News

Now, Opposition to move no-faith motion against Speaker Wickramaratne

Published

8 months ago

2025/09/11

Maj. Gen. Jayasekera / Dr. Wickramaratne

General Secretary of the SJB Ranjith Madduma Bandara, MP, yesterday said in Parliament that if Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne did not safeguard the democratic rights of the members of the Opposition, a no-faith motion would be moved against the Speaker.

Madduma Bandara said so after Speaker Wickramaratne had rejected the no-faith motion submitted against Deputy Defence Minister Maj. Gen. Aruna Jayasekera. The Speaker claimed that it was not in order and, therefore, couldn’t be accepted in its present form.

Leader of the House and Minister Bimal Ratnayake said it was only wishful thinking that the Opposition would be able to secure the passage of a no-faith motion against the Speaker.

The Speaker stated that the motion had been carefully considered in light of the provisions of the Constitution, the Standing Orders of Parliament, and established parliamentary practices and precedence.

The SJB moved the motion of no-confidence against the Deputy Minister as he served as Security Forces Commander, East, at the time of 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

“I also studied the traditions and procedures followed in other Commonwealth and democratic legislatures, such as the UK House of Commons, India’s Lok Sabha, and Australia’s House of Representatives in this regard,” he said.

“Under articles 42, 43, and 44 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, collective and individual ministerial responsibilities lie with Cabinet Ministers. A Deputy Minister, though a Member of Parliament, is not a member of the Cabinet and does not bear direct constitutional responsibility to this House in the present context.”

“The Constitution clearly recognises that a Motion of No-Confidence may be brought against the Government as a whole, while the precedent recognises No-Confidence Motions against the Prime Minister, or an individual Cabinet Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. However, there is no provision for such a motion against a Deputy Minister,” he stated.

“Therefore, if such a motion is to be accepted today, it would establish an undesirable precedent contrary to constitutional and parliamentary precedents.

“Accordingly, having taken all these facts into consideration, I wish to inform this House that the Motion of No-Confidence against the Deputy Defence Minister is not in order and cannot be accepted in its present form.

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President meets senior officials of the Urban Development Authority

Published

3 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

A discussion between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and senior officials of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) was held this afternoon (18) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The meeting focused extensively on new development projects planned by the Urban Development Authority. The President emphasised the need to ensure that the budgetary allocations made for these projects in the current year are utilised effectively within the same financial year.

Detailed discussions were also held on projects planned to be implemented jointly by multiple institutions, including the importance of holding consultations with all relevant agencies to reach final decisions and the need to clearly define responsibilities for each institution in both implementation and maintenance phases of the projects.

Attention was drawn to key initiatives such as the Kelani River flood control project, water management projects in Colombo city and the Beira Lake restoration project. The need for a dedicated programme for low-income housing in areas such as Ratmalana and Moratuwa was also highlighted. During the discussion, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake underscored the importance of introducing a structured management framework for the effective coordination of certain projects.

Deputy Minister of Urban Development, Eranga Gunasekara, Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, Senior Professor Kapila C.K. Perera, Chairman of the Urban Development Authority (UDA), M.G. Hemachandra and the Heads representing the Urban Settlement Development Authority (USDA), Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLDC), National Physical Planning Department (NPPD) and the Condominium Management Authority (CMA) were also present at the meeting.

(PMD)

News

CEAT Kelani Branch Inter-Company Employees’ Union makes donation to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund

Published

3 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

The Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the Kelaniya Branch of CEAT Sri Lanka has made a financial donation of Rs. 1,148,000.00, a day’s salary of its members to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund established to support the restoration of livelihoods and the rebuilding of areas affected by cyclone Ditwah.

Secretary of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, D.G.S.D. Navaratne, handed over the donation to the Chief of Staff to the President, Prabhath Chandrakeerthi at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (18).

Treasurer of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, Y.P.I.C. Karunathilaka, together with members of the Executive Committee, were also present on the occasion.

(PMD)

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Prime Minister off to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum

Published

4 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya departed on an official visit to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.

During the visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to participate in several high-level academic and diplomatic engagements aimed at strengthening cooperation in the fields of education, development studies, research collaboration, and international partnerships.

As part of the visit, the Prime Minister will meet with Ms.Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education of the United Kingdom, at the UK Department for Education, to discuss areas of cooperation in education and related sectors. She is also expected to meet Ms.Yvette Cooper, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, for discussions on matters of bilateral interest and cooperation between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

In addition, the Prime Minister is expected to meet Ms.Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, on the sidelines of the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will attend a public event at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and she will also take part in the ceremony marking the 60th Anniversary of the Institute of Development Studies. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to address a session at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford, followed by a question-and-answer session with scholars and students.

The visit is expected to strengthen Sri Lanka’s engagement with academic institutions, international development partners, and Commonwealth member states, particularly in the areas of education, research, policy dialogue, and capacity building.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]