News
FUTA slams Ranil’s appointment
Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) yesterday condemned what it called the non consultative and self-serving appointment of Ranil Wickramasinghe as Prime Minister.
A statement signed by FUTA General Secretary Rohan Laksiri said: As the national trade union representing university academics, which has stood firmly behind the ongoing people’s struggle for democracy and economic stability, the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) strongly condemns the non-consultative and self-serving appointment of Ranil Wickremasinghe as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on 12 May 2022. On the Prime Minister’s position becoming vacant because of the resignation of Mahinda Rajapaksa on 09 May 2022, it was incumbent on the President, as stated in the Constitution, to appoint as Prime Minister the Member of Parliament “who in his opinion is most likely to command the confidence of Parliament.” This does not mean that he can appoint anyone whom he wishes to, for personal or political reasons. In fact, it is apparent that whether or not Wickremasinghe commands a majority in Parliament is being explored after his appointment as Prime Minister. This is totally unacceptable.
We wish to remind both Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremasinghe that all momentous changes in the political establishment in recent weeks have been prompted by the demands of the people’s protest movement. The former Prime Minister, among others, was forced to resign only because of the unrelenting demands of the people. The possibility of the appointment of an all-party interim government was created only because of the protest movement. What is clear to the citizenry now is that this democratic opening was hijacked by the President to appoint his own favoured candidate.
We are not satisfied that the President pursued talks with all the political parties to the maximum extent to explore the possibility of an all-party or multi-party interim government. Hence, the unprecedented move by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa can only be interpreted as an undemocratic and corrupt political deal between himself and Ranil Wickremesinghe, further evidenced by the ready support of the President’s party for Wickremasinghe. This manipulation of the political process in blatant disregard of the people’s struggle to address the political and economic crises further escalates the President’s confrontation with the citizenry.
Wickremesinghe has gone on record to state that he never requested that he be so appointed. He claims that he was invited by the President, with no other support from his own party and no written pledges of support from any other. Moreover, Wickremasinghe has an extraordinarily poor electoral track record with the highest number of consecutive electoral defeats for his party, being unable even to secure his own election at the last General Election. In addition, there are widespread allegations that he has continued to protect and serve the Rajapksa interests, and has been implicated in the infamous Central Bank fraud, either directly or via its covering up, to name only a few of his disqualifications. He stands for precisely what the present protest movement seeks to eliminate from this country’s political framework.
FUTA reiterates the people’s demand for the immediate resignation of the President and the establishment of an interim government that is both democratically credible and constitutional. Any such interim government should take immediate steps to abolish the Executive Presidency and other demanded political reforms which would guarantee accountable governance. If President Rajapaksa continues to undermine the democratic demands of the people and persists with political deals to prolong the inevitable and overdue end of his reign, that will surely lead to disastrous consequences both on the economic and political fronts.
FUTA appeals to all international actors to ensure that engagement with Sri Lanka heeds the people’s demands which have been clearly articulated by the tremendous democratic struggle that is being led by the vibrant and dynamic youth movement termed the ‘Aragalaya’ [the struggle]. While international support to address the extreme economic hardships borne by the people is welcome, we urge that the people’s sovereign will not be undermined by legitimizing the present undemocratic political deal and the machinations that will inevitably follow.
The argument that at the moment Wickremesinghe alone holds the respect of international actors is false, and is based on perception stemming from class and ideological bias. Such oversimplifications add insult to injury to the democratic demands of the people of Sri Lanka who are more than ever convinced that only legitimate and accountable governance will guarantee economic and other forms of stability required to move forward with confidence and dignity.
FUTA remains committed to working alongside other trade unions and people’s movements to address the current crisis. Out of the historically significant protest movement and resistance of the people, especially the youth, a visionary and democratic political leadership must find solutions to the long festering problems of Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lanka Navy successfully recovered its Fast Attack Craft P 4447 following a successful salvage operation, bringing a multi-stage emergency response to a close.
The craft, which ran into distress during a routine patrol on 15th August 2026 off Angulana, was brought to the surface on 11th September, from a depth of approximately 80 feet. It was
subsequently towed to the Colombo Dockyard premises.
The initial phase of the operation immediately following the incident focused on search and rescue. A joint effort involving the Navy, Air Force, Police, and local fishermen from Angulana
resulted in the rescue of 11 crew members. The search and rescue phase drew to a close with the recovery of the remains of the Second in Command of the craft, on 4th September.
Following the search and rescue phase, specialized Navy diving and salvage teams launched a dedicated recovery phase against rough sea conditions and underwater challenges, adhering to
strict safety protocols. The Navy’s marine, hull, electrical, and electronic engineering teams utilized specialized technical know-how and equipment to raise the vessel in stages.
Thus, the salvage operation marked an outstanding achievement attained through the professionalism, technical expertise of Navy divers, and coordinated contribution of all
engineering and technical branches of the Sri Lanka Navy. Technical support and specialized expertise were also extended by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and Colombo Dockyard PLC.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The Opposition should intensity its focus on the forthcoming selection of a member of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and remain vigilant as Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickremaratne, MP, the head of the Constitutional Council (CC) tasked with making the relevant recommendation, is under investigation by the CIABOC, sources familiar with the ongoing inquiry told The Island.
Chethiya Goonasekara, PC, is expected to complete his three-year term on Dec 31, 2026. Sources pointed out that CIABOC Commissioners are appointed by the President on the recommendation made by the 10-member Constitutional Council.
The CIABOC initiated the investigation following a complaint lodged by suspended Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General of Parliament Chaminda Kularatne in early February this year. Sources said that as Goonasekera is scheduled to complete his term toward the end of 2026, the CC would have to call applications soon to choose the successor.
Goonasekara received his appointment from President Ranil Wickremesinghe in January 2024. A Justice W. M. N. P. Iddawala was appointed Chairman of the CIABOC. The other commissioner is K. Bernard Rajapakse.
Asked whether Iddawala and Rajapakse, too, would complete their terms soon, sources said that in terms of the Anti-Corruption Act No 09 of 2023, the Chairman of CIABOC would hold office for a period of five years, second commissioner (K. Bernard Rajapakse) for four years and the third commissioner (Chethiya Goonasekara) for a period of three years.
Sources said that the Opposition as well as civil society representatives in the CC should take up the issue of Speaker facing an investigation by the CIABOC taking part in the forthcoming selection process. Responding to queries, sources emphasized that the issue was whether in terms of Section 107 of the Anti-Corruption Act the participation of the Speaker in the selection process amounted to a violation of the Act itself.
The current members of the CC are Dr Jagath Wickramaratne, Speaker and Chairman of the Constitutional Council, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister, Sajith Premadasa, Leader of the Opposition, Bimal Rathnayake, MP, Aboobucker Athambawa, MP, Ajith P. Perera, MP, Sivagnanam Shritharan, MP, Austin Fernando, Civil society representative, Prof. Wasantha Seneviratne, Civil society representative and Ranjith Ariyaratne, Civil society representative.
Sources pointed out that in spite of the sensitivity of the case, the CIABOC recorded Kularatne’s statement in the second week of August, six months after he lodged the complaint.
The CIABOC on 3, 8 and 10 Sept recorded the statements from the Transport Officer, Deputy Director, Administration and Assistant Director, Finance regarding the use of facilities by the Speaker, those assigned to his staff and other relevant matters.
The NPP named Dr. Wickramaratne as the Speaker after Asoka Ranwala resigned over controversy regarding his higher education qualifications.
SJB lawmaker Dayasiri Jayaskera has repeatedly raised the issues concerning the Speaker with the focus also on the Speaker using two government-managed residences, relevant staff in addition to expenditure on food, transport and fuel provided to the Speaker’s private secretary.
Political sources said that trouble erupted after the Parliamentary Staff Advisory Council in late January sacked Kularatne accusing him of providing false information to secure his appointment. Before being appointed as the Deputy Secretary-General of Parliament in 2023, Kularatne held several high-ranking positions, including Secretary to the Chief Government Whip, Additional Secretary to the President, Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister, and Additional Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition.
The SJB declared in Parliament that Ranwala should be brought back as the Speaker as they have no faith in Wickramaratne. MP Mujibur Rahuman jokingly told parliament that the Opposition wouldn’t raise Ranwala’s educational qualifications.
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has stressed the need to conduct a comprehensive countrywide cadre revision urgently.
GMOA spokesman Dr. Lasitha Dhammika told The Island that the failure on the part of successive governments to conduct cadre revision caused the deterioration of the public sector health services. Due to the absence of required statistics, they hadn’t been able to fully comprehend the situation on the ground and to ascertain the requirements of the public.
Dr. Dhammika pointed out the expansion of the services without supporting statistics and the need to initiate an immediate cadre revision. According to him, the GMOA had raised this issue with successive governments without success. The GMOA spokesman said that they also sought relevant information from the Health Ministry in terms of the Right to Information (RTI) Act two weeks ago but was yet to receive response.
(SF)
Fast Attack Craft P 4447 recovered in successful salvage operation
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