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Sumanthiran claims govt. has violated Constitution by spending money without parliament sanction
By Saman Indrajith
The Appropriation Bill 2020 was a cover-up for various illegal acts committed by the government during the recent past, TNA Jaffna District MP M.A. Sumanthiran said in Parliament on Thursday (12).
Participating in the debate on the bill, the MP said: “Today we are debating a very strange Bill. It is called the Appropriation Bill for 2020, and we are debating it in the month of November 2020.”
He said that an Appropriation Bill should have been debated and approved prior to the financial year concerned. “It is only then the executive obtains the approval of Parliament to draw from the consolidated fund, borrow and generally administer the finances of the country. Article 148 of the Constitution very clearly says that the Parliament will have full control over public finance. No tax rate or any other levy will be imposed by any local authority or any other public authority except by or under the authority of law passed by Parliament or of any existing law. So, there is no law for the financial year 2020.
“So, what can a resolution under Article 150 sub article 2 authorize? It can only authorise the drawing from the Consolidated Fund for public services only. That too is for specified public services only, as stated in Article 152. Those funds cannot be used for any developmental work.
“Now during this financial year, we have had two such resolutions passed. One covering the periods 1st Jan 2020 until 30th April 2020 passed in October last year, and another covering the period 1st Sept 2020 to 31st December 2020. Now even those two resolutions passed by this House can only be used for specified public services and not anything else.
“All of us know that this is not how finances have been handled in the country for this year. There has been a severe need to give the general public who were affected in several areas Rs. 5000 each in the month of April and May. None of those were public services. But all those expenditures were met and developmental activities carried out. All this was in violation of the very strict limitation imposed by the Constitution.
“This is a blatant violation of the Constitution by the government. We are trying to legitimise grave illegal and unconstitutional acts that have been purported in this country. The Appropriation Bill 2020 before the House today is not a covering approval; it is not ratification. It is something that can only be done legally. If something is done legally then you can ratify and grant covering approval for it. But illegal acts cannot be handled in that manner. This is the sorry state we are in today.”
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China pledges continued support for Sri Lanka’s Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity, and Independence – Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China
Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, stated that China is committed to supporting Sri Lanka’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.
This statement was made during a meeting between President Anura Kumar Disanayake and Zhao Leji, which took place earlier today (16) as part of President Disanayake’s four-day official visit to China.
During the meeting, Chairman Zhao warmly welcomed President Disanayake, further emphasizing that working with Sri Lanka in a continuous and cooperative manner is a key expectation of the Chinese National People’s Congress.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism, Vijitha Herath; Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation, Bimal Rathnayake; Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Qi Zhenhong; and Sri Lankan Ambassador to China, Majintha Jayasinghe, were also present at the event.
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$3.7 billion foreign direct investment secured during President’s first state visit to China
During President Anura Kumara Disanayake’s four-day state visit to China, Sri Lanka marked a significant milestone by securing the largest foreign direct investment to date. This significant achievement was formalized this morning (16) with the signing of an agreement between Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Energy and Sinopec, a leading Chinese international petroleum corporation.
Under this $3.7 billion investment, a state-of-the-art oil refinery with a capacity of 200,000 barrels will be constructed in the Hambantota region. A substantial portion of the refinery’s output is planned for export, further enhancing the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.
This major investment from China is expected to bolster Sri Lanka’s economic growth while uplifting the livelihoods of low-income communities in the Hambantota area. Moreover, the benefits of this project are anticipated to positively impact the overall Sri Lankan population in the near future.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Labour and Tourism Vijitha Herath, Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Bimal Rathnayake and Director General of Government Information H. S. K. J. Bandara, alongside other dignitaries were present when the agreement was signed.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake extended an invitation to Chinese investors to explore investment opportunities in Sri Lanka, emphasizing the nation’s stable governance and transparent economy.
He made these remarks as the keynote speaker at the “Investment Forum” held today (16), jointly organized by Chinese state and private enterprises.
The forum was a significant event during President Disanayake’s third day of his four-day state visit to China, undertaken at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Prominent Chinese corporations, including China Tianying Inc. (CNTY), China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., China Communications Construction Company Ltd., China Petrochemical Corporation (SINOPEC Group), Metallurgical Corporation of China Ltd., China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), China Energy International Group Company Ltd., Guangzhou Public Transport Group and Huawei BYD Auto participated in the event.
President Disanayake also engaged in cordial discussions with the leadership of these corporations.
The forum was attended by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism Vijitha Herath, Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation, Bimal Rathnayake, Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong, and Sri Lankan Ambassador to China Majintha Jayasinghe, among others.
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China pledges continued support for Sri Lanka’s Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity, and Independence – Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China
$3.7 billion foreign direct investment secured during President’s first state visit to China
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