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Funds not released despite SC order Govt. intensifies campaign against LG polls

By Shamindra Ferdinando
The Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government has stepped up attacks on the Election Commission (EC) in the wake of the Supreme Court directive meant to clear the way for much delayed Local Government polls.
Urban Development and Housing Ministry yesterday (13) quoted Chief Government Whip Prasanna Ranatunga, apparently oblivious to what is happening, as having told the local media at Udugampola earlier in the day the EC should examine whether the allocation made through budget 2023 for the independent commission was sufficient.
Minister Ranatunga has declared that the economy should be stabilised before elections could be held.
The Supreme Court on March 03 issued an interim order to Finance Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana and Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam, PC, not to withhold funds allocated to the Elections Commission by the 2023 budget.
The AG was named respondent on behalf of the President.
The Gampaha District SLPP heavyweight declared that the country was experiencing such a difficult situation the government was not in a position to release funds in support of the electoral process.
SLPP MPs, Premanath Dolawatte and State Minister Shehan Semasinghe on March 7 and 10, respectively in parliament explained why LG polls shouldn’t be conducted as scheduled.
Asked whether the EC received fresh funding since the Supreme Court directive issued on March 03, EC Chairman Nimal Punchihewa said that the court intervention didn’t make any difference.
Punchihewa said that before the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) moved Supreme Court, the Treasury had released Rs 175 mn in support of the scheduled election. “Of that amount, we received Rs 100 mn while the Government Printer and Police Department received Rs 40 mn and Rs 35 mn, respectively,” the embattled EC Chief said.
The order was given by the three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Preethi Padman Surasena, Janak de Silva and Priyantha Fernando in respect of a fundamental rights petition filed by SJB General Secretary MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara, MP.
Responding to another query, Punchihewa said that though the budget allocated Rs. 10 bn for the EC, they could manage with Rs 1.1 bn.
Punchihewa said that the EC expected the government to abide by the SC directive though LG polls obviously undermined its political strategy. The outspoken lawyer and former member of the Human Rights Commission said that unless funds were made available immediately it wouldn’t be possible even to conduct LG polls on April 25. The poll was to be originally conducted on March 09.
The EC Chairman said that petitioner MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara would have to move the Supreme Court again. The EC could make representations before the Supreme Court again but that entirely depended on the SJB’s response to the latest situation.
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President and representatives of IMF discuss progress of EFF

A comprehensive discussion regarding the progress of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took place on Thursday (06) at the Presidential Secretariat, between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and the IMF delegation.
The current government has already reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on the third review regarding the extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of USD3 billion.
The details of this review are expected to be presented to the International Monetary Fund’s Board of Directors by the end of this month. In this regard, discussions were held regarding the progress and the government’s involvement in continuing the program moving forward.
Once the approval is granted by the IMF Executive Board, Sri Lanka is expected to release the fourth tranche of the extended loan, amounting to 333 million dollars.
The discussion was also attended by IMF Executive Director Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Alternate Executive Director Dr. P. K. G. Harischandra, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwadana, and Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe.
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New Commanders of the Tri-Forces meet the President

The newly appointed Commander of the Tri-Forces met with Commander-in-Chief, President Anura Kumara Disanayake on Thursday (6th) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat.
The meeting was attended by Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo, the new Army Commander; Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, the new Navy Commander and Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe, the new Air Force Commander.
Following tradition, the new commanders formally met with the President after assuming their duties. During the meeting, they also presented the President with a commemorative token.
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Musk reveals ‘crazy waste’ of USAID funds in Sri Lanka

USD 7.9 mn spent on teaching Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”
USAID has spent $7.9 million to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”, Elon Musk who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said in a post on X on Thursday.
Musk called it a “Crazy waste of your tax money!”
Musk’s criticism came with a detailed breakdown of USAID’s spending across various countries, which he argued reflects misguided priorities. According to a document Musk shared, USAID has funded a range of projects globally, including $20 million for a new Sesame Street show in Iraq, $4.5 million to “combat disinformation” in Kazakhstan, and $6 million to transform digital spaces to reflect feminist democratic principles.
The list also included $1.5 million for art projects promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities and $2 million for sex changes and LGBT activism in Guatemala. $10 million worth of USAID-funded meals, allegedly ended up in the hands of an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, the document states.
Other USAID programmes include $25 million for Deloitte to promote green transportation in Georgia, $6 million for tourism development in Egypt, and $2.5 million to foster inclusion in Vietnam. The documents also pointed to $5 million awarded to EcoHealth Alliance, a group linked to bat virus research at the Wuhan lab, and $20 million for an organisation tied to what Musk described as a “key player” in the Russiagate impeachment inquiry.
Further funds were allocated for various LGBT-related initiatives worldwide, including $5.5 million for LGBT activism in Uganda, $6.3 million for men who have sex with men in South Africa, $3.9 million for LGBT causes in the western Balkans, and $6 million for advancing LGBT issues globally. Additionally, $2 million was allocated to promote LGBT equality through entrepreneurship in Latin America, while $1.5 million was designated for LGBT advocacy in Jamaica.
The data also highlighted spending closer to home, with $1.2 million going to help the African Methodist Episcopal Church Service and Development Agency in Washington, D.C., build a 440-seat auditorium. A further $1.3 million was provided to Arab and Jewish photographers, while $1.1 million supported an Armenian LGBT group.
Musk criticised other expenditures as well, including $3.9 million for artisanal gold mining in the Amazon and $500,000 aimed at solving sectarian violence in Israel just days before the October 7 Hamas attack.
Attention was also drawn to USAID’s $150 billion “whole-of-agency” climate strategy, which outlines efforts to build an “equitable world” while pursuing net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
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