News
Prof. Jayasumana hints at moves to bring in a new PM
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The SLPP rebel group wouldn’t get involved in ongoing efforts to appoint a new Prime Minister later this year, MP Prof. Channa Jayasumana said.The former State Minister said that he didn’t want Premier Dinesh Gunawardena replaced in a hurry.
The Anuradhapura District MP said so when The Island sought an explanation regarding his shocking revelation in parliament on Tuesday (06) of the rebel group being approached for support in the campaign to oust the incumbent PM.
The statement was made against the backdrop of an influential section of the SLPP parliamentary group asserting that ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa should return to Parliament as PM as it was he who got the 2019 mandate. Speculation is also rife of another group promoting a lawmaker for the post of PM.
Referring to what Prof. Jayasumana called Premier Gunawardena’s sarcastic comment regarding lawmakers switching sides during his long parliamentary career, the new entrant said that having entered Parliament at the last parliamentary election in August 2020, he had already seen three Premiers. Prof. Jayasumana said that he didn’t want to see another Premier later this year.The rebel SLPP group consists of 13 members.Prof. Jayasumana said that reference was made to the ongoing battle when he got an opportunity to address Parliament on Tuesday following quite an effort made by the group.
“Our group was not allocated time during the three-day debate on the interim budget presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Finance Minister,” Prof. Jayasumana said.The medical academic asserted that denying them time to address the parliament seemed to be part of the overall strategy meant to coerce them. Responding to another query, MP Jayasumana said that he and MP Thilak Rajapaksa received the opportunity to speak on Tuesday following Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena’s intervention.
“We were allocated time at the Speaker’s discretion. On Wednesday, too, two of their members, Wasantha Yapa Bandara and Dr. Upul Galappaththy, were allocated time on the intervention of the Speaker,” Prof. Jayasumana said.
Appreciating the intervention made by the Speaker, Prof. Jayasumana said that they should be accommodated on the time allocated to the government or the Opposition. At the onset of the 9th Parliament, the government was allocated 60 percent of a particular day’s time and the rest to the Opposition. This has been based on the government having 145 seats and the SJB led Opposition the remaining seats. In spite of the breaking up of the SLPP group several months ago, the formula hadn’t been changed, Prof. Jayasumana said. The former health minister questioned the rationale in the SLPP allocating time to other dissident groups while depriving only them the required time to address parliament.
Asked whether they brought this matter to the notice of President Wickremesinghe, Prof. Jayasumana said that in addition to the President, they briefed Premier Gunawardena, Chief Government Whip Prasanna Ranatunga as well as Leader of the House Susil Premjayantha of the injustice done to them. All of them accepted that the SLPP rebels should be allocated time though they so far haven’t intervened in this matter, the MP said.
Prof. Jayasumana said that they made representations to Speaker Abeywardena in this regard several times. The Speaker promised to take up this issue with the government and the Opposition and resolve the matter on Thursday (08).
He asked whether the parliamentary business was controlled by elements outside the House. The MP said that in spite of the developing political-economic-social crisis some of those at the helm of political apparatus seemed to still engage in consolidating their positions.The MP warned that it would be a grave mistake on the part of the government to believe the country was now out of the woods. Such an assessment based on staff-level agreement with the IMF for USD 2.9 bn over a four-year period would be catastrophic, Prof Jayasumana said.
It has been reported quoting police sources that the death toll from the renewed unrest at the Negombo Prison which this morning, has risen from nineteen to twenty five (25).
A clash initially broke out between two groups of inmates (a group of remand prisoners and a group of convicted inmates serving sentences) at the Negombo Prison at around 1.00 p.m. on Sunday (05).
Two inmates died in yesterday’s clash, while around 40 others sustained injuries and are receiving treatment at hospital.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the children of Sri Lanka are well capable of viewing the world with creativity and critical ways of thinking, and that the Government is committed to equipping them with the required knowledge and modern technologies necessary to realize their full potential.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while attending the opening of the ’Arumasiya’ Exhibition and the occasion of laying the foundation stone for a new three-storey building at Balangoda Vidyaloka Central College, on the 4th of July.
During the visit, the Prime Minister officially declared open the exhibition showcasing the students’ innovations and creative talents and commended them for their remarkable achievements. The Prime Minister also participated in the ceremony of laying the foundation stone for the construction of the College’s new three-storey building.
Addressing the occasion, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:
“It is a pleasure to participate in this special event at Balangoda Vidyaloka Central College, the school where Sri Lanka’s first female Prime Minister received her education
I had the opportunity to visit the exhibition featuring the outstanding creations and innovations of the students. What I witnessed was a group of talented young people who have moved beyond textbook learning and are capable of viewing the world with creativity and critical thinking.
We are introducing a new education reform process that moves away from a rote-learning, examination-oriented system towards a practical and skills-based one. The Government is now systematically completing all the necessary preparations to implement the new education reforms scheduled to commence in 2027.
Our objective is to ensure that every child leaving school has access to vocational and technical education that matches their individual talents and meets the demands of the modern labour market. We are committed to transforming vocational education into a field that enjoys the same dignity and recognition as university education.
Finally, I commend the Principal and the academic staff of Balangoda Vidyaloka Central College for organizing this exhibition, and to the students and parents whose dedication made this event a success.”
The event was attended by Members of Parliament for Ratnapura District Wasantha Pushpa Kumara and Sunil Rajapaksha, the Mayor of Balangoda and members of the Municipal Council, the Zonal Director of Education, the Principal and academic staff of Balangoda Vidyaloka Central College, parents, and students.
Prime Minister’s Media Division
The appointment of a Special Parliamentary Ombudsman (SPO) to inquire into the complaints against the Attorney General, as promised in the NPP manifesto, is on hold, pending the establishment of an Independent Office of the Public Prosecutor and provincial Sub Officers.
Authoritative sources told The Island that the Justice and National Integration Ministry was awaiting the recommendations, regarding the new legislation for the establishment of such an Office, from a Committee of Technical Experts, chaired by Justice Yasantha Kodagoda, PC.
Responding to a query raised in Parliament by SJB lawmaker Ajith P. Perera about the delay in appointment of SPO, Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said the government couldn’t take a decision until the Kodagoda Committee made recommendations.
Nanayakkara said that the positioning of the SPO couldn’t be decided before they differentiate the powers of the Attorney General and the an Independent Office of the Public Prosecutor and provincial Sub Officers.
According to the NPP manifesto, provincial Sub Officers were to be established under a senior Additional Solicitor General.
Opposition sources pointed out that the relevant Cabinet decision was taken on 7 May 2025. According to the Cabinet Office, the government decided to establish an Independent Office of the Public Prosecutor and provincial Sub Officers in line with a proposal made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in her final report on Sri Lanka, submitted in September, 2024.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
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