News
SLFP asks for mixed electoral system
… suggests Prez and general election on same day
The SLFP has emphasised the need for a mixed electoral system at the Select Committee of Parliament to identify appropriate reforms of the election laws and the electoral system and to recommend necessary amendments
Sri Lanka Freedom Party, United People’s Freedom Alliance and People’s United Front handed over their proposals in writing on Wednesday (11) to the Select Committee of Parliament to identify appropriate reforms of the election laws and the electoral system and to recommend necessary amendments, the Communication Department of the Parliament stated.
The following is the text of the statement: “Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, State Ministers Dayasiri Jayasekara and Lasantha Alagiyawanna handed over the proposals to the Chairman of the Committee, Leader of the House, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena on behalf of their parties.
State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara speaking on behalf of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party said that the country needs a mixed electoral system at present. He emphasized the need for the executive presidency, and pointed out that proper procedures should be put in place to prevent the appointment of dual citizens to the presidency.
The State Minister said that the possibility of holding the Presidential and General Elections on the same day and the possibility of holding the Provincial Council and Local Government Elections on the same day should be specially looked into. The State Minister also emphasized the need to introduce a district council system in the decentralization of provincial council powers.
Speaking on behalf of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that a system should be set up to hand over the relevant Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to the Elections Commission when political parties enter into an alliance. He said that every party should have a fair campaign opportunity in the elections.
Speaking on behalf of the People’s United Front, State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna said that special attention should be paid towards bringing in new reforms to reduce election campaign expenses. Speaking on behalf of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, Member of Parliament Prof. Tissa Vitarana said that there is an urgent need to establish a new electoral system in the country to protect the rights of all communities. He also pointed out the importance of preventing the misuse of state property.
Representatives of the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) pointed out to the committee that the electoral system should be in place to protect the rights of minorities. It was also emphasized that the representation of the plantation workers should be ensured.
Speaking at the PSC meeting, the Democratic Left Front said that it was very important to hold elections on time. They also proposed the complete abolition of the executive presidency and the strengthening of the parliamentary system.
The Communist Party of Sri Lanka, the Democratic United National Front and the Arunalu Janatha Peramuna also presented proposals before the Committee. The Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, also presented his proposals to the Committee, saying that new reforms should focus on increasing the representation of women in politics.
Representatives of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) suggested that many countries in the world have resorted to the method of counting votes electronically and that it should be experimented in Sri Lanka as a pilot project.
Accordingly, the next meeting of the Committee is scheduled to be held on August 18 said the Secretary to the Committee, Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General of parliament Ms. Kushani Rohanadheera.
Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Prof. G. L. Peiris, M.U.M Ali Sabry, State Minister Jeevan Thondaman, Members of Parliament Madhura Withanage and Sagara Kariyawasam were also present at the Committee Meeting.
Officials from the Election Commission, the Delimitation Commission and the Attorney General’s Department were also present at this committee meeting.
COPF final report on USD 2.5 mn cyber fraud recommends action against all responsible
The US$2.5 million loss incurred during Sri Lanka’s foreign debt repayment to Australia was a clear case of a cybercrime and theft, Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva told Parliament yesterday.
Presenting the COPF final report on the cyber fraud, Dr. de Silva said the incident amounted to a serious financial crime and called for a comprehensive investigation, by law enforcement authorities, to identify and prosecute all those responsible.
The report revealed serious governance, procedural and operational failures that enabled the fraudulent transfer of public funds, while recommending sweeping reforms to strengthen cybersecurity, financial controls and public debt management systems.
According to the report, officials of the Treasury and the Central Bank bore responsibility for governance lapses that contributed to the failures. It also highlighted the fact that the Ministry of Finance was operating an outdated Microsoft Exchange Server after security support had ended, while basic safeguards, such as multi-factor authentication, had not been implemented.
The COPF said suspicious payment instructions linked to debt repayments involving India, the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium had also been detected, preventing further losses. However, the US$ 2.5 million fraud materialised only in the repayment transaction involving Australia.
The report has noted that officials had failed to verify lender email domains, relied on unverified email communications and lacked adequate internal controls, allowing the fraud to continue for months.
Although the investigation uncovered system-wide weaknesses across several institutions, only four mid-level Finance Ministry officials had been suspended so far, the report said.
The COPF has recommended a special audit of the foreign debt repayment process, strengthened cybersecurity measures across state institutions, updated financial regulations and improvements to public debt management systems.
by Saman Indrajith
News
Opposition signs no-confidence motion against Justice Minister for dereliction of duty over Negombo Prison deaths
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, together with Opposition MPs, yesterday signed a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) in Parliament against Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara.The move comes in response to the unrest at the Negombo Prison, where both prison officers and inmates were killed.
Opposition members said the Minister had failed to fulfill his responsibility and accountability regarding their safety.According to the Opposition group, the NCM seeks to hold the Minister directly accountable for lapses in ensuring protection within the prison system.
The Attorney General yesterday informed the Supreme Court that the government has decided to review the legality of agreements entered into by the previous administration to hand over the country’s electronic visa issuance operations to private companies.
Additional Solicitor General Viveka Siriwardena, appearing for the Attorney General, made the submission when the Supreme Court took up the fundamental rights petitions filed by former MPs President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran, Patali Champika Ranawaka, and Rauff Hakeem, challenging the previous Cabinet’s decision to outsource the e-visa system.
The petitions were heard before a three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justices Achala Wengappuli and Arjuna Obeyesekere.
The Additional Solicitor General informed court that the current Cabinet had appointed a subcommittee to examine the legality of the agreements with the private companies and requested time to report on its findings, stating that the review was still underway.
President’s Counsel Sumanthiran, appearing as one of the petitioners, told the court that although the present government had indicated its intention to cancel the transaction, the petitioners wished to proceed with the case.
He noted that members of the current Cabinet had been named as respondents in the petitions.The Supreme Court directed the petitioners to issue notice on the members of the current Cabinet, named as respondents, and fixed September 29 for further proceedings.
History takes centre stage as Mandhana, Harmanpreet fifties steer India
Spain leave it late to book semifinal date with France
Showers will occur in the Sabaragamuwa, Western and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts
US$ 2.5 mn cyber heist exposes system failures
Opposition signs no-confidence motion against Justice Minister for dereliction of duty over Negombo Prison deaths
AG informs SC of e-visa agreement review
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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