News

Wijeweera’s son warns the danger of giving NPP 2/3rd majority

Published

1 year ago

2024/11/6

Sahan Weerasooriya

Uvindu Wijeweera

… stresses need for rebuilding a ‘left and nationalistic’ political force

‘Parliament should be represented by newcomers from all parties’

By Shamindra Ferdinando

General Secretary of Devana Parapura (DP) Uvindu Wijeweera said that an overwhelming majority for the National People’s Power (NPP) at the forthcoming parliamentary election could be politically catastrophic.

Therefore, the electorate should be mindful of the repercussions in case the NPP secured a near 2/3 majority, the Kurunegala district contestant said.

The son of the JVP’s founder leader said so when The Island sought his views on the NPP’s all-out campaign to build a massive parliamentary power at the expense of the Opposition.

Referring to political strategies pursued by President J.R. Jayewardene in the wake of the UNP securing a mammoth 5/6 parliamentary majority at the 1977 general election, Wijeweera emphasized that the country couldn’t bear a similar situation.

Rohana Wijeweera was killed in the second week of Nov. 1989 while in government custody.

Relatively young Wijeweera is third in line of a 15-member group of office bearers of DP which received the Election Commission (EC) recognition in late Feb. 2022, several weeks before the eruption of public protest campaign that was launched on March 31 outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s private residence at Pangiriwatte, Mirihana.

The DP General Secretary said that his party didn’t find fault with the NPP’s declaration that corrupt politicians should be defeated to pave the way for a clean Parliament. But, it wouldn’t be fair to push the electorate to elect only NPPers as quite a number of newcomers were in the fray from both new and old political parties, he said.

“Let there be an equal opportunity for all newcomers,” Wijeweera said, urging the electorate not to be swayed by the NPP rhetoric.

DP contested the recently concluded Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha election. “We couldn’t secure a seat among the 30 elected to that Council but the voters declared, in no uncertain terms, that the NPP shouldn’t expect the demise of the Opposition,” Wijeweera said. The sharing of 30 seats between the NPP and the Opposition, 15 each, proved that the general election may not go the way the government anticipates.

Responding to another query, Uvindu Wijeweera said they were to contest all electoral districts, except those in the Northern Province and Batticaloa in the Eastern Province. “However, our nominations for Ratnapura and Moneragala were rejected. Therefore, we are in the fray in 17 districts. We believe those who still believe in the JVP’s struggle for justice for all would exercise their franchise in support of us,” he said.

Uvindu Wijeweera said that the country was being exploited mercilessly by foreign powers while the ongoing battle for supremacy between the US-led grouping, that included India and China, placed bankrupt Sri Lanka in an extremely difficult situation.

Referring to the Chinese taking over the strategically important Hambantota port on a 99-year-lease, the DP leader said that development caused further deterioration of Sri Lanka’s position and today the ‘Quad’, comprising the US, India, Australia and Japan, were consolidating its position.

Uvindu Wijeweera regretted the failure on the part of President Anura Kumara Disanayake to attend the recently concluded Russia’s BRICS Summit. The President shouldn’t have missed that opportunity as Sri Lanka couldn’t afford to work with the powerful grouping.

Uvindu Wijeweera said that the left parties and nationalist groups should get together to save the country from destructive neo-liberal strategies. Attacking UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s political agenda, Wijeweera appreciated that the NPP adopted some left oriented policies but was tilted towards neo liberalism.

The DP would like to play a role in building a real people-based organization that addressed the issues at hand. Priority should be given for fresh effort to re-build a real Opposition that realized the sensitivity of the issues and challenges ahead. The young politician stressed the pivotal importance of improving relations with Russia and China and be part of the active global south.

Wijeweera said that rapid developments were taking place and no one should be surprised if Western powers stepped up pressure on Sri Lanka. He raised the possibility of the US pushing Sri Lanka over SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) as well as India seeking to increase its influence at all levels. Emphasising on the economic crisis, Wijeweera said that whatever the political parties that had represented Parliament said, the country was not yet out of the woods.

Having explained how Somawansa Amarasinghe gradually spearheaded the JVP efforts to bring nationalistic parties and groups together after their return to mainstream politics, in the ’90s, Wijeweera found fault with the party for reaching consensus with the UNP on a common programme. Wijeweera was referring to the 2009-2019 period before the formation of the NPP ahead of the 2019 presidential election.

Uvindu Wijeweera said that there were over 17.1 mn people eligible to vote at the general election. At the presidential 3.5 mn or nearly 1/5 of them refrained from voting, he said, urging the people not to waste their vote.

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News

Financial contributions received for ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund

Published

21 hours ago

2025/12/22

Priyan

The Government’s ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, established to provide relief and support to communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, continues to receive financial contributions on a daily basis.

Accordingly, the Containers Transport Owners Association made a financial contribution of Rs. 1.5 million, while the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers contributed Rs. 1.35 million to the Fund.

The respective cheques were formally presented to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday (19).

The occasion was attended by W. M. S. K. Manjula, Chairman of the Containers Transport Owners Association, together with Dilip Nihal Anslem Perera and Jayantha Karunadhipathi.

Representing the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers were Deshan Rajapaksa, Samudika Perera and Devshan Rodrigo handed over the cheque.

News

UNICEF representatives and PM discuss rebuilding schools affected by the Disaster

Published

21 hours ago

2025/12/22

Priyan

A meeting between Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and a delegation of UNICEF representatives was held on Saturday, (December 20) at the Prime Minister’s Office.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister explained the measures taken by the Government to ensure the protection of the affected student community and to restore the damaged school system, as well as the challenges encountered in this process.

The Prime Minister stated that reopening schools located in landslide-prone areas would be extremely dangerous. Accordingly, the Government is focusing on identifying such schools and relocating them to suitable locations based on scientific assessments.

The Prime Minister further noted that financial assistance has been provided to students affected by the disaster, enabling parents to send their children back to school without an additional financial burden. Emphasizing that school is the safest place for children after their homes, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the school environment would help restore and improve students’ mental well-being

The Prime Minister also highlighted that attention has been given to several key areas, including the relocation of disaster-affected schools, restoration of school infrastructure, merging and operating certain schools jointly, facilitating teaching and learning through digital and technological strategies, and providing special transportation facilities. She emphasized that the Government is examining these issues and is committed to finding long-term solutions.

The UNICEF representatives commended the Government’s commitment and the initiatives undertaken to restore the education sector and assured their support to the Government. Both parties also discussed working together collaboratively on future initiatives.

The meeting was attended by the UNICEF representatives to Sri Lanka Emma Brigham, Lakshmi Sureshkumar, Nishantha Subash, and Yashinka Jayasinghe, along with Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwewa, Director of Education Dakshina Kasturiarachchi, Deputy Directors Kasun Gunarathne and Udara Dikkumbura.

(Prime Minister’s Media Division)

News

NMRA laboratory lacks SLAB accreditation

Published

23 hours ago

2025/12/22

Thilina Walpola

Dr. Sanjeewa

Drug controversy:

“Setting up state-of-the-art drug testing facility will cost Rs 5 billion”

Activists call for legal action against politicians, bureaucrats

Serious questions have been raised over Sri Lanka’s drug regulatory system following revelations that the National Medicines Regulatory Authority’s (NMRA) quality control laboratory is not accredited by the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB), casting doubt on both the reliability of local test results and the adequacy of oversight of imported medicines.

Medical and civil rights groups warn that the issue points to a systemic regulatory failure rather than an isolated lapse, with potential political and financial consequences for the State.

Chairman of the Federation of Medical and Civil Rights Professional Associations, Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, said the controversy surrounding the Ondansetron injection, which was later found to be contaminated, had exposed deep weaknesses in drug regulation and quality assurance.

Dr. Sanjeewa said that the manufacturer had confirmed that the drug had been imported into Sri Lanka on four occasions this year, despite later being temporarily withdrawn from use. The drug was manufactured in India in November 2024 and in May and August 2025, and imported to Sri Lanka in February, July and September. On each occasion, 67,600 phials were procured.

Dr. Sanjeewa said the company had informed the NMRA that the drug was tested in Indian laboratories, prior to shipment, and passed all required quality checks. The manufacturer reportedly tested the injections against 10 parameters, including basic quality standards,

pH value, visual appearance, component composition, quantity per phial, sterility levels, presence of other substances, bacterial toxin levels and spectral variations.

According to documents submitted to the NMRA, no bacterial toxins were detected in the original samples, and the reported toxin levels were within European safety limits of less than 9.9 international units per milligram.

Dr. Sanjeewa said the credibility of local regulatory oversight had come under scrutiny, noting that the NMRA’s quality control laboratory was not SLAB-accredited. He said establishing a fully equipped, internationally accredited laboratory would cost nearly Rs. 5 billion.

He warned that the failure to invest in such a facility could have grave consequences, including continued loss of life due to substandard medicines and the inability of the State to recover large sums of public funds paid to pharmaceutical companies for defective drugs.

“If urgent steps are not taken, public money will continue to be lost and accountability will remain elusive,” Dr. Sanjeewa said.

He added that if it was ultimately confirmed that the drug did not contain bacterial toxins at the time it entered Sri Lanka, the fallout would be even more damaging, severely undermining the credibility of the country’s health system and exposing weaknesses in health administration.

Dr. Sanjeewa said public trust in the health sector had already been eroded and called for legal action against all politicians and public officials responsible for regulatory failures linked to the incident.

by Chaminda Silva ✍️