News
Ex- HRC Chairman warns against allowing one man show in governance if country to remain a democracy
No country could be described as democratic if there is no separation of powers that ensures one branch of government does not exceed its powers, former head of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) Prof. Deepika Udagama said in a televised interview on Tuesday (28.)
“The three branches of government, i.e., the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary, must keep an eye on each other so that there is a balance. The 1978 Constitution centered power on the executive president. The question ever since has been how to put limits on the power of the executive president and to achieve balance between the three branches of government,” she said.
The establishment of the constitutional council in 2001 was an attempt to limit the power of the president, Prof. Udagama said. The Council is to ensure that the president does not make appointments to key positions on his own.
“The idea is that these key positions must be appointed through consensus,” she said.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe recently told parliament that the Council failed to approve his nominee to the Supreme Court and his continuing requests to reappoint the current IGP long after his age of retirement.
The president added that the lack of approval has resulted in the police not functioning and the courts coming to a standstill.
The President also announced his decision to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee to probe delays by the Council.
“The 20th Amendment made the executive president extremely powerful. 21st was brought to amend this, and President Ranil Wickremesinghe played a role in passing the amendment. Almost everyone who becomes president, depending on his or her view of the executive president, brings an amendment to the constitution. They make the constitution in their image using the two-thirds majority,” she said.
The Constitutional Council was established first under the 17th Amendment under specific political circumstances, Prof. Udagama said. The executive presidency was held by Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, who represented the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, while the parliamentary majority was held by the United National Party. Most parties agreed that the powers of the executive needed to be limited. The Mahinda Rajapaksa administration that followed undermined the 17th Amendment and, in 2010, abolished the 17th Amendment by passing the 18th Amendment.
“The 18th Amendment established the parliamentary council, which had no power. The Constitutional Council was brought back under the 19th Amendment during the yahapalana government. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa abolished it again with the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. The 21st Amendment was an acknowledgement that the president must not be given such unlimited powers,” she said.
The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, but successive presidents have remade the Constitution the way they want, she said. This is against the idea of democracy and what a constitution is, Prof. Udagama said.
“Maybe the next president will bring in the 22nd Amendment. This is not good. This is making light of the Constitution,” she said.
(RK)
Interdicted Deputy Director at the National Hospital, Sri Lanka (NHSL) Dr. Rukshan Bellana yesterday (29) alleged that the powers that be moved against him for seeking the CIABOC (Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption) investigation into a massive fraud at the NHSL laboratory.
Dr. Bellana said so in response to The Island query regarding the circumstances the Health Ministry interdicted him on 18 December, through a letter, as directed by the Health Committee of the Public Service (PSC) Commission. “That letter has been signed by an Additional Secretary, as Health Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe was overseas,” Dr. Bellana said.
Dr. Bellana stated that the government had paid for reagents, contaminated or close to expiry dates, obtained from a leading local medical supplier, since 2022. He emphasised that his complaint to the CIABOC, and subsequent complaint to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), were entirely based on the issues raised by the National Audit Office (NAO).
Responding to another query, Dr. Bellana said that the public funds, amounting to Rs. 900 mn, had been spent on chemical reagents past expiry dates. Regardless of the intervention made by the NAO, the NHSL continued to procure supplies from the same company, Dr. Bellana said, adding that he had received the unconditional support of the civil society. Among them were Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, President of Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA), President of Academy of Health Professionals Ravi Kumudesh, and leader of Mage Rata Sanjaya Mahawatta.
Dr. Bellana said that he had complained about the scam to the CIABOC in June this year.
Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, who also lodged a complaint with CIABOC, regarding the same matter, is on record as having said in September this year that the reagents had been procured over a three-year period without the proper approval of the Medical Supplies Division of the Ministry. Dr. Sanjeewa has alleged that some of the reagents were either contaminated or close to expiry dates, while contracts had been given to a single company at unapproved prices.
Dr. Bellana said that had there been a proper system for CIABOC and law enforcement authorities to act on findings made by the NAO they wouldn’t have personally intervened in the NHSL laboratory matter. “Parliament should look into this. Did Parliament take up the NHSL laboratory matter at the relevant watchdog committee or at the Sectoral Oversight Committee that handled health?” Dr. Bellana asked.
Asked whether the letter that informed him of his interdiction gave any specific reason for the action taken, Dr. Bellana said the Ministry had found fault with him for speaking to the media. The irate ex-official said that he never hesitated to take a stand against injustice. “When former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was accused of corruption, pertaining to medical procurement, I condemned the Minister. Lambasted those responsible for wrongdoings.”
Dr. Bellana said that the NAO had dealt with mega crime involving the public and private sector. “That is the undeniable truth. Parliament should look into this as public money is its responsibility. Having vowed to stamp out corruption, the NPP was allowing and encouraging those who had been making money at the expense of the sick, Dr. Bellana said.
Dr. Bellana said that as many as 10,000 tests were conducted daily at the NHSL. The racketeers had been active during Aragalaya as the NHSL and the private supplier reached agreement in 2022 and the process continued even after the last presidential election, conducted in September 2024.
Dr. Bellana said that the long delay in finalising the Auditor General’s appointment exposed the government. If those holding high political office were genuinely interested in fighting corruption, they wouldn’t have allowed that Office of AG stay vacant even for a day.
Dr. Bellana noted the tough statements issued by the Bar Association, Transparency International Sri Lanka and the Committee on Public Finance demanding the immediate appointment of AG.
Health Ministry officials were not available for comment.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
BIA unions, including those affiliated to political parties, are demanding bonuses equal to five months’ basic salaries.
A group of workers yesterday (29) protested outside BIA urging the Airport and Aviation Services Sri Lanka (Private) Ltd to increase their bonuses. They claimed that the Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services Sri Lanka (Private) Ltd., Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Harsha Abeywickrama, had assured them that they would be paid bonuses worth five times their basic salaries.
The SriLankan Nidahas Sewaka Sangamaya (SLNSS) of the airport, the Podujana Sewaka Sangamaya, the Pragathishili Sewaka Sangamaya, the Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya, and the SLNSS of SriLankan Airlines joined the protest.
The Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority has issued an urgent safety warning to residents living along the banks of the Kotmale Oya and the Mahaweli River, as water levels in the Kotmale Reservoir are reaching maximum capacity.
According to a special weather advisory issued by the Department of Meteorology on December 26, 2025, heavy rainfall is expected in the catchment areas over the coming days.
In response, the Mahaweli Authority released a statement on December 27, warning that spill gates may have to be opened to manage the water flow.
Eng. A.M.A.K. Seneviratne, Resident Engineer and Deputy Director of the Kotmale Reservoir, stated that the opening of spill gates would lead to a significant rise in the water levels of both the Kotmale Oya and the Mahaweli River.
Areas on Alert
Residents in the following Divisional Secretariat divisions are urged to remain extra vigilant:
• Nuwara Eliya District: Kotmale West and Kotmale East.
• Kandy District: Udapalatha, Udunuwara, Doluwa, Pasbage Korale, and Ganga Ihala Korale.
Authorities have advised the public in these low-lying and river-adjacent areas to monitor the situation closely and take necessary precautions to ensure their safety and the protection of their property.
By S.K. Samaranayake
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