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Speaker thanks Cuba for continuous support to Sri Lanka

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Speaker Abeywardena addresses members of Parliament. Cuban envoy Juana Elena Ramos Rodríguez is seated next to the Speaker (pic courtesy Parliament)

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has extended his gratitude to the Cuban Government for their continuous support to Sri Lanka during the difficult times and said that he expected such cooperation between the two countries would continue to grow in the future as well.

He was grateful to Cuba for the dispatch of a five-member Cuban Medical team to Haiti to look after the health needs of Sri Lankan workers serving there upon a request made by the Government of Sri Lanka during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Speaker said so at the revival meeting of the Sri Lanka – Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Association held in Parliament on Monday (5). Juana Elena Ramos Rodríguez, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to Sri Lanka and several Cabinet Ministers, State Ministers and Members of Parliament were present at the meeting.

‘’I must not forget to mention here that Cuban doctors had made a valuable contribution in the medical field in Sri Lanka in the past. As per records, they had worked in hospitals in Ampara and Anuradhapura for many years and in 2004 during the tsunami disaster, they came forward again to help the affected community in Sri Lanka. I hope that this Friendship Association will add more intensity to the long-standing friendship and brotherhood that exist between our two countries and their people.’’ the Speaker said.

The new office-bearers of the Association for the 9th Parliament were elected at the meeting; accordingly, MP Prof. Tissa Vitharana was appointed as the President of the Sri Lanka – Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Association and Parliamentarians Weerasumana Weerasinghe, Sagara Kariyawasam and Aravindh Kumar were appointed as the Vice Presidents of the Association.

MPs Mohamed Muzammil and J.C. Alawathuwala were appointed as the Secretary and the Treasurer of the Association respectively.



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Veteran singer and musician Professor Sanath Nandasiri passed away at the age of 81

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Overtime gravy train for public sector back

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Govt. MPs make contradictory statements on state of economy

By Shamindra Ferdinando

UNP National List MP Wajira Abeywardena on Sunday (26) disclosed the issuance of a circular by the Finance Ministry to restore overtime and other payments in the public sector.

The declaration was made in Galle soon after Transport and Media Minister Bandula Gunawardane lamented that the government was short of billions of rupees to pay public sector salaries, pensions, Samurdhi payments and meet recurrent expenditure.

Minister Gunawardena and UNP National List MP Abeywardena addressed the local media after the handing over of several buses to the Galle SLTB depot.

Cabinet Spokesman Gunawardena said that the government needed as much as Rs 196 bn before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year and its projected revenue was Rs 173 bn. In addition to that Rs 500 mn was required to settle what Minister Gunawardena called bilateral debt.

Minister Gunawardane said that a part of the first tranche of USD 333 mn from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be utilised to pay public sector salaries.

Of the USD 333 mn received so far, USD 121 had been used to pay the first installment of USD 1 bn credit line secured from India early last year, according to State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya.

Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera in the second week of August last year revealed as much as Rs 3 bn had been paid as overtime to Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) workers for several months. This disclosure was made in response to a query raised by Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella.

One of the major demands of the public sector trade unions on the warpath over the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government’s new tax formula is the restoration of overtime.

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Now, Opposition wants Finance Secy. hauled up before Privileges Committee

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Prof G L Peris

Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday (27) urged Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to act speedily on the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) request to summon Finance Secretary Mahinda Siriwardena before the parliamentary Committee on Ethics and Privileges.

Addressing the media on behalf of the Freedom People’s Alliance, the former External Affairs Minister said that the Treasury Secretary had challenged the parliament by withholding funds allocated in the budget 2023 to the Election Commission thereby sabotaging the election.

Prof. Peiris said that there couldn’t be a far worse violation of parliamentary privileges than a government official undermining Parliament.

Instead of appreciating the intervention made by the Supreme Court to facilitate the delayed Local Government polls, the ruling party had sought to challenge the apex court, Prof. Peiris said, urging Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to fulfill his obligations.

Prof. Pieris said that if the government lacked funds, just one percent of USS 333 mn received from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was sufficient to conduct the election.

The ex-minister said that the IMF wouldn’t oppose the utilisation of a fraction of the first tranche of USD 2.9 bn loan facility provided over a period of four years to guarantee the constitutional rights of the Sri Lankan electorate. (SF)

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