News
‘Prez exploiting bankruptcy status to pursue his agenda’
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government brazenly exploited the latest IMF intervention here to advance its agenda to further weaken the parliament, Prof. Charitha Herath, MP, alleged on Wednesday (04).
Addressing the media at the Nawala Office of Freedom People’s Alliance (FPA), the former Chairman of parliamentary watchdog COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises) said that the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Bill very clearly reflected the current dispensation’s strategy.
Prof. Herath stressed that President Ranil Wickremesinghe as well as some of his ministers claimed that the government was implementing the agreement it reached with the IMF.
Sri Lanka recently received the first tranche of USD 2.9 bn IMF bailout package granted over a period of four years.
The SLPP National List MP said that government members so often made reference to the IMF, the Washington headquartered lending body, seemed to be governing Sri Lanka. Perhaps the IMF hadn’t been a party to the disputed strategies of the current dispensation, lawmaker Herath said, stressing that he didn’t oppose the government seeking IMF intervention.
Prof. Herath, who switched his allegiance to the Opposition in the wake of the SLPP declaring its support to UNP leader Wickremesinghe in July last year, said that they urged the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration to seek IMF’s help. “We have had IMF bailout packages on 16 previous occasions,” Prof. Herath said, adding that the current political-economic-social crisis could have been averted if assistance was sought at that time.
The first time entrant to parliament was among 82 lawmakers who voted for Dullas Alahapperuma, MP at the vote to elect a new President from among members of parliament to complete the remainder of ousted Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s five-year term.
Prof. Herath accused the government of taking advantage of the country’s bankrupt status to pursue Wickremesinghe’s highly dangerous agenda. The MP explained that the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Bill and the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act were in line with the President’s strategy.
The privatization of profit making enterprises such as Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) and Lanka Hospitals, too, was pursued on the basis of their agreement with the IMF, the MP alleged.
The current dispensation should be condemned for its irresponsible actions and certainly held accountable for the dire consequences, the rebel SLPP MP said.
MP Herath dealt with the controversial Central Bank of Sri Lanka Bill that received the approval of the Supreme Court. The SC on Tuesday (04) informed Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena that the Bill could be enacted with a simple majority in parliament.
Reiterating the need to thwart undue political interference in the decision making process in the Central Bank and the Monetary Board, Prof. Herath said however the government shouldn’t be totally deprived of an opportunity to make interventions. One-time Media Ministry Secretary said that he believed the Secretary to the Finance Ministry shouldn’t be allowed to run the operation. But, the removal of the Finance Secretary from the five-member Monetary Board shouldn’t be the answer, Prof. Herath said, warning the government that the Central Bank shouldn’t be totally independent as envisaged in the Bill.
Commenting on the relevance of the country’s supreme law in respect of the controversial Bill, Prof Herath warned the government of dire consequences in case the parliament was deprived of its power over public finance. It would be pertinent to examine how the new Bill impacted on Article 148 of the Constitution. “Article 148 dealt with public finance. Therefore, how could a particular Bill be acceptable if it contravened the Constitution,” the MP told The Island.
Prof. Herath suggested that the proposed arrangement should be subjected to the approval of the all-party Committee on Public Finance (COPF), thereby ensuring the parliamentary role in the process.
Referring to Section 47 of the new Bill, Prof. Herath expressed serious concern over the Central Bank superseding the Parliament in respect of the use of foreign currencies here. Perhaps, interested parties could be thinking of utilization of USD at the Colombo Port City, Chinese currency at Hambantota Port and Indian Rupee somewhere else, the MP said.
He said that such a decision could be made but that should be the prerogative of the Parliament, not the Central Bank as envisaged in the new Bill.
The move to enact a new Anti-Terrorism Act, he pointed out that it should be examined against the backdrop of the growing opposition to the government’s agenda. Declaring that the new Bill sought to suppress legitimate political dissent at all levels and aimed to neutralize social media platforms which the government considered hostile, Prof. Herath warned that the passage of the new law would create an extremely dangerous situation.
The Government’s ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, established to provide relief and support to communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, continues to receive financial contributions on a daily basis.
Accordingly, the Containers Transport Owners Association made a financial contribution of Rs. 1.5 million, while the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers contributed Rs. 1.35 million to the Fund.
The respective cheques were formally presented to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday (19).
The occasion was attended by W. M. S. K. Manjula, Chairman of the Containers Transport Owners Association, together with Dilip Nihal Anslem Perera and Jayantha Karunadhipathi.
Representing the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers were Deshan Rajapaksa, Samudika Perera and Devshan Rodrigo handed over the cheque.
A meeting between Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and a delegation of UNICEF representatives was held on Saturday, (December 20) at the Prime Minister’s Office.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister explained the measures taken by the Government to ensure the protection of the affected student community and to restore the damaged school system, as well as the challenges encountered in this process.
The Prime Minister stated that reopening schools located in landslide-prone areas would be extremely dangerous. Accordingly, the Government is focusing on identifying such schools and relocating them to suitable locations based on scientific assessments.
The Prime Minister further noted that financial assistance has been provided to students affected by the disaster, enabling parents to send their children back to school without an additional financial burden. Emphasizing that school is the safest place for children after their homes, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the school environment would help restore and improve students’ mental well-being
The Prime Minister also highlighted that attention has been given to several key areas, including the relocation of disaster-affected schools, restoration of school infrastructure, merging and operating certain schools jointly, facilitating teaching and learning through digital and technological strategies, and providing special transportation facilities. She emphasized that the Government is examining these issues and is committed to finding long-term solutions.
The UNICEF representatives commended the Government’s commitment and the initiatives undertaken to restore the education sector and assured their support to the Government. Both parties also discussed working together collaboratively on future initiatives.
The meeting was attended by the UNICEF representatives to Sri Lanka Emma Brigham, Lakshmi Sureshkumar, Nishantha Subash, and Yashinka Jayasinghe, along with Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwewa, Director of Education Dakshina Kasturiarachchi, Deputy Directors Kasun Gunarathne and Udara Dikkumbura.
(Prime Minister’s Media Division)
Drug controversy:
“Setting up state-of-the-art drug testing facility will cost Rs 5 billion”
Activists call for legal action against politicians, bureaucrats
Serious questions have been raised over Sri Lanka’s drug regulatory system following revelations that the National Medicines Regulatory Authority’s (NMRA) quality control laboratory is not accredited by the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB), casting doubt on both the reliability of local test results and the adequacy of oversight of imported medicines.
Medical and civil rights groups warn that the issue points to a systemic regulatory failure rather than an isolated lapse, with potential political and financial consequences for the State.
Chairman of the Federation of Medical and Civil Rights Professional Associations, Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, said the controversy surrounding the Ondansetron injection, which was later found to be contaminated, had exposed deep weaknesses in drug regulation and quality assurance.
Dr. Sanjeewa said that the manufacturer had confirmed that the drug had been imported into Sri Lanka on four occasions this year, despite later being temporarily withdrawn from use. The drug was manufactured in India in November 2024 and in May and August 2025, and imported to Sri Lanka in February, July and September. On each occasion, 67,600 phials were procured.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the company had informed the NMRA that the drug was tested in Indian laboratories, prior to shipment, and passed all required quality checks. The manufacturer reportedly tested the injections against 10 parameters, including basic quality standards,
pH value, visual appearance, component composition, quantity per phial, sterility levels, presence of other substances, bacterial toxin levels and spectral variations.
According to documents submitted to the NMRA, no bacterial toxins were detected in the original samples, and the reported toxin levels were within European safety limits of less than 9.9 international units per milligram.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the credibility of local regulatory oversight had come under scrutiny, noting that the NMRA’s quality control laboratory was not SLAB-accredited. He said establishing a fully equipped, internationally accredited laboratory would cost nearly Rs. 5 billion.
He warned that the failure to invest in such a facility could have grave consequences, including continued loss of life due to substandard medicines and the inability of the State to recover large sums of public funds paid to pharmaceutical companies for defective drugs.
“If urgent steps are not taken, public money will continue to be lost and accountability will remain elusive,” Dr. Sanjeewa said.
He added that if it was ultimately confirmed that the drug did not contain bacterial toxins at the time it entered Sri Lanka, the fallout would be even more damaging, severely undermining the credibility of the country’s health system and exposing weaknesses in health administration.
Dr. Sanjeewa said public trust in the health sector had already been eroded and called for legal action against all politicians and public officials responsible for regulatory failures linked to the incident.
by Chaminda Silva ✍️
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