Meera Srinivasan in Sri Lanka and Kanishkaa Balachandran in Bengaluru have put together a video report for The Hindu on the plight of the Malayaha Tamils or Hill Country Tamils who work on the tea plantations of Central Sri Lanka.
As the poorest community in Sri Lanka, these workers of Indian origin have had to put up with harsh deprivations during the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that followed.
The People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), a polls monitor, will file two Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions at the Supreme Court (SC) against the relevant authorities for not holding the Provincial Council (PC) elections, and for not declaring the Local Government (LG) election within the required timeframe.
Speaking to The Morning on Tuesday (29), PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi noted that the fundamental rights of the people are being infringed when both the said elections are not held or declared within the required time period.
“When it comes to the LG election, it seems like it will not be declared on time, while the PC elections have not been held for the past three years now. Therefore, we have decided to take legal action within the next two weeks,” he added.
He further noted that even though the United National Front-led “yahapalana” (good governance) Government initially brought about an amendment on the women’s quota for nomination with a two-page document, when the Bill reached the second reading stage, it had increased up to 32 pages, with a completely new electoral system that the Delimitation Commission had to complete, which, however, it did not. Even the relevant Minister at that time did not agree with these delimitation-based amendments.
“The current Government led by President Ranil Wickremesinghe is the third government that came to power after the ‘yahapalana’ Government. So far, all of the politicians have failed to proceed with the PC elections. They had to complete the delimitation and reverse the previous electoral system. That is why we have decided to file a FR petition for the PCs elections as well. There is evidently no preparation and intention to hold elections. Some PCs’ terms expired five years ago, while others expired three years ago. There are no elected representatives; they are operated by the President’s representatives,” he added.
Meanwhile, PAFFREL wrote to the Election Commission (EC) on Monday (28 November) claiming that it is unnecessary to seek the Attorney General’s (AG) opinion with regard to whether the EC can declare the conduct of the LG poll following the enactment of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution which holds that the EC should be reconstituted, but also provides for transitional provisions to be operative in the interim period, and pointed out that EC Chairmen in the past have held elections in such interim and transitional periods. Hettiarachchi queried as to why incumbent EC Chairman Nimal Punchihewa cannot hold elections when former EC Chairmen Dayananda Dissanayake and Mahinda Deshapriya had held major elections in the past during such periods.
Also, the EC stated on Tuesday that while it had received the legal advice sought from the AG’s Department on whether it has the power to declare the LG election following the adoption of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, it is however not in a position to reveal the advice received, noting that a decision will be taken following internal discussions. Speaking to The Morning, Punchihewa emphasised that although the EC had sought advice from the AG’s Department, the advice received cannot be revealed even under the Right to Information Act, while adding that the EC would hold internal discussions to make the relevant decisions.
He also told The Morning earlier that a declaration regarding the date of the LG election will be made by the EC, in early next year (2023). He noted: “Our expectation is to hold the LG election before 20 March 2023.”
The President’s Media Division (PMD) today rejected the media reports claiming the President is planning to establish District Development Committees instead of Provincial Councils.
Recent media reports attributing a quote to the President stating that the Provincial Councils will be replaced with the District Development Committees is incorrect, the PMD said.
Issuing a statement, the PMD said President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s response in Parliament yesterday (29) has been reported by several media in such a way that the meaning is distorted.
During the ongoing Parliamentary budget debate responding to a statement by MP Maithripala Sirisena the President stated that the District Development Committees (DDCs) will be established within the Provincial Councils. The DDCs will provide a platform for coordination between the Government, the Provincial Councils and the Local Governments for all executive decisions. This will ensure the process is not duplicated and will reduce financial wastage.
Apart from that, the President has not made any statement about the dissolution of provincial councils, the PMD stressed.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe speaks about a dialogue to resolve the national question, but at the same time orders the military’s acquisition of lands owned by the Tamils, charges Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) leader Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam.
The president has invited Tamil parties for talks that are expected next month.
MP Ponnambalam questioned if Tamils could expect solutions from a racist, Sinhala-Buddhist supremacist regime.
He also said public life and the economy would continue to slide under the present administration in the absence of rule of law and justice.
A seminar to mark the advent of the Supreme Lanka Council in Nuwara Eliya yesterday (27) came under attack hours before it was due to begin.
In the early hours of the morning, a group had come to the venue and destroyed the display boards for the event.
Organisers lodged a complaint with Hanguranketha police which accuses the SJB organiser for the area Jayalath Dissanayake, who is also the brother of SLPP MP S.B. Dissanayake, of being responsible.
Despite the incident, the SLC held the meeting with its chairman Wimal Weerawansa presiding.
The 10.6 million liters of diesel donation by China will be provided free of charge, said the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka.
Fuel will be given free to 232,749 farmers for harvesting 342,266 hectares paddy fields across Sri Lanka in Maha season 2022/23 (20L/hectare)
In addition, the 3,796 fishing vessels below 40 feet in Sri Lanka (1,000L/vessel) will also be given free diesel courtesy from China.
Sri Lanka opposition leader Sajith Premadasa has vowed to bring millions to the streets in defiance of a controversial statement by President Ranil Wickremesinghe that he would use the military to block another uprising.
Speaking at an event organised by the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) in Negombo on Saturday November 26, Premadasa said the SJB under his leadership would defeat efforts by the Wickremesinghe government to quell protests.
“The president and government groups are saying in parliament that if another people’s struggle comes, they will suppress it using the military. That they will use the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to suppress the struggle. We’re not prepared to be cowards,” said Premadasa.
“We’re told to obtain permission to go on a political march on the road. If this is a challenge, the SJB and the SJB alliance under the leadership of Sajith Premadasa, [are prepared] to come out to the road in the millions. We will defeat these hollow boasts of the government using the power of the people,” he said.
Addressing parliament last week, President Wickremesinghe said the authorities will block any unlawful protests aimed at toppling the government. The state forces and a state of emergency would be used for this purpose, he said. However, peaceful protests may continue as long as permission is obtained from the police, he said.
President Wickremesinghe, who had long maintained the image of a democrat and a statesman, has been under fire both locally and internationally ever since he assumed the presidency for an alleged intolerance of protest.
He has been courting controversy since his ascend to Sri Lanka’s all powerful executive presidency, with activists, civil society groups, human rights defenders and opposition legislators critcising him for what they claim has been a crackdown on peaceful protest – the same series of youth-led peaceful protests that unseated his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa, landing him the highest seat of power in the land.
His recent pronouncements on human rights activists have not helped matters.
Wickremesinghe and his defenders, however, claim that he is still a liberal democrat who respects the right to free speech and peaceful assembly, and that he only wants to stop the more extremist elements that they claim have hijacked the protests with a view to toppling the government through a violent revolt. These groups, government spokesmen and other backers of the president claim, are attempting to destabilise the country at a time when stability is crucial to economic recovery.
Government members and other critics of the SJB, meanwhile, argue that the main opposition party is using the Aragalaya to their own political ends and are criticising Wickremesinghe in bad faith. They claim that Premadasa and his party have forgotten or are pretending to have forgotten how the opposition leader was almost ambushed and attack by more violent elements within the protest movement on May 09.
Critics of the SJB also question the purported popularity of the party and its leadership with the public. Analysts question the party’s capacity to bring millions out on to the streets as claimed by the SJB leadership.
The party, however, is prepared to show its strength at an upcoming election, whichever one comes first.
The president, meanwhile, has said he has no plans to dissolve parliament anytime soon. A parliamentary election, according to him, may have to wait till Sri Lanka’s economy has sufficiently recovered.
The SJB and opposition parties have condemned this announcement as an undemocratic attempt at suppressing the people’s rights.
If Sri Lanka misses the December target, which now appears to be bit of a stretch, the country could still activate the International Monetary Fund (IMF) rescue package to unlock US$ 2.9 billion over a four-year span as very good progress is being made in the debt restructuring front, particularly with the country’s bilateral lenders.
Speaking to media last week, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe shrugged off certain reports which claimed that Sri Lanka could not activate the deal till next March if the December target is missed.
“The December target appears a bit optimistic as of now. But if we miss that, we still have time until January,” he said.
Dr. Weerasinghe said that IMF Board meetings happen at least three days a week with many items in their agenda and thus missing the December target is not a big deal.
In a presentation made to creditors in September, the timelines drawn up by the Sri Lankan authorities showed that they expected to receive IMF Board approval for the staff-level agreement reached in early September by mid-December or early January 2023 after obtaining financing assurances from the bilateral creditors by mid-November.
To expedite the process, the authorities are promoting an adhoc bilateral platform for the Paris Club and non-Paris Club creditors to come together to give their financing assurances to the IMF, having debated among themselves.
The majority of Sri Lanka’s bilateral credit is held by the two non-Paris Club countries China and India.
“We are very confident in the way the discussions are going ahead in getting their assurances. So, the IMF can submit the proposal to the Board sooner,”said Dr. Weerasinghe, expecting the assurances to be forthcoming in the next couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, the financing assurances from private creditors would mean Sri Lanka is making a ‘good faith’ effort to reach a collaborative agreement with them which includes engaging in early dialogue and sharing relevant information on a timely basis.
They have formed two creditor committees – one consisting of 100 members of international investors and another consisting of eight local private banks holding slightly in excess of a billion dollars worth ISBs.
Besides obtaining creditor assurances, Sri Lanka also has to make good on some prior actions such as raising taxes, as part of its revenue-based fiscal consolidation efforts, raise interest rates to contain consumption and investments and end monetary financing, allow greater foreign exchange rate flexibility, strengthen Central Bank independence, and embark on reforming state-owned enterprises.
The World Bank in their latest assessment put out a list of 10 countries with the highest food price inflation. Sri Lanka was ranked at No. 6 with a percentage of 86%, while Zimbabwe was at the top spot with a staggering 321%.
Most notably according to the report Sri Lanka’s food inflation is observed to be worse than that of countries such as Suriname, Rwanda and Iran as well.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe and SLPP national organizer Basil Rajapaksa have had an initial discussion towards forming an alliance to exclusively target the next general and presidential polls, ‘Deshaya’ reports.
The SLPP and the UNP will lead the alliance that will also have senior members of other parties, including the SLFP breakaways and some SJB MPs.
