News

Sajith’s alliance: Rishad still on the fence, Fonseka quits

Published

1 year ago

2024/08/10

Thilina Walpola

Sajith Premadasa Sarath Fonseka

SJB receives big boost by way of SC unseating Harin and Manusha

By Shamindra Ferdinando

All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) leader Rishad Bathiudeen, MP, yesterday (09) said that he would consult supporters at district level before announcing their stand on the forthcoming presidential election.

The former Trade and Commerce Minister and Vanni District lawmaker said so when The Island asked him whether the ACMC quit the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB)-led Samagi Jana Sandanaya, formed to back Sajith Premadasa’s candidature at the presidential election.

MP Bathiudeen said that he couldn’t have joined the launch of the new alliance on Thursday (08) at the Sugathadasa International Stadium as he was out of the country and yet to consult the electorate.

The ACMC contested the last parliamentary election held in August 2020 on the SJB ticket. Altogether, the breakaway UNP faction won 54 seats, including seven National List slots.

Responding to another query, the MP indicated that though his party contested the general election on the SJB ticket, that didn’t necessarily mean the ACMC had to support Premadasa’s candidature. The former Minister said that his party would choose either Premadasa, or incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is in the presidential fray as an independent candidate.

However, all other political parties namely, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Democratic People’s Front (DPF), National Union of Workers (NUW) and Upcountry People’s Front (UPF), that contested the last general election, entered into a fresh electoral pact with the SJB. The Tamil Progressive Front consists of DPF, NUW and UPF. However, ACMC skipped the event held at the Sugathadasa International Stadium.

Reiterating that the ACMC decision would be guided by their supporters’ stand on the presidential polls, MP Bathiudeen said that he would begin consultations in the northern and eastern districts, except Jaffna and Puttalam, over the next few days. “Our decision will be announced next week, probably on August 17,” MP Bathiudeen said.

SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem declared, at the launch of the new alliance, that President Wickremesinghe should be taught a lesson for bribing lawmakers to switch their allegiance ahead of the presidential poll. Referring to the recent ouster of long serving Bangladeshi Premier Sheikh Hasina following a violent public uprising, the former Minister warned President Wickremesinghe that such fate could befall those pursuing dictatorial agendas.

MP Hakeem also slammed President Wickremesinghe over the massive fraud perpetrated through the introduction of a new On Arrival visa scheme. Pointing out that President Wickremesinghe allowed the corrupt deal that was even worse than the Treasury bond scams, perpetrated in 2015 and 2016, MP Hakeem said that they should decide whether to hand over the country to such a leader.

The former Minister said that the 2015 Treasury bond scam was carried out a few months before the general election. Likewise, the Online Visa scam was launched in the run-up to the presidential polls.

In addition to the SLMC and constituents of the TPA entering into the agreement with the SJB, Nidahasa Janatha Sabhawa, consisting of a group of rebel SLPP MPs, joined Sajith Premadasa’s campaign. The group consists of Prof. G.L. Peiris, Dullas Alahapperuma, Dilan Perera, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, Wasantha Yapa Bandara, Upul Gallappatty, K.P.S. Kumarasiri, Charitha Herath, Lalith Ellawela, Tilak Rajapaksa and Gunapala Ratnasekera.

Sajith Premadasa’s grouping also included the SLFP faction led by Dayasiri Jayasekera, and the civil society grouping Purawasi Handa Bahujana Vyaparaya. Former captain of the national cricket team and ex-Minister Arjuna Ranatunga, too, pledged his support to the SJB leader.

Parliamentarian Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, who had been engaged in a running battle with his leader Sajith Premadasa, has resigned as Chairman of the party in the wake of him paying Rs 75,000 cash deposit to contest the presidential election as an independent candidate.

The former Minister and Commander of the warwinning Army called his first media briefing at the Waters Edge Hotel to explain the circumstances leading to him coming forward again as an independent. Fonseka lost to Mahinda Rajapaksa by a huge margin at the 2010 presidential poll.

MP Mujibur Rahman said that with the Supreme Court ruling that unseated Ministers Manusha Nanayakkara and Harin Fernando for switching allegiance to President Wickremesinghe, at the expense of the party they were elected from, couldn’t have been given at a better time.

The Supreme Court yesterday (09) ruled that the SJB’s decision taken on July 18, 2023, to suspend the party membership of Manusha Nanayakkara and Harin Fernando was lawful.

The SC unseated the Ministers while dismissing a petition filed by them seeking an order that the SJB decision is unlawful.

The decision was announced by the three-member Supreme Court bench consisting of Justices Vijith Malalgoda, Achala Vengappuli and Arjuna Obeysekara.Bandulalal Bandarigoda will succeed Manusha Nanayakkara who entered Parliament from Galle District, whereas Harin Fernando represented the SJB National List.

All News Advertisement

News

Noritake Company Limited donates Rs. 20 million to the Government’s disaster relief programme

Published

5 hours ago

2025/12/19

Priyan

Noritake Company Limited of Japan has donated Rs. 20 million to the Government’s disaster relief programme.

The cheque was presented to Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya by the Managing Director of Noritake Lanka Porcelain (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Kenji Obara, at the Parliament Complex on 18 December.

Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Chandana Abeyratne, Director and General Manager of Noritake Lanka Porcelain (Pvt) Ltd, Ms. Sujatha Egodagedara, and Assistant General Manager Captain M. M. Athula Rohan Senarath also participated in the event.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division].

Latest News

GovPay Concludes 2025 with Rs. 2 Billion in digital transactions, marking a major milestone in Sri Lanka’s digital transformation

Published

8 hours ago

2025/12/19

Priyan

GovPay, Sri Lanka’s Government Digital Payment Platform concluded the year 2025 by surpassing Rs. 2 billion in total digital transaction value, marking a major milestone in the country’s digital transformation journey. Notably, GovPay doubled its collections from Rs. 1 billion to Rs. 2 billion in just 45 days, reflecting rapid adoption, growing public trust, and strong institutional uptake across the public sector.

Since its official launch on 07 February 2025, GovPay has processed over 69,000 digital transactions, enabling payments for 3,372 government services across 215 government institutions. This accelerated growth underscores the increasing reliance on secure, convenient, and transparent digital payment mechanisms by both citizens and government institutions.

Implemented under the strategic leadership of the Ministry of Digital Economy, the Information Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) in collaboration with LankaPay, GovPay has emerged as a key pillar of Sri Lanka’s national digital public infrastructure. The platform plays a critical role in advancing financial inclusion, improving service efficiency, and strengthening transparency in public service delivery.

A key milestone in 2025 was the launch of the Online Traffic Fine Payment System through GovPay on 10 April 2025. Since its introduction, the system has facilitated over 50,000 digital traffic fine payments, generating more than Rs. 66 million in revenue. The service is currently operational across the Western, Southern, Northern, North Western, and North Central Provinces, including the Southern, Katunayake, and Central Expressways. While the island wide rollout planned for December 2025 was postponed due to adverse weather conditions and disaster-related challenges, ICTA, in coordination with the Sri Lanka Police and with the support of LankaPay, has agreed to complete the nationwide rollout in January 2026, with a landmark launch in the Central Province.

GovPay has continued to expand its reach across local authorities, including Divisional Secretariats, Municipal Councils, Urban Councils, and Pradeshiya Sabhas, significantly enhancing access to government services in citizens’ day-to-day activities. The platform has enabled digital transactions for all local authorities in the Northern Province and all Divisional Secretariats in the Southern Province, with a national target to digitize all local authorities by 2026.

Institutions such as Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka Police, the Department of Technical Education and Training, the University of Moratuwa, and the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board emerged as some of the highest contributors to GovPay in 2025. Strong adoption by the education sector in particular highlights the readiness of younger generations to embrace digital transformation and demonstrates the platform’s scalability and reliability.

Beyond routine government services, GovPay also supported national disaster response efforts. Since 30 November 2025, the platform facilitated digital donations to the Rebuild Sri Lanka Disaster Relief Fund, collecting almost Rs. 14 million across 909 transactions, including contributions from Sri Lankans living abroad, ensuring transparency and ease of contribution during a national emergency.

As GovPay continues to grow, ICTA is working on revamping www.govpay.lk with enhanced features to support institutional onboarding, service management, and reporting capabilities. With Rs. 2 billion in digital collections achieved within its first year of operation and the last Rs. 1 billion reached in just 45 days, GovPay stands as a strong testament to the impact of coordinated digital transformation, reinforcing Sri Lanka’s vision of achieving a USD 15 billion digital economy by 2030.

News

Swift restoration of Religious, Cultural and Archaeological sites damaged by the disaster

Published

9 hours ago

2025/12/19

Priyan

A discussion on the restoration of religious, cultural and archaeological sites affected by Cyclone Ditwah was held on Thursday (18) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, with the participation of the Most Venerable Mahanayaka Theras of the three Chapters and other religious leaders.

Addressing the meeting, the Minister stated that more than one thousand religious, cultural and archaeological sites across the country had sustained damage due to the disaster. He assured that prompt measures would be taken to commence restoration work and reinstate these sites to their original condition without delay.

The Minister further stated that all restoration work is expected to be carried out while preserving the historical and cultural authenticity of the sites, under the guidance of the Most Venerable Maha Sangha and other religious leaders, with the active participation of all relevant stakeholders.

The Secretary to the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Prince Senadheera, noted that arrangements are currently underway to mobilize the required human resources and financial assistance for the restoration process. He also stated that steps have been initiated to recruit the necessary technical officers on a contractual basis to conduct technical assessments of the affected sites. In addition, plans are in place to involve officials of the Ministry as well as officers of its affiliated institutions in carrying out these restoration activities.

The Secretary to the Ministry further stated that generous financial contributions from donors are currently being received to the fund established under the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs for the reconstruction of damaged religious places of worship.

The meeting also considered continuing the gathering as an interfaith committee to oversee the restoration activities. Accordingly, it was agreed that the progress of construction work would be regularly reported to the committee and that the committee would be entrusted with mobilizing support for the fund in a transparent manner, including assistance from foreign donors, international organizations, Buddhist organizations and other religious institutions.

It was noted that the Central Cultural Fund has identified eight sites that were severely damaged by the disaster and are difficult to restore through conventional construction methods, requiring the specialized expertise of archaeologists, mural conservation specialists, and architects. The cost of restoring these sites has been estimated at over Rs. 500 million.

It was further decided that the committee would meet once a month to review and discuss the progress of these restoration activities.

Religious leaders commended the Government’s intervention in providing relief to those affected by the disaster and in restoring livelihoods, expressing appreciation for the effective management of the response. They also praised the Government’s prompt action in initiating restoration work at damaged religious sites.

The event was attended by several eminent religious leaders, including the Registrar of the Asgiri Maha Viharaya, Venerable Dr. Medagama Dhammananda Nayaka Thero; the Registrar General of the Amarapura Siri Saddhammawansa Maha Nikaya, Venerable Balapitiye Siri Seevali Nayaka Thero; the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya, Venerable Attangane Sasanarathana Nayaka Thero; the Chief Secretary of the All-Ceylon Shasanarakshaka Board, Venerable Professor Mugunuwela Anuruddha Nayaka Thero; and the Tri-Nikaya Maha Sangha, led by the Chairman of the National Bhikkhu Front, Venerable Wakamulle Uditha Thero.

Also in attendance were Hindu religious leaders, including Venerable Swami Aksharatmananda, representatives of the Catholic Church and the National Christian Council, including Father Alec Roy Samantha Fernando, All-Ceylon Muslim religious leaders, including the General Secretary of the Jamiatul Ulama Organization, Ash-Sheikh Arkam Nooramith, Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs, Mohamed Muneer , as well as senior officials of the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs and relevant line institutions.