News
Dullas appeals for restoring public trust in govt.
Anura alleges members were bought off
By Saman Indrajith
SLPP MP Dullas Alahapperuma yesterday told Parliament that politicians should work towards restoring people’s trust in the government.
Soon after the announcement of the results of the vote to elect a new President from Parliament, MP Alahapperuma, who received 82 votes out of 223 votes, thanked all those who had voted and did not vote for him.
“As politicians, it is our utmost duty to win back the trust of the people. I did not enter this fray with lofty dreams; I wanted to help the people. We tried to replace aristocratic politics with non-aristocratic politics. It is true that our attempt has failed. I have never betrayed my camp. I am not a rich man. Honesty should come before that. I congratulate the newly elected President and pray that sanity will prevail to listen to the call of hundreds of thousands of people who are frustrated with the political process,” Alahapperuma said.
JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who received only three votes at the election, said that the result was a distortion of the public opinion. “These results do not reflect the aspirations of the people. These results show a warped picture which does not tally with the prevailing public opinion,” the JVP leader said.
Dissanayake said that there had been political horse-trading during the last couple of days to change the results of the vote. “MPs sold themselves at various prices in return for their votes. I do not think that any such government formed against the wishes of the people has its political legitimacy to rule this country. Therefore an opportunity should be made for people to vote for a new government soon.”
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President receives blessings from the chief prelate of the Ramanna Maha Nikaya
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited the main temple of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya in Narahenpita this morning (05), and received his blessings Aggamaha Panditha Makulewe Wimala Nayaka Thero, of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya,
The Anunayaka Theros, Lekhadhikari Theros, and other senior clergy of the Nikaya were also present at the occasion. The Maha Sangha chanted Seth Pirith to invoke blessings upon the President.
Following this, the President engaged in a brief discussion with the Chief Prelate and the Maha Sangha regarding the current economic, social and political situation in the country.
During the discussion, the monks requested that when appointing Ambassadors and High Commissioners, the President should ensure that qualified, intelligent individuals who can properly represent the country abroad are selected. Similarly, they urged the appointment of responsible individuals, free from political considerations, for the positions of Governors.
The Maha Sangha also emphasized that when appointing Secretaries to Ministries, the President should choose suitable individuals for the respective roles.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that his goal is to make all decisions in line with the policies outlined in his manifesto. He further mentioned that he plans to introduce relevant reforms after the upcoming General Election.
Most Venerable Makulewe Wimala Nayaka Thero also expressed confidence that the trust placed in the President and his team by the people during the last Presidential Election will be fulfilled, and that the blessings of the Sangha are with him to help realize the expectations of the public.
News
No expense reports submitted to EC yet
Legal requirement for presidential candidates to declare campaign expenditure:
By Ranil Dharmasena and Rathindra Kuruwita
Not a single presidential candidate has handed over his expenses report for election propaganda to the Election Commission (EC) by 04 October 2024, according to sources.Presidential candidates have time till 12 October to hand over their election campaign expense reports to the EC.
According to campaign finance laws each presidential candidate must submit election campaign expense reports to the EC within 21 days of the announcement of the election results.
Once all 38 candidates have submitted their expense reports, the documents will be made available for public viewing.
Should any discrepancies be found in any candidate’s reports, individuals are entitled to file complaints with the police, provided they furnish credible evidence to support their claims.
Meanwhile, Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake said that he believed that candidates would hand over the reports next week. “Sri Lankans submit reports at the last minute,” he said.
Rohana Hettiarachchi, Executive Director of People’s Action for Free & Fair Elections (PAFFREL) told The Island that the expenses reports would show the number of dummy candidates who contested the 21 September election.
“Candidates for the Presidential Election will submit their expenditure reports next week. I believe that some candidates will present reports stating that they have not spent any money. These are the so-called ‘dummy candidates,” he said.
If the EC does not take steps to reduce these dummy candidates, the number of dummy candidates would increase further in the future, he said. There had been a proposal to increase the electoral deposits that candidates had to place when contesting elections, he said.
News
IMF to announce dates for third review
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will announce dates for the Third Review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with Sri Lanka, once the institution’s delegation, currently in Sri Lanka, returns, Julie Kozack, Director of the Communications Department – IMF, told journalists at a press conference held in New York on Thursday (03).
Answering questions posed by journalists about the future of the IMF agreement with Sri Lanka, Kozack said Sri Lanka has performed strongly with regards to the programme.
“On 12 June 2024, the IMF Executive Board completed the 2024 Article IV Consultation, and the Second Review, under the EFF programme on Sri Lanka, providing the country with immediate access to about $336 million to support its economic policies and reforms. Programme performance is strong, and reform efforts are bearing fruit in terms of reviving economic growth, lowering inflation, boosting reserves and improving revenue mobilization,” she said.
However, important vulnerabilities and uncertainties do remain, and this means that sustaining reform momentum is critical, Kozack said.
She said that at present, a high-level team, led by the Fund’s Director of the Asia Pacific Department, Krishna Srinivasan, is currently visiting Colombo to meet with President Dissanayake and his new economic team.
“The delegation is discussing with the authorities the latest economic developments and their economic reform objective. Dates for the Third Review under the EFF will be announced in due course and this delegation will communicate when their visit concludes. And we will have more information for you at that time,” she told journalists.
Responding to a question on the bondholders, she said that on 18 September, Sri Lanka and the international bondholder representatives reached an agreement in principle.
“This is subject to confirmation of comparability of treatment by Sri Lanka’s Official Creditor Committee, and this does represent some significant progress in Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring process,” she said.
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