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Sabry asks MPs to abhor Machiavelli type behaviour

Published

5 years ago

2020/08/31

By Saman Indrajith

Justice Minister Ali Sabry, on Friday, said that MPs should take the duty of leading their followers seriously and therefore had to be careful with their public statements while keeping in mind that they could not act against the Constitution.

Participating in the debate on vote on account, the Minister said that the members had taken oaths to uphold and protect the Constitution and not to directly or indirectly within or outside of the country to support, espouse, promote, finance, encourage and advocate the establishment of a separate state within the territory of Sri Lanka. “If that is the case we should never by our act or conduct espouse that kind of thing,” Minister Sabry said.

Minister Sabry said that the Svasthi (Constitutional proclamation) of Lankan Constitution says that “We, the freely elected representatives of the people of Sri Lanka, in pursuance of such mandate, humbly acknowledging our obligations to our People and gratefully remembering their heroic and unremitting struggle to regain and preserve their rights and privileges so that the dignity and freedom of the individual may be assured, just, social, economic and cultural order attained, the unity of the country restored, and concord established with other nations, do hereby adopt and enact this constitution.”

“I believe we as MPs should stand for those values without resorting to rhetoric,” he said.

The Minister said that they had to abide by the Article Nine of the Constitution which gave first and foremost place to Buddhism. “Republic of Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place and accordingly it shall be the duty of the State to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana, while assuring to all religions the rights granted by Articles 10 and 14(1)(e)”. The Article 10 of Constitution says that every person is entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice. Article 12 of the Constitution says that no citizen shall be discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, language, caste, sex, political opinion, place of birth or any one of such grounds. “Now, the time for everyone to read and understand them,”

Minister Ali Sabri said: “We have got to protect the Constitution and if so we have to foster Buddhism. In the meantime we have got to guarantee the right to religion and to treat all equally. If we read them clearly we don’t have to listen to those unnecessary statements made by some here. It is enough.

“I remember the inaugural speech of the late Gamini Dissanayake mentioned a quotation from French revolutionary Camille Desmoulins -‘Let us watch in which diversion the mob is running, so that we can lead them.’ But, that is not the leadership. Leaders need to find for themselves what is right for this country and it is that direction they should lead followers, lead them to safety, dignity and integrity of this nation. That is how we can build this country. It is no point in positioning yourself at the front of the mob and getting their votes to be on this side or that side. We have to find what is right for this country. We must give leadership to this country. That is exactly President Gotabaya Rajapaksa wants. He made it very clear in his address before this august assembly that he wants to create a country where all citizens will feel safe, secure and dignified. I invite everyone to join hands, forget the past and move on to build a Sri Lanka which is inclusive. That is called inclusive nationalism. We do not want any sort of division. It is with unity we can build this country and go towards prosperity.”

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Development Officers threaten to intensify their protest

Published

9 hours ago

2026/02/2

Thilina Walpola

Protesting Development Officers continued their hunger strike near the Presidential Secretariat, Colombo yesterday (01), for the seventh consecutive day.The protesters, who are members of the Lanka School Development Officers’ Association, are demanding that they be absorbed into the teacher service as they have served as teachers in state-run schools for nearly seven years.

Secretary of the Association, Viraj Manaranga, said the protesters were seeking an urgent meeting with the President. He added that a presidential aide had visited the protest site and offered to arrange for a meeting with the President on 03 Feb., but the union insisted on an earlier date. Manaranga warned that failure to grant a meeting could trigger a massive protest in Colombo today (02).

Four officers participating in the hunger strike have been hospitalised due to deteriorating health, while two more joined the fast on Saturday (31).

In a bid to raise awareness of their grievances, on 30 January a delegation of the All Island Development Officers’ Association visited Most Venerable

Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera, Mahanayake of the Asgiriya Chapter, and subsequently with the Chapter’s Registrar, Ven. Dr. Medagama Dhammananda Thera. The prelates said promises that had been made to them should be fulfilled.

The protest began on 26 January as a satyagraha, after authorities failed to respond to repeated requests to integrate the officers into the teaching service. The escalation into a fast-unto-death underscores the protesters’ frustration over the prolonged delay

by Pradeep Prasanna Samarakoon

News

Auditor General to be appointed tomorrow

Published

9 hours ago

2026/02/2

Thilina Walpola

Bimal

The long-vacant post of Auditor General would be filled on 03 Feb., after months of controversy and delays, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake said on Friday (31) in Kandy.

The Constitutional Council met at the Parliamentary complex on Friday to discuss the appointment but failed to reach a decision on a suitable candidate. The President had previously proposed four names on four separate occasions, all of which were rejected. The Council is now set to consider the fifth nominee.

The post has remained vacant since April 2025, following the retirement of Chulanta Wickramaratne, who served as the 41st Auditor General. More than 10 months have passed without a permanent appointment.

Sources said a female officer in the Auditor General’s Department has been nominated again, though her previous recommendation was rejected due to some allegations against her.

Meanwhile, senior audit officer Dharmapala Gammanpila, with 31 years of service and the department’s most senior official, has received backing from the Mahanayake Theras of the three Nikayas, the Maha Sangha, and several civil society groups for appointment as the 42nd Auditor General.

Sources noted that the three civil society representatives on the Constitutional Council will play a crucial role in the final decision.

by Chaminda Silva and SK Samaranayake

News

Two arrested for aiding and abetting murder

Published

9 hours ago

2026/02/2

Thilina Walpola

Two 18-year-old youth were arrested by the Southern Division of the Western Province Crime Division on 31 January for allegedly aiding and abetting two murders carried out in Dehiwala and Kohuwala. ICE (crystal meth) was found in their possession at the time of arrest.

The suspects are residents of Mount Lavinia and Boralesgamuwa, according to the police. They are accused of having helped carry out a murder at a hotel in the Dehiwala Police Division on 9 January, 2026, and an attack on a person travelling in a three-wheeler at Bodhiyawatta, Kohuwala, on 12 December, 2025.

Police said the charges included sending photographs of the victims to a criminal living overseas.

Investigations revealed that the youth had acted under the direction of a criminal known as Sando.

Under the guidance of Janaka Kumara, Director of the Southern Division of the Western Province Crime Division, investigations are being led by Police Inspector Hemanta Kumara, assisted by Sub-Inspectors Prasanna Gunathilaka and Prasanna (40248), and Constables Chaminda (72987), Anil (79598), Kumar (88762), and Senanayake (19363), who are continuing the probe.

by Norman Palihawadane and Chaminda Silva