News
Prez fighting war on virus left with no time for politicking – Johnston
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is being attacked by outsiders as well as members of the government, Chief Government Whip and Highways Minister Johnston Fernando said.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the commissioning of the Second Phase of the Central Expressway on Saturday, the Minister said that the dissenters were upset and angry with the President because he would not leave any room for corruption. “The President has taken a vow that he will rid this country of corruption. This has antagonised many, including some in the government ranks. They sling mud at the President since they are frustrated. We will protect the President unconditionally, because we know that he is doing the right thing,” the Minister said.
Minister Fernando said that this country had a political history of killing of civil society leaders, members of the Maha Sangha and innocents with the intention of achieving political goals. “Some of those killers are still alive and masquerading as champions of democracy. We see one of them posing on Facebook as the next President of the country. He is daydreaming. The 6.9 million people who had voted for this President are ready to protect him.”
“It was Mahinda Rajapaksa who gave the leadership to the war to save this land from terrorism. Similarly, it was Gotabaya Rajapaksa who gave political leadership to the country’s war to save people from the COVID-19 pandemic. He has not had any time to do politics during the last two years. His main and only concern is to complete the vaccination drive. While he was trying to save the lives, we had an Opposition leader who went around prescribing drugs for Covid-19.
The Colombo Stock Exchange (GL 12) has contributed LKR 25 million to the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund.
The cheque was handed over to the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake by the Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange, Dimuthu Abeyesekera, the Chief Executive Officer Rajeeva Bandaranaike and Senior Vice Chairman Kusal Nissanka at the Presidential Secretariat.
News
Karu argues against scrapping MPs’ pension as many less fortunate members entered Parliament after ’56
Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressing concerns over the proposed abolition of MPs’ pensions.The letter was sent in his capacity as Patron of the Former Parliamentarians’ Caucus.
In his letter, Jayasuriya noted that at the time of Sri Lanka’s independence, political participation was largely limited to an educated, affluent land-owning elite. However, he said a significant social transformation took place after 1956, enabling ordinary citizens to enter politics.
He warned that under current conditions, removing parliamentary pensions would effectively confine politics to the wealthy, business interests, individuals engaged in illicit income-generating activities, and well-funded political parties. Such a move, he said, would discourage honest social workers and individuals of modest means from entering public life.
Jayasuriya also pointed out that while a small number of former MPs, including himself, use their pensions for social and charitable purposes, the majority rely on the pension as a primary source of income.
He urged the President to give due consideration to the matter and take appropriate action, particularly as the government prepares to draft a new constitution.The Bill seeking to abolish pensions for Members of Parliament was presented to Parliament on 07 January by Minister of Justice and National Integration Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara.
Five suspects, including former Minister Johnston Fernando and his two sons, who were arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), were further remanded until 30 January by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The former Minister’s , sons Johan Fernando and Jerome Kenneth Fernando, and two others, were arrested in connection with the alleged misuse of a Sathosa vehicle during Fernando’s tenure as Minister.
Investigations are currently underway into the alleged misuse of state property, including a lorry belonging to Lanka Sathosa, which reportedly caused a significant financial loss to the state.
In connection with the same incident, Indika Ratnamalala, who served as the Transport Manager of Sathosa during
Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade, was arrested on 04 January.
After being produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court, he was ordered to be remanded in custody until 09 January.The former Sathosa Transport Manager was remanded on charges of falsifying documents.
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