News

Opposition calls for declaration of a ‘state of disaster’

Published

5 years ago

2021/05/12

SJB MPs Thalatha Atukorale, Eran Wickramaratne, Dr. Harsha de Silva and Kabir Hashim addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s office on Monday

The main Opposition party, the SJB, on Monday called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to summon an all-party conference on managing the evolving COVID-19 crisis quickly.

Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s office in Colombo, senior SJB MP Kabir Hashim, urged the government to heed the advice of medical experts and seek broad consultation to better manage what they termed as the hour of national crisis.

The SJB was prepared to help Hashim said. “We the SJB urge the Government to call an all-party conference to effectively manage the COVID-19 crisis. We must first save the public.”

MP Hashim said that prioritising economic revival and political interest over the health and well-being of the public was a failure on the part of the government and contributed to the transmission of the virus.

SJB Colombo District MP Dr. Harsha de Silva said: “I think the time has come for the government to call an all-party meeting and decide on how to obtain the assistance of the Opposition, but on the condition that decisions are made only on the advice of experts and not on political grounds.”

MP De Silva said that as medical experts had indicated that the coming weeks could see a public health emergency, the government should consider declaring a ‘state of disaster’ under the Disaster Management Act and allow the formulation of a more inclusive decision-making body. “Medical experts are pointing out that there is a disaster looming. The public is in danger.”

Dr. de Silva said that under the Disaster Management Act, the government could establish a Disaster Management Council, made up of the President, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, selected Ministers, Governors of the Provinces and five members of the Opposition. He reiterated that the Opposition was ready to help the government.

SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne said that the projections by the health experts were gloomy and immediate action had to be taken to arrest the situation.

He called on the government to appeal to friendly countries, the international community, and the UN to get mobile field hospitals, critical medical equipment and boost oxygen capacity as soon as possible.

“This will be a test of the government’s diplomacy. There is a need for 600,000 AstraZeneca vaccines. The amount is nothing compared to the millions of vaccines needed by some countries. Those who got the first dose are awaiting the second.”

Wickramaratne maintained that had the government heeded expert opinion and the views of the Opposition last year, a vaccine shortage would not have arisen. “We are six months behind the rest of the world in responding to the pandemic. This government has completely failed to control the COVID-19 outbreak. We have been telling them from the beginning that the task forces it has set up are not led by specialists. The government opened up the country at a time it should have remained closed.”

MP Wickramaratne said that the present infection rate was very high, and added that according to the data models they had seen the infection rate may reach 4,000 in the coming weeks. “When that happens, there may be a need for additional 10-12 ICU beds a day. Already ICU beds are scarce. This capacity needs to be increased.”

SJB Ratnapura District MP Thalatha Atukorale said that the government could not pass the blame for the rapid spread of the virus on to the public.

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INS GHARIAL makes port call in Colombo

Published

3 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) GHARIAL made a port call in Colombo for operational turnarounds on 04 Feb 26. The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.

Commanded by Commander Gaurav Tewari, INS GHARIAL is a vessel with a length of 124.8 meters.

During this visit, ten (10) Bailey Bridges, brought by ship, through the coordination of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, will be handed over to the Disaster Management Center. These bridges will provide temporary transportation links while bridges damaged across the island by adverse weather conditions are repaired.

The crew’s itinerary features scheduled goodwill activities with the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside visits to several tourist attractions across the island.

News

Speaker’s personal secretary accused of interference with ongoing bribery investigation

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/6

Thilina Walpola

Harshana

SJB Gampaha District MP Harshana Rajakaruna yesterday told Parliament that the Speaker’s Personal Secretary had written to the Secretary-General of Parliament seeking information on a complaint lodged with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) by a former Deputy Secretary of Parliament against the Speaker. Rajakaruna called for an immediate investigation into what he described as interference with an ongoing probe.

Raising the matter in the House, Rajakaruna said he had formally requested the Commission to initiate an inquiry into the conduct of the Speaker’s Personal Secretary, Chameera Gallage, questioning the authority under which such information had been sought.

Rajapakaruna tabled in Parliament a copy of the letter allegedly sent by Gallage to the Secretary-General requesting details of the bribery complaint.

Addressing the House, Rajakaruna said that the letter, sent two days earlier, had sought “full details” of the complaint against the Speaker. He maintained that seeking such information amounted to interference with an investigation and constituted a serious offence under the Bribery Act.

“The Speaker’s Secretary has no right to interfere with the work of the Bribery Commission. Under what law is he acting? What authority does he have? The Speaker, like everyone else, is subject to the law of the land,” Rajakaruna said, urging the Commission to take immediate action.

He noted that the Bribery Act treated the obstruction of investigations and the destruction of documents relating to such inquiries as serious offences punishable by law, and said he believed the Minister of Justice would concur.

The allegations sparked sharp reactions in the Chamber, as Opposition members called for accountability and due process in relation to the complaint against the Speaker.

By Saman Indrajith

News

Govt: Average power generation cost reduced from Rs. 37 to Rs. 29

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/6

Thilina Walpola

Kumara

The Ceylon Electricity Board has managed to reduce the average cost of electricity generation from Rs. 37 per unit to Rs. 29, marking a 22 percent reduction, Minister of Power and Energy Eng. Kumara Jayakody told Parliament yesterday.

Responding to an oral question raised by Opposition MP Ravi Karunanayake, the Minister said that electricity tariffs cannot be reduced unless the cost of generation is brought down.

“You cannot reduce electricity tariffs without reducing the cost of generation. What we are currently doing is buying at a higher price and selling at a lower price. When we assumed office, the cost of purchasing and generating electricity was Rs. 37 per unit. We have now managed to bring it down to Rs. 29, a reduction of 22 percent.

Our target is to further reduce this to Rs. 25. Once that is achieved, we will reduce electricity tariffs by 30 percent within three years, as we promised,” Minister Jayakody said.

He added that the government has already formulated a long-term generation plan to further expand the country’s power generation capacity.

According to the Minister, key measures include increasing the absorption of renewable energy into the national grid, expanding the national transmission and distribution network, introducing renewable energy storage systems, and constructing thermal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plants to replace aging facilities and meet future demand.

He also said that steps would be taken to enhance the capacity of existing hydropower plants as part of the broader strategy to ensure energy security and reduce long-term electricity costs.

By Ifham Nizam