News
President’s efforts to stall electoral process will be in vain: Sumanthiran
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The senior DIG in charge of elections can work with the Election Commission to ensure the conduct of a smooth presidential poll despite the deliberate dragging of feet by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in appointing an acting IGP, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran said on Wednesday.
“Clearly he is trying to stall the process. He is not happy with the Supreme Court interim order barring Deshabandu Tennakoon from holding the post of IGP. However, he has to carry out his constitutional duties as the President,” the TNA MP said.
Sumanthiran said he had spoken to President Wickremesinghe about the appointment of an acting IGP, and the president had said he was worried about a possible election petition against him if such an appointment was made.
“I don’t see how an election petition can succeed on this basis. I said if he was actually worried about an election petition, he could ask the Speaker to summon a party leaders meeting and have the party leaders jointly nominate someone. Then, he can merely forward that name to the constitutional council,” Sumanthiran said.
The TNA MP criticised the stance taken by Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena that the latter would not accept the Supreme Court order. The Prime Minister knows that he is in the wrong and would never make such a statement outside Parliament, Sumanthiran said.
“He said the position of the IGP is not vacant. That may be so. For example, let’s say the IGP suffered a stroke and could not even sign a document. Wouldn’t the President appoint an acting IGP? When Pujith Jayasundara, the former IGP, was arrested, an acting IGP was appointed. This is not a new thing, when the incumbent in office can’t carry out his or her duties, someone else is appointed to act on his or her behalf,” he said.
Sumanthiran said despite the President dragging his feet, delaying the appointment of an acting IGP would not have any impact on the election. The EC had to deal with the police to ensure a peaceful election. However, this can be done by working with the SDIG in charge of elections, the TNA MP said.
“The Constitutional Council is a check on the Executive and its decisions are subject to Supreme Court review. There is no reason to split hairs about whether the Constitutional Council is a part of the Executive or the Legislature,” he said.
The TNA MP said that the government was desperate to stall the appointment of an acting IGP. He added that the 21 September election could not be stalled by such tactics.
Sumanthiran also criticised the Presidential Media Divisions (PMD) for using state resources to campaign for President Wickremesinghe. “The President is using state resources for propaganda work. But he is apparently worried about appointing an acting IGP because he is a presidential candidate. There is a huge contradiction there,” Sumanthiran said.
The 13th Amendment would not fulfil the aspirations of the Tamil people because it had no meaningful devolution built into it. There were many features that needed to be put right, Sumanthiran said.
He also said that the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) believed that nominating a common Tamil presidential candidate was a bad idea. “We think we must talk to the main candidate. We have already spoken to two candidates and we will continue with that. We will decide at the end who we will support,” he said.
“When a presidential election comes, each person makes a decision based on individual preference. This is not an election one can use to send a message on Tamil issues. This is not a referendum on the right of self-determination. You must never do that,” he said.
The common Tamil candidate will fare very badly and when that happens people can interpret the result as Tamils do not want self-determination, he said. “This is a crazy idea and we have publicly condemned it,” he said.
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
Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Central, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, North-central and North-western provinces
Shafali, Mandhana power India to eighth Asia Cup title
Tharanga wins Ultimate Javelin title
CIABOC member’s appointment: Controversy over Speaker under probe heading selection process
GMOA: Countrywide cadre revision not done since 2015
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Sports4 days agoDDS set to lose Test captaincy
-
News7 days agoThailand shuts door on undesirables from Sri Lanka
-
News4 days agoSri Lanka faces new grid challenge as rooftop solar surges: former CEB GM
-
Latest News4 days agoShafali, Deepti power India into sixth T20 Asia Cup final
-
Business7 days agoCEB successor company breaks into top three in competitive BESS tender
-
Latest News3 days agoSri Lanka thwart Fatima Sana challenge to secure Asia Cup final spot
-
Opinion6 days agoNavigating Sri Lanka’s Israeli Dilemma
-
Features5 days agoLost for 90 years: Rare Goby resurfaces in Jaffna