Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris said that no discussion has been held within the Government to extend the term of Parliament or the President.
The Minister said, “Since we have another three years left of the people’s mandate we received, it is the Government’s goal to transform the President’s Saubhagyaye Dekma Policy Statement into reality within that period. We dedicate ourselves to the maximum for that and the Government has no intention of holding a referendum at all.”
Parliamentarian Diana Gamage, a defector from the main Opposition SJB told Parliament on January 21 that a resolution should be passed in Parliament to extend the current term of Parliament and the President by another two years to cover up for the time lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking to the media in Kandy recently after visiting Asgiriya Chapter Chief Prelate Most Ven. Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera, Prof. Peiris dismissed the claims of such a term extension by way of a Parliamentary Resolution.
The Minister said, “Everyone accepts the fact that the Government has another three years of its tenure remaining. The President clearly made a pledge to the country that he will bring in a new Constitution. This is mentioned in the ‘Saubhagyaye Dekma’ Policy Manifesto.
He said, “We have the strength of a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Despite having a majority of only three seats, some Governments ruled for six years. The ones, who receive the credit when the Government makes popular decisions, are not involved in decisions that are not popular. This particular action can be considered wrong.
“Any Government has to make unpopular decisions. If those who are with the Government say that they cannot get involved in such decisions, a Government cannot continue to function. All those who represent the Government are collectively bound by the decisions taken by the Government. That is the basic principle of Government,” he said.
Strikes for political gain
SLPP backbenchers have called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to take stern action against those staging strikes for political gain alleging that the majority of the trade union actions are backed by the JVP.
At a media briefing, SLPP Parliamentarian Tissa Kuttiarachchi said a spate of agitations by trade unions representing teachers, CEB engineers and employees in the health and agricultural sectors have been aided by the JVP, in an act of sabotage.
He said that the JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has been propagating trade union activities with the intention of establishing a ‘JVP Government’, disregarding the risk of spreading Covid-19 and making the public fall prey to his political agenda. Kuttiarachchi said that several politicians including those in Government have been continuously pinpointing shortfalls instead of extending their support and cooperation to resolve the difficulties encountered by the country.
“People helpless”
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa scoffed at the Government for using Covid-19 to sweep all the questions, raised by the public, under the carpet.
Premadasa was speaking at the opening of the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) party office at Middeniya in the Mulkirigala electorate of Hambantota recently.
He said, “People who used to live well, with three meals a day, have become extremely helpless. The Government has banned chemical fertiliser and destroyed the income of farmers. Factories are closing down and foreign investment has fallen to the lowest level today. The Government can’t be expected to answer all questions, but it has forgotten that there are countries that are rising in the midst of Covid-19.”
Premadasa said the Government giving tax concessions to millionaires and billionaires, since coming to power had resulted in a serious collapse in revenue collection and now the country was at high risk with almost all international financial ratings.
Delay
Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has voiced concern over the delay in bringing to justice the individuals named in the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on the Easter Sunday attacks, who are accused of criminal negligence. At a virtual discussion last week he said, “We have been waiting patiently with this government which had promised us that they will do justice to us. But they have not done it.”
He said the report of the Easter Presidential Commission of Inquiry very clearly has named a series of people as being responsible for inaction and, “allowing this group of gangsters to go ahead with the attack for their own purposes. And these people have not been brought to justice so far, including the former President who now brags about himself and says that he will not be brought to justice and all that.”
Cardinal Ranjith said, “All this shows a kind of a deal inside the Government to protect all these people.” He also said that they would not hesitate to seek the help of the international community and that they are ready to explore that possibility if the need arises. “We have tried our best all along to try to get justice for our people within our own context, but all these attempts have failed. So therefore, it does not leave us much room but to explore the possibilities of going to international level and that means also going to the UN.”
New people
It is reported that former Ministers Ravi Karunanayake and Navin Dissanayake have expressed their dissatisfaction at the recent UNP Working Committee meeting over the proposed program to reorganise the party and also about the new people chosen by the Party to be introduced to politics.
The Working Committee meeting was held at the UNP Headquarters, Sirikotha recently under the patronage of UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. The UNP Working Committee had approved the Party’s program of work to reorganise the UNP and introduce a number of new faces to carry the party’s flag at electorate and national levels in 2022.
However, UNP seniors Ravi Karunanayake and Navin Dissanayake had expressed a different view regarding the reorganisation process, a brainchild of UNP Leader Wickremesinghe. However, UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara has said that a major transformation will take place in the Party and the Sirikotha headquarters in the near future under this reorganisation process and that future political activities will be organised this year based on the program of work approved by the party Working Committee.
Pardon
SJB Parliamentarian Harin Fernando has invited Minister Namal Rajapaksa to sign a letter requesting a presidential pardon for former MP Ranjan Ramanayake.
MP Harin Fernando extended the request responding to a recent speech made by Minister Namal Rajapaksa in Parliament. Minister Namal Rajapaksa speaking in Parliament recently urged the Opposition to support the Government to overcome the present challenges.
Responding to the request, MP Harin Fernando said that as a start he would request Government MPs including Namal Rajapaksa to sign the letter prepared seeking a presidential pardon to Ranjan Ramanayake on February 4, the Independence Day of Sri Lanka. However, Minister Namal Rajapaksa was not in the Parliament Chamber when MP Fernando made the request.
Responding to MP Fernando, Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that he will sign the letter requesting a pardon for Ranjan Ramanayake.
MP Harin Fernando has accepted Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage’s challenge to participate in a televised debate on the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. Minister Aluthgamage made this invitation while Harin Fernando was speaking in Parliament during the adjournment debate on the President’s Policy Statement.
Aluthgamage said that he would invite MP Harin Fernando to a debate on the Easter Sunday attacks as he continued to speak about it. He said, “We will bring our evidence about the Easter Sunday attacks. You bring your own evidence. Let’s debate.”
Responding to the challenge, MP Harin Fernando said that he was ready and was not afraid of debates. Accordingly, a debate will be held on a private television channel this week with the participation of Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara from the SJB and Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and State Minister Kanchana Wijesekera from the Government.
UNP protest
A protest organised by the UNP in collaboration with various trade unions and political parties was held at Galle town on Tuesday, January 25. The protest which commenced around 3 p.m. was attended by a large number of UNP heavyweights and the public from various parts of the Galle District.
At the gathering, UNP seniors told the people to get ready for a change as Sri Lanka has been included among the top 15 nations with the highest food inflation rate and has fallen into the category of countries such as Zimbabwe.
They said many are planning to migrate from this country. UNP frontliners led by Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene came up with these remarks at the protest organised by the UNP Chairman and District Leader Vajira Abeywardene. Addressing the gathering, Wijewardene said “People are striving for a change today and the UNP is ready to bring about a change. Gather around us to bring that change.”
UNP Chairman Abeywardene said, “People should prepare themselves for an early election adding that a General Election may be held as soon as legal barriers for it end. Therefore, get ready for it.”
He said, “We did not come here to criticise anyone. We need the support of those who voted for the SLPP at the last elections. We need others, including those who have broken away from us.” UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara said those who support his party had gathered in Galle to take the first step towards bringing the party to power once again.”
“Will not leave Govt”
SLFP Vice President Prof. Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa said that the SLFP has not decided to leave the Government. When asked if it was reasonable that SLFP leaders, including former President Maithripala Sirisena have been attacking the Government, even issuing veiled threats against it recently, Prof. Piyadasa said that the SLFP’s persistence with the Government does not mean that the country is not experiencing a growing crisis.
The people, party members, and supporters are putting heavy pressure on the SLFP leadership to exit the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna-led coalition Government. He said when it was pointed out that several Pohottuwa (SLPP) Ministers had also asked SLFP members to leave the Government, Prof.Piyadasa said that before asking others to leave, one should first evaluate whether the SLPP-led Government had maintained a genuine relationship with the coalition parties.
He said during this Government’s tenure, the SLPP did not hold a single meeting with all of its coalition partners. They have been causing unneeded political tensions from the beginning of this regime. The SLFP as a prominent political party believes it bears several responsibilities to the public.
Prof. Piyadasa said, “It anticipates how a political climate like this might prepare the way for the ascent of some unknown individuals to the political realm, enveloping the two big political Parties, like in Romania.”
“If we split from the SLPP, the Government will continue with the rest of the alliance but the last thing we want to see is the country devolve into anarchy. “These politicians who yell “get out” at us don’t seem to realise that such currents might turn against the country,” he said.
Bicycles
Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has drafted a Cabinet Memorandum to promote the use of bicycles as one of the steps to reduce air pollution. The Minister said “It was decided to dedicate a lane on each route for cycling.
It has been suggested that a program be put in place to provide some sort of incentive, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, to those in institutions who use bicycles. Government assistance will also be sought to take steps to introduce the program to other public and private institutions.”
He was addressing the media on Wednesday, January 26 following a discussion on Suwa Diviyata Papadiya initiative by ‘Ride for Life’, which promotes the use of bicycles for transportation.
Amaraweera said that steps will be taken to give an eco-friendly approach to bicycle promotion because cycling has the potential to cut air pollution, eliminate time wastage, and control several non- communicable diseases.
However, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa was critical of the comment made by Minister Amaraweera to promote the use of bicycles among the people.
He said, “When the people have faced severe hardships, the Ministers who use luxury vehicles such as V8 jeeps are requesting the people to use bicycles. The Opposition Leader said first these Government Ministers should set an example and reduce their expenditure without asking the people to use bicycles.”
Social cohesion needed
JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the problems faced by the country could not be solved by a mere change of Government or a change of faces. He said, “To solve this problem the politics of our country needs to be changed. We need to transform our country into a new economy of social cohesion where people’s participation in the country’s production is given pride of place. A fair share of production should also go to the people.”
At a public event in Kegalle on Friday, Dissanayake said to develop the country, the citizens need to feel that the politician is ready for this task.
He said, “For this, the politicians should set aside their privileges and truly commit to develop the country and uplift the living standards of the people. Our party is capable of meeting that challenge.”