Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF) and the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), under a unified, tripartite governance framework, would be detrimental to the private sector workers.
Addressing the media at Melder Place, Nugegoda, FSP spokesman Duminda Nagamuwa said that the Cabinet of Ministers approved this proposal on 15 June.
Nagamuwa claimed that the NPP was trying to implement what President Mahinda Rajapaksa had sought to do, in 2011, causing the police to open fire on a group of the Export Processing Zone workers, protesting against the move to create a private pension scheme. A worker, identified as Roshen Chanaka, was shot by police on May 30, 2011, and he succumbed to his injuries.
Pointing out that the EPF and the ETF had been established for the benefit of private sector workers but with different objectives, Nagamuwa warned that amalgamation of the two funds could cause unnecessary complications.
The FSP spokesman said that Ravi Karunanayake, in his capacity as the Finance Minister of the Yahapalana government, in late November 2015 had declared their intention to amalgamate the ETF with the EPF.
FSP’s Pubudu Jayagoda told The Island that they expected all political parties, other than the NPP, to disclose their stand on the vital issue. Jayagoda urged the Opposition to take a stand on the vital issue .
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The Opposition yesterday argued in Parliament that the National Environment Amendment Bill was unconstitutional. The Opposition said that it violated the 13th Amendment.
SJB and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa argued that the approval of the Provincial Councils was required for the Bill to go ahead, as it was a subject in the Concurrent List of powers as per the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
The MP also said that the clause which enables the Central Government to file legal actions against Local Government bodies was unconditional as well, since local bodies are included in the Provincial Councils list.
“How can you go ahead at a time when the Provincial Councils do not function properly,” Premadasa questioned.
ITAK MP P. Sathyalingam also raised the issue, but Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne, who responded, said the MPs could raise the relevant matters during the debate.
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