Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam says he strongly opposed an attempt in Parliament to include Provincial Council elections under a new parliamentary select committee tasked with reviewing election laws.

In a statement, the MP said a parliamentary select committee on Provincial Councils already exists and has been given a three-month timeframe to submit its report. Creating another committee to examine the same issue would lead to legal confusion and potentially delay the long-overdue Provincial Council elections, he said.

Rasamanickam warned that if two separate committees were to submit reports on the same electoral system, Parliament could face uncertainty over which set of recommendations to adopt.

He also raised concerns that establishing a new committee with a one-year timeframe could be used as a pretext to further postpone Provincial Council elections.

“For that reason, I firmly objected to allowing such a move,” he said.

Following what he described as intense debate between government and opposition members, Rasamanickam said he made it clear that agreement could only be reached if references to Provincial Councils were removed from the proposal.

He said the proposal ultimately moved forward only after the Provincial Council component was taken out, limiting the scope of the new committee to other electoral systems.

The MP further expressed surprise at what he described as the government’s willingness to accommodate an opposition request for a select committee, despite what he said were clear risks of further delays.

Provincial Council elections in Sri Lanka have been postponed since 2018, with repeated calls from political parties and civil society groups to conduct the polls without further delay.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has met US President Donald Trump’s Special Representative for South and Central Asia and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor in Delhi this morning (18).

President Dissanayake is in New Delhi to attend the ‘AI Impact Summit 2026’, at the special invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During the meeting, two factions discussed ways to expand U.S.-Sri Lanka economic cooperation, deepening commercial ties, and working together to advance stability across the region.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who departed Sri Lanka to attend the AI Impact Summit 2026 landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, last afternoon (17).

President Dissanayake was warmly received at the airport by Minister of State Shri Raj Bhushan Choudhary and other officials, the President’s Media Division said.

Senior Adviser to the President on the Digital Economy Hans Wijayasuriya and Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy Waruna Sri Dhanapala are accompanying the President to the summit.

The AI Impact Summit 2026, to be held in New Delhi, focuses on the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence for the benefit of humanity. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is scheduled to address the summit on February 19, the PMD stated.

The five-day AI Impact Summit 2026 is expected to bring together Heads of State from 20 countries and representatives from more than 45 nations.

The summit will also feature extensive discussions on the future trajectory of artificial intelligence technologies and their potential application in addressing global challenges.

During the visit to India, the President is also expected to hold bilateral discussions with several world leaders.

UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy met Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Tuesday.

“Grateful for UK support on debt restructuring, zero-tariff textile access and continued partnership in tourism, investment and reconciliation,” Dissanayake said on X.

His visit “reinforces global confidence in Sri Lanka’s recovery after the economic crisis and Cyclone Ditwah”, according to Dissanayake’s social media.

The European Union (EU) has stressed Sri Lanka for delivery on the commitments including implementing the 27 core conventions under the current Generalized scheme of tariff preferences Plus (GSP+) trade concession, a joint statement by the island nation’s Foreign Ministry and European Union said.

For Sri Lanka’s export-driven economy, the GSP+ have always carried the weight of both a lifeline and a leash.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs this week confirmed Sri Lanka’s intention to reapply for the scheme, the announcement was haunted by the echoes of 2010, the year the EU famously pulled the plug on the concession due to significant human rights abuses following the end of the civil war.

The loss of GSP+ in 2010 sent shockwaves through the apparel sector, leading to factory closures and thousands of job losses.

“Sri Lanka appreciated the GSP special incentive arrangement’s (GSP+) contribution to sustainable development in the country and expressed its intention to reapply for the scheme after the current cycle ends,” the joint statement said.

“The EU stressed the importance of the time-bound delivery on the commitments under the current GSP+, including in particular the work on the anti-terror legislation, bringing it in line with the international conventions.”

“In this regard the EU encouraged engagement with the UN competent bodies on counter terrorism. Sri Lanka reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the 27 core conventions under the current GSP+ scheme. The EU encouraged regular updates on progress.”

EU’s withdrawal of the GSP+ was a harsh lesson in the reality that duty-free access to the world’s largest trading bloc is not a gift, but a conditional contract.

While the country regained the status in 2017, the latest meeting in Colombo served as a stern reminder that the EU’s memory is long and its conditions are non-negotiable.

The EU has been specifically eyeing the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and the amendment of the Online Safety Act, insisting they be brought “in line with international conventions.”

For the current administration led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the pressure is twofold.

Locally, the government must navigate the sensitive waters of national security legislation and globally, it must prove it has moved beyond the “rights abuses” era that led to the 2010 withdrawal.

As the EU encourages regular updates on progress, the path to the next cycle of trade benefits is paved with tangible human rights reforms, leaving no room for the legislative foot-dragging of the past, analysts say.

Source:ECONOMYNEXT