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PAFFREL takes President to task for manipulating electoral map
The manipulation of the electoral map of Sri Lanka by the incumbent ruler was a blow to representative democracy and an insult to the voter, says election monitoring NGO, People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL).
“It amounts to depriving the voter, the citizen of his rights to vote particularly this year, the 90th anniversary of universal suffrage. It is also an avoidance of a legitimate opportunity that the government has got to test the public opinion on the policies implemented by the government and change those policies if necessary,” PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchie said in a statement titled ‘Local Government Election being eclipsed by Covid-19’.
Full text of the statement: The Minister in charge of Public Services, Provincial Councils and Local Government using the powers vested in him has submitted a proposal to the Cabinet of Ministers to postpone the local government elections by one year. The Minister has informed the media that the postponement was due to the prevailing Covid 19 pandemic. But it is not difficult for any citizen to comprehend that it has been postponed not because of the pandemic. In the early stages of the Covid wave, the Election Commission was able to hold parliamentary elections across the country successfully. At the same time, the current ruling party, which was in opposition at that time, pursued a consistent struggle to hold the election. The PAFFREL also stood with the group that appeared for holding the elections. There are several issues that attract public attention on the question of holding an election at the moment:
1. Will the risk of Covid be increased by holding the elections?
2. Could the country at this moment afford the cost of the election (the cost incurred by the Election Commission) which will be around Rs. 6,000 – 10,000 million?
3. Will action be taken to reduce the number of Councilors which has been doubled by the new system, before the next election?
4. Do the people have faith in the people’s representatives who are being appointed at great cost, and will there be any improvement in the living standards of the people by appointing them.
Though the above facts certainly draw the attention of informed citizens, at the moment, it appears that the election is being postponed mainly for political reasons. Several examples in this regard can be cited from the period during and before the previous Yahapalana regime. The manipulation of the electoral map of Sri Lanka by the incumbent ruler at his will is a deadly blow to representative democracy and an insult to the voter. It amounts to depriving the voter, the citizen of his rights to vote particularly this year, the 90th anniversary of universal suffrage. It is also an avoidance of a legitimate opportunity that the government has got to test the public opinion on the policies implemented by the government and change those policies if necessary.
Looking back at the past four decades, the frustrations and tensions created by the rolling of the electoral map and depriving the opportunity to test the sovereignty of the people ultimately ended up in a series of tragedies. We are still experiencing the adverse consequences of it. We believe that all parties who have held power are more or less responsible for this unfortunate situation.
We believe that the inalienable right of the citizens to democratically elect their representatives from time to time, and express their opinion, should be protected under whatever circumstances, and also would like to stress that if they are deprived of that opportunity, there is a great risk of it manifesting in different forms.
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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (07) presented its flagship publication, the Annual Economic Review for 2024 (AER 2024), to President and Minister of Finance, Anura Kumara Disanayake, highlighting the steady progress of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery following the country’s most severe downturn in recent history.
The report was officially handed over by Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank, during a special ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat.
AER 2024 comprises four main chapters: Macroeconomic Developments, Conditions of the Financial System, Review of Central Bank’s Policies and Macroeconomic Outlook.
According to the Review, the Sri Lankan economy showed significant signs of recovery in 2024, following the deep economic crisis experienced two years ago. The recovery trajectory, though challenging, has been notably faster than that of many other debt-distressed countries.
Improvements in economic activity, a partial resurgence in purchasing power and reduced uncertainty are among the key positive indicators noted in the report.
The event was attended by Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President, K. M. Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Treasury, Mrs. K. M. A. N. Daulagala, Senior Deputy Governor, Dr. C. Amarasekara, Assistant Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) S. Jegajeevan, Director of Economic Research and Dr. L. R. C. Pathberiya and Additional Director of Economic Research at the Central Bank Dr. V. D. Wickramarachchi.
[PMD]
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
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