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Sharmila challenges JVP over failure to tackle corruption within its own ranks at CMC

Published

9 months ago

2025/05/1

Sharmila Gonawela

Former Colombo Municipal Council member Sharmila Gonawela recently said that the JVP owed an explanation regarding its failure to deal with six of its members of the CMC who had been named in an audit report that dealt with corruption in the allocation of vehicle parking areas.

In spite of accusing all other political parties of corruption, waste, irregularities and mismanagement, the JVP hadn’t taken action against those named in the Forensic audit report, Gonawela, who is on the reserved list of Sarvajana Balaya, at the May 06 local government election, told a gathering at Mihindusenpura, in Dematagoda.

Gonawela claimed that she not only sent that report to the then JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake but personally brought the corrupt practices of the JVPers at the council.

The last Local Government poll was conducted on February 10, 2018. The SLPP won that election comfortably.

Referring to the recent threat by President Dissanayake to withhold funds from Local Government bodies that were won by other political parties, Gonawela challenged the JVP to explain its failure to deal with its own corrupt elements.

The JVP-led National People’s Power (NPP) declaration that the CMC could be cleaned up by their victory at the LG polls was nothing but a joke, she said. “Over the years, I have submitted various audit reports and forensic audits to the CIABOC and presidential investigations. Unlike the JVP, I have never waved so-called files on corrupt deals and did nothing about them,” Gonawala said.

Commenting on the major crisis that had been caused by the failure on the part of the government to make proper sanitary arrangements to facilitate the special exposition of the Sacred Tooth relic, Gonawela pointed out that the new administration couldn’t deal with the garbage collected therein over a period of 10 days. In Kandy the boasting NPP government could not tackle approximately 300 metric tons of garbage collected as a result of about 600,000 people visiting Kandy for the special exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic, she said. So, how could they handle Colombo where about 500,000 people enter every day and the daily collection of garbage is estimated at 400 tonnes?

Gonawela told The Island that she first served the CMC, as a UNPer, in the period 2002-2006. She said: “Of the 53 UNPers in that Council, I was the only female Councillor. The corruption at the CMC at every level shook me. I gave up politics after the end of my term there.”

Declaring that COPA (Committee on Public Accounts) inquired into a spate of complaints she made regarding corrupt practices at the CMC, Gonawala said that she was on the reserve list of the UPFA at the 2018 Local Government polls. “During that term I exposed the fraud in the operation of parking spaces and the Kollupitiya market development project which was nothing but an outright sale.

Gonawela said that her intervention compelled the authorities to halt smart street lights project that would have caused a loss of over 3000 million. In addition to the inquiries that had been conducted by COPA, CIABOC (Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption), too ,investigated the corrupt practices that were brought to its attention by me, she said.

The NPP’s deputy mayoral candidate has served the CMC for over 20 years, Gonawela said, asking whether the NPP could honestly claim that it never encouraged corruption at any level.

Gonawela made available a copy of audit query made by the National Audit Office dated April 08, 2022 to The Island that exposed how influential persons exploited the operation of parking spaces for their benefit.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

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The National Strategic Action Plan to monitor and combat human trafficking (2026-2030) officially launched

Published

6 hours ago

2026/01/29

Priyan

The Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya participated in the official launch of the National Strategic Action Plan to monitor and combat human trafficking (2026-2030) held on 28th of January at the Cinnamon Life Hotel, Colombo. The event was jointly organized by the Ministry of Defence, National Anti Human Trafficking Task Force ( NAHTTF), International Organization for Migration (IOM).

This five-year Action Plan was unveiled under the leadership of the Ministry of Defence, in its capacity as Chair of the NAHTTF and with the technical support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The National Strategic Action Plan 2026-2030 establishes a unified national framework to prevent human trafficking, protect and assist victims, strengthen law enforcement responses, and enhance accountability.

Addressing the event, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to strengthening national efforts to prevent and address human trafficking and stated that the Action Plan must transcend its symbolic launch into concrete, coordinated, and sustained implementation.

The Prime Minister also noted that the launch of the National Strategic Action Plan is timely, as it operationalizes the four internationally recognized pillars of the anti-trafficking framework namely prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership.

The Prime Minister further stated,

“Caring for trafficking survivors in Sri Lanka requires a holistic, gender-sensitive, and survivor-centered approach that addresses both immediate protection and long-term recovery. This includes safe shelter, medical care, and trauma-informed psychological support, with particular attention to women and girls who experience more severe and gendered forms of violence, alongside legal assistance, economic empowerment, and skills development to prevent re-trafficking.

Human trafficking is a structural and social challenge that requires sustained, multi-sectoral action. Ministries and government agencies must embed anti-trafficking priorities into their core strategies and day-to-day operations, ensuring institutional integration and professional accountability”.

The event was attended by Parinda Ranasinghe Jnr, PC, Attorney General of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Chair of the NAHTTF, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha; and Kristin Parco, IOM Chief of Mission in Sri Lanka and Maldives. Members of the NAHTTF representing 23 key government entities, along with representatives of the diplomatic community, United Nations entities and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

(Prime Minister’s Media Division)

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No changes to IMF agreement despite Cyclone Ditwah impact

Published

9 hours ago

2026/01/29

Sahan Weerasooriya

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has declared that the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) wouldn’t be amended in view of the impact of Cyclone Ditwah.

The IMF delegation, at the end of its visit to Sri Lanka, informed President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of its decision during a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (28). The IMF delegation included Director of the Asia and Pacific Department Krishna Srinivasan, Deputy Director for Asia and the Pacific Sanjaya Panth, Mission Chief Evan Papageorgiou, and Resident Representative Martha Woldemichael.

The 48-month arrangement, approved on 20 March, 2023, during Ranil Wickremesinghe’s tenure as the President, is for SDR 2.286 billion (approximately US$3 billion). In terms of the agreement, repayment of debt has to be resumed in 2028. Sri Lanka unilaterally suspended debt repayment in April 2022.

Close on the heels of Cyclone Ditwah, the main Opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), repeatedly pressed the government to request the IMF to amend the agreement.

The Presidential Media Division ( PMD) quoted the IMF delegation as having said that the strong fiscal discipline maintained by the government over the past year had been a key factor in addressing the challenges caused by Cyclone Ditwah. They said that the government’s ability to present a supplementary estimate of Rs. 500 billion was made possible by a surplus in the Treasury.

The Government of Sri Lanka was represented by Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Senior Economic Adviser to the President Duminda Hulangamuwa, along with several others.

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IMF lauds Sri Lanka’s economic turnaround, highlights regional resilience

Published

9 hours ago

2026/01/29

Sahan Weerasooriya

Sri Lanka’s economy has “stabilised decisively” under its International Monetary Fund (IMF)-supported programme, with growth rebounding, tax revenues doubling, and inflation sharply declining, a senior IMF official said in Colombo yesterday.

Dr. Krishna Srinivasan, Director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, delivered the assessment during a public lecture on the IMF Regional Economic Outlook: Asia and Pacific, held at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. He was joined by Dr. Thomas Helbling, the Department’s Country Director.

Both officials commended the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region’s overall economic resilience in the face of global challenges and advocated for deeper trade and supply chain integration to mitigate vulnerabilities in international trade.

Presenting a country-focused analysis, Dr. Srinivasan outlined how Sri Lanka has performed against the five key pillars of the IMF programme:

Revenue-based fiscal consolidation, supported by tax reforms and strengthened social safety nets.

Restoring debt sustainability through fiscal adjustment and debt restructuring.

Maintaining price stability and rebuilding foreign exchange reserves.

Safeguarding external stability.

Combating corruption via a comprehensive anti-corruption reform agenda.

“Sri Lanka has come out of the crisis stabilising its economy across three dimensions,” Dr. Srinivasan stated referring to Sri Lanka’s Growth, Revenue, and Inflation. He highlighted that growth “bounced back decisively,” turning positive within six months of the programme and recently averaging about 5 percent annually.

On fiscal performance, he noted a “significant turnaround.” Tax revenue has doubled from a critically low 7.3 percent of GDP to 14.8 percent in 2025.

Dr. Krishna Srinivasan / Dr. Thomas Helbling

Furthermore, inflation has dropped “in a very convincing manner” from approximately 70 percent to the current 2-3 percent range. “One would hope that in the next few quarters, it will reach the Central Bank’s target of 5 percent,” he added.

“Overall, the IMF programme for Sri Lanka has delivered on many of its objectives,” Dr. Srinivasan concluded. “There is still a long way to go in terms of securing strong, sustained, balanced growth, but the program is off to a very good start. All of you, the authorities, and the people of Sri Lanka need to be congratulated for the progress made so far,” he said.

In his regional remarks, Dr. Srinivasan projected that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be a key driver of the Asian economy. He suggested that technology companies in the region would be “better served by the capital markets than from conventional banks,” pointing to a need for evolved financial ecosystems to support innovation.

The lecture underscored the IMF’s constructive outlook for Asia’s continued resilience, while emphasising structural reforms and regional cooperation as vital for future stability and growth.

By Sanath Nanayakkare