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DEW: Near 2/3 majority meaningless; Sabry’s prediction may come true

Published

3 years ago

2022/05/7

Sahan Weerasooriya

‘Success of countrywide protest warning to govt. leaders’

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Veteran Communist Party politician DEW Gunasekera says the developing economic-political-social crisis cannot be resolved by exploiting the parliamentary system.

The former Minister warned the ruling SLPP (Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna) government of dire consequences unless it addressed the issues at hand immediately.

The one-time General Secretary of the CP said so referring to what he called a clandestine operation that thwarted a joint Opposition bid on Thursday (05) to elect Ranjith Siyambalapitiya as the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament.

Instead, SLPP Chairman and Foreign Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris declared the SLPP’s support, too, for Siyambalapitiya while the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) fielded Imthiaz Bakeer Markar as their candidate, ex-MP Gunasekera said.

Of course, SLFPer Ranjith Siyambalapitiya won the contest with a huge majority but at the expense of much needed unity among the Opposition, required to pressure both President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the incumbent Cabinet-of-Ministers, including Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gunasekera said.

Responding to another query, Gunasekera said that the SLPP appeared to have ignored severe warning issued by Justice and Finance Minister Ali Sabry, PC, on the previous day, over the status of the national economy. Had the SLPP at least realised the gravity of the situation, the outspoken ex-lawmaker said, the SLPP would not have gone ahead with high the profile operation to have Ranjith Siyambalapitiya re-elected.

Sabry did not mince his words when he declared that unless the country recognized the threat and responded accordingly, Sri Lanka could end up as Lebanon or Venezuela.

MP Siyambalapitiya could have simply withdrawn his letter of resignation handed over to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa about a month ago, the CP veteran said, adding that the whole exercise was meant to compel the divided SLPP to vote for the Kegalle District MP, to counter growing challenge to Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa and thirdly prevent possible threat to the Leader of the Opposition as a result of the emergence of a larger parliamentary opposition.

SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara told a hastily arranged media conference on Thursday the SJB had no option but to field a candidate of its own in the wake of Prof. Peiris declaring the SLPP’s support for the Opposition candidate.

Strongly endorsing Minister Sabry’s reading of the current situation, ex-Minister Gunasekera said that despite the SLPP showing a near two-thirds majority in Parliament, both the government and the country remained vulnerable to a toxic combination of political crisis, economic fallout and rising public anger. Asked whether the rapidly growing public protest campaign could be suppressed by a police crackdown and a show of military force, the former MP said “absolutely not. I am sure, those at the helm of political authority quite clearly realized that the public are not in a mood to give up the high-profile protest campaign.

The CP man said that the ‘Go Gota Home’ campaign completed 28 days on Thursday whereas the ‘Go Mahinda Home’ campaign reached 10th day. Against the backdrop of police tear gas attacks on protesters, mostly members of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) on Thursday late evening, they have put up another protest site near Polduwa junction, Gunasekera said. They would continue to receive wide public support if the government failed to address the economic issue expeditiously, the ex-MP said, drawing the government attention to the growing public discontent.

Despite assurances given by the Presidential Media Division (PMD) early this week, the government could not prevent countrywide strike with all key public sector services joining the campaign. Unfortunately, the government was still struggling to settle issues within the SLPP and save Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa’s position at any cost much to the disappointment of the vast majority of those who voted for the SLPP at the 2019 presidential and 2020 parliamentary polls.

The outspoken CP veteran reiterated that the incumbent Cabinet including the Prime Minister should quit now to facilitate a consensus among all stakeholders. Noting even Dullas Alahapperuma, MP, quite politely asked for the entire Cabinet-of-Ministers to resign, ex-MP Gunasekera said unless political parties represented in Parliament restored much needed stability the country could not expect the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to proceed with negotiations.

Gunasekera said that long suppressed public anger exploded at President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s private residence at the Pengiriwatte Road, Mirihana, on March 31. That was followed by the countrywide protest on April 03 and then they launched the ‘Go Gota Home’ protest on April 09, the former MP said.

It would be pertinent to ask whether the government had taken tangible measures to address the issues raised by the Opposition as well as the public against the backdrop of the worst ever economic crisis experienced by Sri Lanka, Gunasekera said.

Asked whether he had an opportunity to advise the SLPP seniors, Gunasekera said that they were in no mood to listen or to engage in a dialogue. Instead, they continued to pursue the same old strategies that might not be relevant in the current situation, the former Minister said.

Gunasekera said that it would be a mistake for the SLPP grandees to think the re-election of Ranjith Siyambalapitiya meant the rebel SLPP group had given up their struggle. That was not so, the former Minister said, urging the government to address the issues at hand or face the consequences.

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Committees with accountable district-level officials to be appointed to resolve Human-Elephant Conflict

Published

16 mins ago

2025/06/20

Priyan

President Anura Kumara Disanayake instructed relevant officials to swiftly implement a formal mechanism to resolve the human-elephant conflict, which significantly impacts both the rural economy and people’s lives.

The President issued these directives during a discussion on resolving the human-elephant conflict, held this (20) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat.

During the discussion, particular attention was paid to the districts most affected by the human-elephant conflict, including Anuradhapura, Puttalam, Polonnaruwa, Ampara, Hambantota, Monaragala, Kurunegala, Badulla and Trincomalee. The respective District Secretaries presented the specific issues in their districts to the President.

Discussions also covered existing vacancies within the Department of Wildlife, vehicle requirements and the challenges faced in carrying out their duties.

The President emphasised the need to streamline the mechanism for resolving the human-elephant conflict and highlighted the importance of implementing this programme in close collaboration with the public.

Accordingly, the President instructed that committees comprising accountable officials from the relevant districts be appointed within the next month to carry out these activities.

The President also directed that retired officers be recruited on a contract basis to fill current vacancies in the Department of Wildlife. As an immediate measure, he instructed officials to assign Civil Security Department officers to the Department of Wildlife with specific training and to enact relevant legislation for this purpose.

Furthermore, the President instructed that the ongoing joint operations by the Police, other security forces and the Department of Wildlife to resolve the human-elephant conflict be made more systematic and efficient.

The event was attended by Professor Chandana Abeyrathne, Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government; Ananda Wijepala, Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs; T.B. Sarath, Deputy Minister of Housing; Aruna Jayasekara, Deputy Minister of Defence; Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President; Ranjan Marasinghe, Director General of Wildlife; Major General Lasantha Rodrigo, Army Commander; Priyantha Weerasuriya, Acting Inspector General of Police; as well as District Secretaries and other government officials.

News

Students from Thambuttegama Central College visit President’s House

Published

22 mins ago

2025/06/20

Priyan

A group of students from Thambuttegama Central College, Anuradhapura, visited the Presidential Secretariat and President’s House this (20) afternoon during their annual educational tour.

The students had the opportunity to participate in the ‘Vision’ programme, an initiative for schoolchildren jointly organised by the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministry of Education, and the Department of Communication of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

After touring the Old Parliament building within the Presidential Secretariat, the students were also briefed on parliamentary history.

The college’s teaching staff and students were also informed about the ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ programme, which operates under a concept by President Anura Kumara Disanayake, as well as the role of the executive and the rule of law.

During the visit, the Legal Advisor to the President J.M. Wijebandara symbolically demonstrated the value of environmental protection by presenting a valuable sapling to the school.

The event was attended by Senior Additional Secretary to the President K.N.M. Kumarasinghe, Deputy Director of the Tri-Forces Security Affairs Coordinating Unit Colonel Dhananjaya Senarath, Deputy Principal of Thambuttegama Central College M.G. Asanka Wijesuriya, along with teaching staff and other officials.

Business

Foreign Direct Investment records 90% Increase in First Quarter of 2025

Published

26 mins ago

2025/06/20

Priyan

The Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka has successfully increased Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by US$96 million in the first quarter of 2025, compared with the same period in 2024.

This was disclosed today (20) during a progress review meeting of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, chaired by President Anura Kumara Disanayake at the Presidential Secretariat.

BOI officials also noted that, relative to the first quarter of 2024, domestic investment rose by US$21 million, while export income increased by US$176 million during the first quarter of 2025. In total, Sri Lanka has attracted US$4,669 million in investment proposals thus far in 2025.

The meeting also focused on the issues and challenges associated with attracting investment to the country and discussed potential strategies to address them.
Addressing the gathering, President Anura Kumara Disanayake stated that the Board of Investment holds a pivotal role in enhancing the national economy and improving the living standards of the rural population.

He stressed that opportunities to attract investment in traditional sectors are becoming increasingly limited and therefore the nation must identify new areas for investment, an endeavour that falls under the BOI’s mandate.

The President further noted that Sri Lanka has attracted only around US$22 billion in investment since 1978. In comparison to other countries in the region, he stated, Sri Lanka must advance rapidly, referencing Vietnam’s achievement of securing US$23 billion in investment in 2022 alone.

He went on to state that the BOI should prioritise the expansion of investment in the services sector and proactively seek new investment opportunities, rather than focusing solely on recapturing missed ones.

The event was attended by senior officials of the Board of Investment, including Duminda Hulangamuwa, Senior Advisor to the President on Economic Affairs; Arjuna Herath, Chairman of the Board of Investment; and Ms Renuka Weerakone, Acting Director General of the Board of Investment.