News

Sumanthiran complains that the man responsible for crisis still in driving seat

Published

4 years ago

2022/06/10

By Saman Indrajith

Sri Lankans were a disappointed lot each time Parliament was convened, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, MA Sumanthiran said on Wednesday in Parliament.

Sri Lankans had never been so desperate and they were looking to the parliament today for answers to an unprecedented economic crisis, Sumanthiran said.

“Each time this parliament meets, people expect there will be some change, some forward movement to resolve this crisis. And the people are disappointed because this is a parliament with two thirds of the voters supporting the government,” he said.

The TNA MP said that the government hadabused the people’s trust and further strengthened the Executive Presidency. The President then went on to violate all the promises he had made to the people and rereading the President’s election manifesto in 2019, the “Vistas of Prosperity and splendor” now induced laughter, Sumanthiran said.

“The one very specific proposal that he made, is at page 36 and 37 in the English version of the manifesto. On page 37, Gotabaya very specifically says “income tax will be reduced, economic service charge and withholding tax will be scrapped. A simple value added tax of 8 % will be introduced, replacing both the current VAT of 15 % and the Nation building tax of 2 %, payee tax will be scrapped and personal income tax will be subject to a ceiling of 15 %. 5-year moratorium will be granted on taxes payable by agriculturist and small and medium enterprises” and so on. Huge tax reliefs announced even in his election manifesto – it was an election promise,” the TNA MP said.

At that time, the finance minister of this country, Mangala Samaraweera, stated that if that proposal was implemented Sri Lanka would become like Lebanon and Venezuela. “Samaraweera’s prediction has come true”, the TNA MP said.

“So, one cannot say that there were no warnings. The Finance Minister of the country at that time said this. The Prime minister now wants to set up a parliamentary budget office. During the last Parliament we had that draft and all of that was set up but it was never presented to Parliament. Recently he asked me for the draft and I have sent it to him, and hope that will be done. One of the tasks of the Parliamentary budget office is that, when due for an election somebody makes a promise – an election promise – the Parliamentary budget office will have to immediately calculate the impact of that promise and publish a report saying, this is how it will impact the economy,” he said.

The tax cuts implemented in December 2019 and were the major reason why Sri Lanka was in the current predicament today, Sumanthiran said. It was only after the tax cuts that Sri Lanka’s ratings started falling, and the Central Bank gave confidential reports to caution the government that Sri Lanka would not be able to borrow anymore, the TNA MP said.

“We were shut out of International Financial markets. So, the person who is single handedly responsible for this economic crisis is still the head of government. He is still president, some people are saying, “No. no. don’t look at this Politics – let that be – deal with the economic crisis”… yes of course, to deal with the economic crisis the wrong-doer must be removed. You can’t keep the wrong-doer, the one who is mostly responsible in that chair and deal with the crisis,” he said.

The TNA MP said the President, Prime Minister and Parliament had lost its legitimacy and that there should be an overhaul of the system. However, before that, parliament needed to be dissolved. Sumanthiran said that there should be political stability to resolve the economic crisis, however it was not possible to have stability in a Parliament that had a lot of independent MPs. The Sri Lankan parliamentary system was not geared to deal with a large number of independent MPs, he said.

“Every day of delay in establishing stability costs the country several million dollars. So it must be fixed fast. We are part of a problem, we must say “Yes, we’ll dissolve ourselves”, pass a resolution and request the President to dissolve Parliament. One of the biggest promises given by the President himself in the last address to the Nation was to bring back the 19th amendment. Both the President and the prime minister within the last two weeks have given the country that assurance. But where are you now? You can’t bring back the 19th amendment,” he said.

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Patali alleges NPP conspiring to put off elections indefinitely

Published

6 hours ago

2026/08/27

Sahan Weerasooriya

* Govt. lacks plan to meet IMF targets

By Shamindra Ferdinando

United Republican Front (URF) leader Patali Champika Ranawaka has alleged that the 22nd Amendment is aimed at enabling the National People’s Power (NPP) to perpetuate its rule without conducting elections.

The former Minister was addressing the media at the Flower Road Office of UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday (25). Alleging that the Pelawatte-based ‘red junta’ spearheaded the operation to enact the controversial 22nd Amendment, the ex-parliamentarian pointed out that neither President Anura Kumara Dissanayake nor Health and Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayathissa, who is also the Cabinet spokesman, never denied declarations made by various members of the NPP parliamentary group that elections wouldn’t be conducted for 10, 20 years.

The President and the Cabinet spokesman never clarified that such declarations were not the position of the government, Ranawaka said. The URF leader pointed out that some NPP/JVP members told those receiving appointments that they would also retire under the same administration.

Addressing the media after former External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris, convenor of the Joint Opposition, said that the government recognised them as the real opposition. Referring to Dr. Jayathissa’s recent claim that they conspired at the residence of Prof. Peiris and challenged them to come on to the streets, ex-lawmaker Ranawaka thanked the Minister for the recognition at the expense of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). The government accepted the challenge posed by them in spite of the main Opposition party, in Parliament, having 40 MPs, the URF Chief said, urging the government to reveal the identities of those who clandestinely led the ruling party.

The former MP said that the country was now aware of their conspiracies during the past six decades. Blaming the government for its inordinate delay in conducting the Provincial Council polls, and the failure to take tangible measures to do away with the executive presidency, as repeatedly promised in the run-up to the national elections in 2024, Ranawaka alleged that the government was busy conspiring to roll back the electoral map. He also alleged that President Dissanayake was leading the operation.

According to Ranawaka the government was keen to postpone elections indefinitely as its members feared to face the law under a different government.

Commenting on the economic situation, Ranawaka explained how under President Wickremesinghe tough measures were taken during the 2022 to 2024 period to stabilise the country with the backing of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “However, the country cannot go on beyond 2027 under the current setup. In terms of the agreement with the IMF, the debt repayment was stopped. However, the country will have to start repayment in 2028,” the ex-MP said, pointing out the country’s reserves were down to USD 6.4 bn.

The ex-MP said the IMF expected Sri Lanka to maintain foreign reserves at USD 6.8 bn and to increase the reserves to USD 12 bn next year. In terms of the IMF’s recommendations, the foreign reserves have to be increased to USD 15 bn by 2028, Ranawaka said, recollecting how former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, at a recent book launch, explained the daunting challenges faced by the country on the economic front.

Ranawaka was referring to Wickremesinghe’s speech at the launch of former Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya’s book launch at the BMICH, where the former President warned of dire consequences if the government failed to adhere to the IMF formula.

The former Minister disputed the government’s much touted claim that corruption was dealt with. The person who caused an unprecedented gas crisis, in 2021, by promising to supply gas at a much lower price than what was paid by the then government at that time and ended up causing countrywide panic due to “accidental” blasts of domestic gas cylinders, received protection from this government.

The government conveniently refrained from initiating action against that person, Ranawaka said. Referring to the developments leading to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government declaration of bankruptcy in April 2022, the ex-Minister claimed that the IMF, in a letter dated 7 March, 2022, alerted the Secretary to the President, the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank, of the impending economic collapse. The NPP government failed to take action against those responsible for creating the 2022 crisis, Ranawaka said.

News

August 15 Super Dvora tragedy: Search continues for missing officer’s body

Published

6 hours ago

2026/08/27

Sahan Weerasooriya

Super Dvora Mark III Fast Attack Craft

Navy headquarters yesterday said it was continuing the search for Lt. Thilina Udayapriya, second-in-command of the Super Dvora Mark III Fast Attack Craft (FAC), which sank in the seas off Angulana, on 15 August, 2026. Of the 12-member crew, 11 were rescued but so far SLN efforts to locate the missing officer’s body had failed, sources said.

They said that the salvage operation of the sunken craft, taken delivery from Israel after the end of the war, is continuing amidst gruelling weather and rough sea conditions, and the sunken vessel is now off Bambalapitiya.

Sources said that the vessel collided with a sunken ship MV Thermopylae Sierra that sank in August 2012, during a monsoon storm. The ill-fated Super Dvora Mk III has gone over the ship wreck in spite of it being clearly demarcated in the nautical chart, aka hydrographic chart available to the ill-fated vessel’s crew. But authorities had failed to mark the site with a buoy to warn maritime traffic, in spite of public appeals. (SF)

News

Tripartite MoU to expand free cardiothoracic surgeries at KDU Hospital

Published

6 hours ago

2026/08/27

Sahan Weerasooriya

The Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Health and Mass Media, and the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU), have signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate the expansion of free cardiothoracic surgery services by utilising the facilities of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) Teaching Hospital.

The Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media Dr Anil Jasinghe, and Vice Chancellor of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University Rear Admiral H. G. U. Dhammika Kumara, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective institutions.

The Defence MInistry said that the initiative, implemented in accordance with a Cabinet proposal submitted by the Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr Nalinda Jayatissa would reduce congestion and address the lengthy waiting list for cardiothoracic surgeries at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL).

The Ministry stated: “Under the arrangement, specialist doctors and clinical staff of the Cardiothoracic Unit of the National Hospital will conduct free heart and thoracic surgeries and provide specialised treatment for patients at the KDU Teaching Hospital. KDU will provide the necessary infrastructure, medical facilities and specialised equipment, while the Ministry of Health and Mass Media will provide the required medicines, medical supplies and specialised medical care.”