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NPP calls for new Constitution: ‘13 no solution to any problem’

Published

3 years ago

2023/02/11

By Saman Indrajith

Sri Lanka needs a new Constitution that protects the rights of all citizens, and implementing 13A or 13+ is not a solution to the problems faced by the people, National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, addressing Parliament, has said. A referendum should be held, on the new Constitution to be made, so that the people would be able to decide its fate, Dissanayake said.

“We propose a new Constitution to solve people’s issues but we know the political elite won’t support such a move. You cannot tolerate unity between ethnicities. These people want racism and racist violence. Who brought in anti-Muslim hate? Racism is your only political tool. Now you are talking about equality and rights?” he said.

He also commended the Supreme Court over its decision on holding the local council elections. NPP leader Dissanayaka told Parliament that the government took various steps to prevent the local council elections from happening.

“Some of these measures were constitutional. Some were mass scale misinformation campaigns. They even sent their henchmen to Court to petition against the election. The Supreme Court that had been giving landmark verdicts to protect democracy and people’s rights recently has thwarted all these efforts,” he said.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe is also undermining independent commissions in a bid to postpone elections, he said. “Look at what they are trying to do to the Elections Commission”.

Dissanayaka said that some government MPs have accused the NPP of receiving money through illegitimate means and that the NPP leaders have various nefarious connections.

“Now, if I was the government, I would carry out an investigation. I will see if someone is making money through illegal means and if they are evading taxes. There is no point in making ludicrous accusations in Parliament. These people are using Parliamentary privileges,” he said.

He also said that the NPP is ready to debate about the economy with Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa, who are the most recent Ministers of Finance.

“Ranil has addressed the nation six times, in the last few months. Made two policy statements in Parliament. And several times more in Parliament. The man has a mania for sitting in the Speaker’s chair and addressing Parliament. Recently, he went to Kandy and made Ambassadors and High Commissioners go there. The bill to feed the Ambassadors, at Ambepussa, was over 300,000 rupees. It was just the same with Independence Day,” he said.

Sri Lanka decided not to pay external debt in April 2022. If Sri Lanka had serviced the debt, it would have had to pay five billion U.S Dollars.

“This gave us time. We used the money, we would have used to service debt, to buy fuel, gas and some medicine and claim that the economy is back on track. We have a breathing space because we are not paying back the debt. Ranil and his gang have not done anything for the economic recovery,” he said.

The other plan is to shrink the economy, the NPP said. For this the interest rates were increased and now the purchasing power of the people have declined, Dissanayaka added.

“As a result, the industries are on the verge of collapse. Construction sector has collapsed and a large number of factories have closed down. What recovery when you are shrinking. The other plan, they have, is unfair taxation. In 2020, when the economy had some semblance of normalcy, Gotabaya Rajapaksa reduced taxes, created inflation and brought the economy down. Increasing, or reducing taxes, depends on the overall context of the economy,” he said.

Out of the Sri Lankan workforce, only 15 percent are professionals. These professionals have to be protected but by imposing unfair taxation, the government is encouraging the brain drain.

“It is natural for someone to adjust his or her life based, on the salary. Suddenly, the government decided to take a chunk off the salary. This has affected people adversely and they are leaving the country in droves. At least increase the taxable threshold to 200,000 rupees,” he said.

The government has been making contradictory statements about 13A, he said. The NPP has no problem if the northern people are given back their land, currently held by government agencies. In countries like Sri Lanka, land is not just an exchangeable commodity. It represents people’s link to the land, he said.

“Why are two different opinions being expressed? Ranil and Mahinda may have different ideas. So please talk among yourselves and give us your written proposal on implementing 13A. Give us a base document signed by the President, Prime Minister and Mahinda Rajapaksa. These three people are saying different things. In recent decades, Sri Lankan politics were driven by racism. At a time when elections are near, the establishment is using the same tactics,” he said.

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Maldivian President plants a sapling to mark 60 years of Sri Lanka–Maldives Diplomatic Relations

Published

2 hours ago

2026/05/4

Priyan

President of the Maldives, Dr Mohamed Muizzu, who is on a State Visit to Sri Lanka at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, planted a sapling this afternoon (04) at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Upon arrival at the Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu was warmly received by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Children lined both sides of the pathway holding the national flags of the two countries and paid tribute to the visiting Maldivian President.

Among those present at the occasion were Deputy Speaker Rizvi Salih, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath and the Mayor of Colombo, Vraie Cally Balthazaar, along with several other dignitaries.

[President’s Media Division (PMD)]

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Sri Lanka and Maldives strengthen ties with productive bilateral talks

Published

2 hours ago

2026/05/4

Priyan

Following the bilateral meeting between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives, who is currently on a State visit to Sri Lanka, official-level bilateral discussions between the delegations of the two countries were held this morning (04) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The discussions commenced after the formal welcome ceremony accorded to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu earlier this morning within the Presidential Secretariat premises.

Extending a warm welcome to the Maldivian President, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed his appreciation for accepting the invitation to visit Sri Lanka.

President Dissanayake noted that President Muizzu’s visit, taking place as the two nations mark 61 years of diplomatic relations, reflects the strong partnership, mutual trust and longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The President further expressed confidence that the visit would mark a new phase in bilateral relations.

The two leaders engaged in extensive discussions on ways to further expand and diversify multifaceted cooperation, including economic, cultural and social ties, in a manner that delivers mutual benefits to the people of both countries.

Key areas of focus included tourism promotion, educational cooperation, youth and sports development, challenges faced by both nations in the fisheries sector within the Indian Ocean region, education and vocational training, as well as defence training and broader security cooperation.

Representing the Government of Sri Lanka were Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Anil Jayantha Fernando, Minister of Science and Technology, Krishantha Abeysena; Deputy Speaker Rizvie Salih, Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retired), Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (covering Europe, North America, East Asia and Oceania, Southeast Asia and Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Legal Affairs) M. R. K. Lenagala, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the Maldives, Mohamed Rizvi Hassan and Director (South Asia and SAARC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Mahesha Jayawardena.

The Maldivian delegation included Minister of Foreign Affairs Iruthisham Adam, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Mohamed Saeed, Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources, Ahmed Shiyam, Minister of Homeland Security and Technology, Ali Ihusaan, Chief of Staff to the President, Abdulla Fayaz, Principal Secretary to the President on Foreign Relations, Mohamed Naseer; Chief Government Spokesperson, Mohamed Hussain Shareef, High Commissioner of the Maldives to Sri Lanka,Masood Imad; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Chief of Protocol , Mohamed Shahudy, Deputy Minister at the President’s Office, Mr Mohamed Hassaan and Minister Counsellor at the Maldives High Commission in Sri Lanka, Mr. Ismail Mamdhooh.

[President’s Media Division (PMD)]

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Maldives and Sri Lanka exchange seven MOUs

Published

3 hours ago

2026/05/4

Priyan

Seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), signed across several sectors between the Maldives and Sri Lanka, were formally exchanged this morning (04) at the Presidential Secretariat in the presence of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives.

Marking a new chapter in Maldives–Sri Lanka relations, the MoUs cover cooperation in the fields of health, sports, tourism, education and defence.

Accordingly:

1. MoU on Tourism Cooperation between the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath.

2. MoU on Archiving Cooperation between the Department of National Archives of Sri Lanka and the National Archives of the Maldives was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath.

3. MoU on Training and Professional Development of Teachers and School Leaders between the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Skills Development of the Maldives and the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education of Sri Lanka was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath.

4. MoU on Sports and Youth Development Cooperation between the Republic of Maldives and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumara Gamage.

5. MoU on Defence Cooperation between the National Counter Terrorism Centre of the Maldives and the Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka was exchanged by the Maldives High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Masood Imad, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retired).

6. MoU between the Ministry of Defence and National Service of the Maldives and General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University of Sri Lanka was exchanged by the Maldives High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Masood Imad and the Vice Chancellor of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Rear Admiral Dammika Kumara.

7. MoU on Academic Cooperation between the University of Colombo of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Health, Family and Welfare of the Maldives was exchanged by Maldives High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Masood Imad and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo, Professor Indika Mahesh Karunathilake.

The state visit of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, undertaken at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, aims to further strengthen economic, cultural and social ties between the two countries, while enhancing their multifaceted partnership.

Cabinet Ministers, government officials and members of the Maldivian delegation, representing both Sri Lanka and the Maldives, were present at the occasion.

[President’s Media Division]