News
Prez accused of seeking to gain total control of public finance
‘Public Debt Management Bill threat to democratic governance’
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Opposition MP Charitha Herath yesterday (30) alleged that the controversial Public Debt Management Bill that had been tabled in Parliament last week was aimed at bringing public sector finance entirely under the Finance Minister.
Claiming that UNP leader and President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Finance Minister, seemed to be bent on achieving total control over public finance, dissident SLPP MP warned of dire consequences if the ruling party backed what he called an authoritarian move.
Herath dealt with the Public Debt Management Bill at a briefing held at the Nawala office of the Nidahasa Janatha Sabhawa.
Several members of the SLPP dissident group, including Prof. G.L. Peiris and Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, have aligned themselves with the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).
The National List MP said that the proposed Bill would deprive other members of the Cabinet, including the Prime Minister, of powers so far exercised by them pertaining to their ministries and instead subjecting them to the Finance Minister’s control.
Once this Bill received the approval of Parliament, as far as public finance matters are concerned, all other ministries would be irrelevant, MP Herath said.
The issue at hand is that the President happened to be the Finance Minister, MP Herath said. Responding to a query regarding the responsibility of Parliament for public finance raised by The Island, MP Herath said: “In terms of Article 148, all public finances will be under the total control of Parliament. Therefore, the Finance portfolio, being under a person not represented in Parliament, is a matter for serious concern. If public finance is constitutionally under Parliament, the executive shouldn’t, under any circumstances, hold that particular portfolio.”
The Public Debt Management Bill had been formulated in such a way that once Parliament approved it, the Finance portfolio could be held only by a President, the Opposition MP said, asserting that the democratic way of governance was facing an extreme threat.
Asked to explain, MP Herath said that the latest move seemed to be in line with Wickremesinghe’s overall political strategy in the run-up to the presidential election.
MP Herath issued copies of the Bill to the media urging them to vigorously pursue the issue. The SLPPer found fault with political parties and the media for not paying sufficient attention to the developing dictatorial situation.
Referring to the passage of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Bill on July 20, 2023, MP Herath said that though the UNP had just one National List MP in Parliament Wickremesinghe obviously achieved the unthinkable by craftily exploiting the current situation. The Second Reading of the Bill was passed by a majority of 42 votes, with 66 voting in favour and 24 voting against it.
The Public Debt Management Bill would cause further deterioration of democratic governance, MP Herath alleged, claiming that the President was seeking an apparatus hitherto unavailable to any President to control public finance.
MP Herath claimed that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government had formulated the Public Debt Management Bill on the basis of the IMF’s recommendations/conditions in the wake of the unprecedented economic crisis that erupted in late 2021. Acknowledging that the country hadn’t been out of the woods yet though the government finalized agreement with the IMF in March 2023 regarding the USD 2.9 bn bailout package, MP Herath said the solution couldn’t be found in an apparatus run by the executive.
Had that happened, there wouldn’t be any meaning to Parliament being constitutionally responsible for public finance, MP Herath said.
The first-time entrant to Parliament said that the UNP leader had no regard for democratic way of governance. The move to break-up the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and privatize various cash cows meant that the UNP leader pursued his same old agenda that had been over and over again rejected by the electorate.
MP Herath urged his colleagues to be mindful of their responsibilities as the President was all out to privatize the remaining public assets.
There has been a noticeable increase in the spread of Chikungunya in the city of Colombo, Kotte, and the suburbs of Colombo, according to the Health Ministry.
As of 14 March, the Weekly Epidemiological Report says 173 chikungunya cases have been reported from Colombo, Gampaha, and Kandy.
Acting Consultant Community Physician of the Ministry of Health Dr. Kumudu Weerakoon said that the Chikungunya virus had spread to Sri Lanka in 1960.
Meanwhile, Dr. Deepal Perera, Consultant Paediatrician at Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital, Colombo, told The Island yesterday that there had been an increase in the number of children affected by Chikungunya.
“To tackle this situation, it is extremely important to keep your homes, doorways, and school premises clean regularly,” he said.
“If a child has fever lasting more than two days, darkening around the nose, or joint pain, these could be symptoms of Chikungunya. In such cases, take the child to a doctor. Chikungunya is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The joint pain can persist for months. Therefore, we strongly urge both children and adults to take all precautions to avoid contracting Chikungunya.”
By Pradeep Prasanna Samarakoon and Chaminda Silva
‘Genocide Memorial’ in Canada
Mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown has slammed SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa over the latter’s recent statement regarding the monument that was inaugurated in Canada commemorating the victims of the final stages of the North East conflict.
In a statement on ‘X’, Brampton Mayor, Patrick Brown said, “The Rajapaksas’ opposition to the Tamil Genocide Memorial is the surest signal that we are on the right path recognising the innocent civilian lives lost at the hands of this family.”
Patrick Brown further said that if confident that no genocide occurred, the Rajapaksa family should fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court rather than obstructing justice and hiding from prosecution.
“This is their Nuremberg moment, and instead of facing accountability, this family hides in luxury protected by the Sri Lankan state. It’s shameful. The crimes against humanity committed by the Rajapaksa family rival Pol Pot, Slobodan Milosevic, Heinrich Himmler, and Flicien Kabuga. It’s a badge of honour that they object to our Canadian Tamil Genocide Memorial,” he added.
His remarks came in response to SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa’s recent statement that it was concerning that Canada has inaugurated a Tamil
Genocide Memorial when, under international law, no genocide has been proven or can be proven against the Sri Lankan military in its conflict with the LTTE terrorists.
“The so-called Tamil genocide monument appears to be a politically driven move by the Canadian government, which has long been influenced by certain factions within the Tamil diaspora. Rather than working towards peace and unity, these groups have fueled division for their own interests,” MP Rajapaksa said, in a statement on ‘X’.
Custodial death of domestic worker
The Colombo High Court yesterday fixed July 21 as the date for the pre-trial conference on a case filed against three police officers attached to the Welikada Police over the custodial death of a domestic worker in 2023.
When the case was taken up before Colombo High Court Judge R.S.S. Sapuwida, Defence counsel informed court that they had not received some of the documents submitted in relation to the case. The judge instructed the State Counsel to ensure that the necessary documents were made available to the defence.
After considering all facts presented, the judge scheduled the pre-trial conference for July 21.
The victim, 41-year-old R. Rajakumari, a resident of Badulla, was arrested on May 11, 2023, following a complaint by her employer, Sudharma Nethicumara, alleging the theft of gold jewellery.
Rajakumari later died while in custody at the Welikada Police Station. Her family raised concerns over the circumstances that had led to her death, alleging that she may have been assaulted.
Later a disciplinary action was initiated against seven officers attached to the Welikada Police. A Sub-Inspector, two sergeants, and a constable were interdicted, while another constable and two Women Police Constables were transferred for the same reason.
BY AJA Abeynayake
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