News
Gevindu insists on abolishing provincial councils under new Constitution
By Saman Indrajith
The New constitution to be framed should abolish the provincial councils without thinking of holding elections to them, SLPP MP Genvindu Cumaratunga told parliament yesterday.
Participating in a debate at the time of adjournment of the House on the Financial Commission, the MP said that the Commission had been introduced under the 13th Amendment resultant from the 1987 Indo-Lanka Peace Accord that had been forced on Sri Lanka by India. “The Financial Commission’s objective is to allocate funds for the provincial councils. In 2015, the amount of funds allocated for the provincial councils was Rs 198.1 billion. In 2016 it was Rs 195.1 billion. As a percentage of national expenditure in 2015 it was 8.65 per cent. In 2016 it was 8.36 percent. That means the average percentage of the allocation for the provincial councils was 8.5. The question is whether it is fair to waste public funds on the PCs at a time when people are concerned about the amount of funds spent on maintaining elected representatives. We have an education minister in this assembly and nine other education ministers in the provinces. What is their use? Why should we spend public funds to maintain those so-called public representatives? Why should we spend public funds to maintain 437 other public representatives while the entire nation is represented here in this House by 225 members?”
MP Cumaratunga said that the UNP, TNA and the SLMC which had been known for championing the cause of devolution of powers had got together to prevent the elections to the Provincial Councils under the previous government. “It is a known fact that those three parties worked together during that time. They made the PCs dysfunctional by not holding elections thereto. We demand that the new Constitution be brought instead of holding the PC polls. The new Constitution should abolish the provincial council system. There is no need for reviving now defunct PCs.”
MP Cumaratunga said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had pointed out that the government had been able to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic successfully without any backing from the PCs. Had there been PCs in existence we would not have been able to do so. We know that the operation of counter-pandemic measures from the government alone could solve that problem. “Had there been PCs, we would have witnessed power struggles between the government and the PCs.”
MP Cumaratunga said that people had approved the government’s one-country-one-law policy. “The existence of PCs as subordinate legislatures making laws different from parliament is against that mandate. Therefore, the time has come to abolish the PCs.”
The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dr. Harini Amarasuriya is on an official visit to Paris, France to participate in the high-level segment of the International Expert Conference on ’An Integrated and Sustainable Approach to Safeguarding the World Heritage Property of the Sacred City of Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka and Associated Living Heritage’ which was to be held at UNESCO Headquarters today [Tuesday 1 April], with the participation of the Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay.
The Conference, organized by UNESCO in partnership with Sri Lanka, brings together leading international experts to discuss sustainable strategies for the conservation of Anuradhapura, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of immense cultural and historical significance.
On the sidelines of the Conference, the Prime Minister is also scheduled to meet senior interlocutors of the French Government to discuss bilateral cooperation and areas of mutual interest.
The Delegation of the Prime Minister includes the Minister of Buddhasasana Religious and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) BUNGO and ETAJIMA arrived at the port of Colombo on a goodwill visit this morning (01 Apr 25).
The visiting ships were welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in compliance with naval traditions.
The 141m long JMSDF BUNGO is an Uraga-Class Minesweeper Tender commanded by Commander TANAKA Koji and the ship is manned by a crew of 125.
Meanwhile, JMSDF Etajima, a 65-meter-long Minesweeper, is under the command of Commander Oda Takayuki and operates with a crew of 54 personnel.
During the stay in the island, crew members of the ships will explore some tourist attractions within the city of Colombo. The ships are scheduled to set sail from Colombo on 04 Apr.
“You and your families will be eliminated”
By Norman Palihawadane and Hemantha Randun
A full-scale investigation has been launched to track down an underworld character, ‘Navy Dinesh,’ a key accomplice of Ganemulle Sanjeewa, for issuing death threats over the phone to three police officers, including the Gampaha HQI, Crime Branch OIC, of the same police station, and others.
Navy Dinesh is believed to have fled the country.
According to police sources, threats were issued following the arrest of Navy Dinesh’s father and brother in connection with a drug trafficking case.
Phone analysis reports have confirmed that the calls originated from Dubai and France.
Following the murder of Ganemulle Sanjeewa, Navy Dinesh assumed leadership of the underworld gang he had previously been involved with.
Navy Dinesh contacted the Gampaha HQI, the OIC of the Crime Branch, and the investigating police constable, and threatened to kill them and their family members. “You and your families will be eliminated,” he said.
A special police team had been assigned to investigate the matter, and a report has been submitted to the courts, police sources said.
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