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Ven. Gnanasara vows to complete ‘job’ by next Feb. to satisfaction of all
Regardless of Sabry’s concerns, govt. going ahead with ‘One Country, One Law’ project
By Ifham Nizam and Shamindra Ferdinando
No sooner had Justice Minister Ali Sabry, PC, indicated his intention to quit his Cabinet portfolio over the appointment of BBS General Secretary Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara as Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) to spearhead ‘One Country, One Law’ initiative than the controversial monk said that their responsibility was to ensure that the country had one law.
Minister Sabry is expected to make an announcement this week.
Ven. Gnanasara, yesterday, addressed the media from the Presidential Media Division (PMD) and fielded questions online. He said he would meet representatives of all political parties represented in Parliament and outside as well as civil society groups.
Presidential Spokesperson Kingsley Ratnayake said at the commencement of the press briefing that Minister Sabry had met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa before the latter left for Scotland on 30 Oct. Ratnayake said so when the media asked whether the Justice Minister would meet the President to discuss the issue at hand on his return.
Therefore, President Rajapaksa was aware of Justice Minister’s reaction, Ratnayake told The Island, adding that the PTF would go ahead with its work.
Ven. Gnanasara, who contested the last general election from the Kurunegala District on the ‘Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya‘ ticket unsuccessfully, declared that once his PTF completed its task in four months everybody would be pleased with the outcome. According to the relevant gazette issued last week, the PTF has been entrusted with the following tasks: (i) To make a study of the implementation of the concept; One Country, One Law within Sri Lanka and prepare a draft Act for the said purpose, and
(ii)To study the draft Acts and amendments that have already been prepared by the Ministry of Justice in relation to this subject and their appropriateness and if there are suitable amendments to submit proposal for the purpose and include them in such relevant draft as is deemed appropriate.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has requested the PTF to submit a report to him once a month and the final report should be submitted on or before 28 Feb., next year.
Mrs. Jeewanthi Senanayake, Senior Assistant Secretary to the President has been appointed the PTF’s Secretary.
The other members of the Task Force are: Professor Dayananda Banda, Professor Shanthinandana Wijesinghe, Professor Sumedha Siriwardana, N.G. Sujeewa Panditharathna, Attorney-at-Law Iresh Senevirathne, Attorney-at-Law Sanjaya Marambe, Eranda Navarathna, Pani Wewala, Moulavi Mohomad Ulama Council, Galle, Mohomad Inthikab, Lecturer, Kaleel Rahuman, and Azeez Nizardeen.
Responding to another query, Ven. Gnanasara pointed out that even in parliament only a handful didn’t have court or prison records. “The Country’s law is above everyone, if there is an offence then it should be legally dealt with,” the BBS leader said.
Commenting on the role of the PTF, the Thera said: “We are not tasked to draft laws. We are to ascertain whether the public needs had been addressed through the prevailing legal system by looking at them in a different and practical angle. We are not expected to look at things the way how legal experts do.”
The Thera said no citizen should be subjected discrimination before the law on the basis of his or her race, religion, caste or any other factor.
Ven. Gnanasara emphasised that if the citizens could place the country above all, regardless of their ethnicity, religion or political affiliation, the PTF was ready to listen to all opinions regarding the legal framework and other related matters.
The youth of this country were the worst affected by racial, religious and provincial divisions and therefore they have a special place in this process”, the Thera said, adding that all young people representing universities, higher education institutions and various organisations would invited to submit their ideas and suggestions to the Task Force.
The Thera also said that he hoped to discuss the matter with all political parties, religious and civil society organisations and groups in the coming days and added that the discussion was open to all who came without any hidden agendas.
After consulting all those sections, the views and recommendations of the Task Force would be submitted to the President within the given time-frame, he said.
Prof. Sumedha Siriwardana, Member of the Presidential Task Force for One Country, One Law, said that the Task Force had been mandated to make recommendations for the implementation of “One Country, One Law” principle in Sri Lanka after conducting a study. He said the Presidential Task Force did not have the power to make laws and that it would be done by the legislature.
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M. A. L. S. Manthrinayake appointed Secretary Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic, and Ocean Resources
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has officially appointed Attorney-at-Law M. A. L. S. Manthrinayake as the new Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic, and Ocean Resources.
The Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, handed over the formal letter of appointment to Attorney-at-Law M. A. L. S. Manthrinayake earlier today (09) at the Presidential Secretariat.
News
Opposition trade union meets AKD’s reps, flays CEB
Controversy over delay in granting relief to electricity consumers:
by Shamindra Ferdinando
Convener of the SJB’s trade union wing, Ananda Palitha, has said that the country expected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s intervention to ensure that consumers received the immediate benefit of a downward electricity tariffs revision, which was long overdue.
Palitha told The Island that as NPP leader Dissanayake had assured the public in the run-up to the presidential election (21 Sept.) and, thereafter, an electricity tariff reduction, and the vast majority of electricity consumers had expected 30% to 35% downward tariff revision.
Palitha emphasised that it was up to President Dissanayake to prevent the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) from depriving consumers of relief. The President couldn’t go back on his election promise to reduce monthly electricity bills of Rs. 3,000 and Rs 6,000 by Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 3,000, respectively, Palitha said.
Asked whether the trade union intended to campaign for tariff reduction, Palitha said that they had taken the issue with Director General and Deputy Director General of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) on 01 Nov. and subsequently written to President Dissanayake seeking his intervention.
The trade unionist said that in spite of the change of government the CEB seemed to be determined not to mend its ways. Having repeatedly assured the country of a much-touted system change, the ruling party must not allow the CEB to have its way in dealing with electricity consumers.
Palitha alleged that the CEB had deliberately delayed the submission of its tariff proposals to the PUCSL.
Responding to another question, Palitha said their trade union collective had received an opportunity to make a comprehensive presentation on behalf of electricity consumers to President Dissanayake’s senior aides at the Presidential Secretariat on 06 Dec.
“We explained how the top CEB management, particularly influential engineers, manipulated the whole pricing process to their advantage at the expense of the people struggling to make ends meet,” Palitha said, adding he hoped that the presidential aides had realized the gravity of the developing situation, particularly as within hours after their meeting the country was told anticipated tariff revision couldn’t be granted.
“How could the CEB declare that the tariff revision couldn’t be implemented after having offered 6% to 11% tariff reduction just a couple of weeks ago?” Palitha said. The incumbent political leadership couldn’t absolve itself of the responsibility for ensuring the CEB adhered to a Cabinet decision taken during the previous administration that there would be four tariff revisions yearly.
Palitha disclosed that the SJB trade unions had taken up with the President’s team Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe’s recent declaration that electricity consumers would be given a 30% tariff reduction over a period of three years whereas his leader had promised immediate relief.
Regardless of the CEB’s recommendations, the final decision in respect of electricity tariffs would be taken by the PUC, Palitha said, urging the NPP representatives to speak in one voice.
Palitha mentioned that both the government and the CEB owed an explanation to the public regarding the sudden declaration made by the latter that tariff reduction couldn’t be made as the government trade union leader at the CEB, Ranjan Jayalal, had disclosed on a live television debate the CEB earned Rs 62 bn profits in 2023 and so far Rs 142 bn this year. Jayalal made the declaration in support of his demand for thumping year-end bonuses for CEB employees, Palitha said, declaring providing relief to consumers should be the government’s priority.
Palitha said that Dissanayake who had been at the helm of the JVP since 2014 couldn’t be unaware how their union and other interested parties won their demands at the expense of not only the consumers but the entire country as well.
The SJB representative said that the country was yet to receive the benefit of the bulk of electricity being generated through hydro power.
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SLMC calls for probe into agreement signed with bondholders, others ahead of presidential election
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauf Hakeem, MP, demands to know why the Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe government entered into an agreement with bondholders and commercial creditors just 48 hours before the presidential election.
MP Hakeem told The Island that he raised the issue at hand in Parliament last week when Parliament deliberated the Vote-on-Account. He drew the attention of Parliament to what he called a matter of critical importance related to Sri Lanka’s recent debt restructuring. The SLMC leader said: “While it is undeniable that reaching an agreement with bondholders and commercial creditors was crucial to steering our nation out of its economic crisis, troubling questions linger about the integrity of this process.
It is concerning that the agreement with bondholders was finalised merely two days before the Presidential elections, raising doubts about whether this, too, was exploited to serve the interests of a select few. We are reminded of the controversial $500 million bond repayment saga during the Rajapaksa administration. Similarly, the current restructuring raises the specter of insider trading—where investors, potentially armed with privileged information, acquired Sri Lankan bonds at deep discounts, only to negotiate settlements at face value, possibly in collusion with the administration.
This Parliament owes it to the people of Sri Lanka to demand transparency and accountability by initiating an independent inquiry to determine the purchase prices of these bonds, the extent of concessions offered, and whether public trust was compromised in favour of private gain. Another matter of profound national importance—the Domestic Debt Optimization (DDO) initiative, which I contend represents Sri Lanka’s third and most extensive bond scandal. This scheme, orchestrated under the stewardship of then-Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, mirrors the malfeasance of previous bond scams and inflicts severe economic injustice upon our working class.
In February 2015, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) was embroiled in a bond scandal involving the issuance of Rs. 1 billion in 30-year government bonds. The auction controversially accepted bids totaling Rs. 10 billion, significantly exceeding the initial offer, leading to an estimated loss of over $11 million for the nation. This incident, among others, has eroded public trust in our financial institutions.
The DDO was presented as a strategy to reduce the government’s liability to the public. However, a critical examination reveals a more sinister agenda. The Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), the primary retirement savings of our private-sector employees, was compelled to exchange its Treasury bonds under the DDO programme
This maneuver effectively transferred substantial wealth from the EPF to a select group of beneficiaries, including: Licensed Primary Dealers, · Licensed Commercial Banks and· Non-Bank Financial Institutions
The exact magnitude of the windfall gains reaped by these entities remains undisclosed, raising serious concerns about transparency and accountability.
Calling for independent inquiry, MP Hakeem said: It is imperative that an independent investigation be conducted to: (i) Quantify the Wealth Transfer: Determine the total value siphoned from the working population’s retirement funds to the affluent few (ii) Assess Tax Revenue: Ascertain the amount of tax revenue the government accrued from these windfall profits.
Such an inquiry is essential to uphold justice and restore public confidence in our financial governance, the former Minister said.
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