Author: TELO Admin

While Sri Lanka’s economy is getting from bad to worse with the US dollar crisis and import restrictions tightening up severely, the country is yet to witness days that are unimaginable. It’s not a good time for Sri Lanka, several activities that kept the economy going have collapsed. Permanent, sustainable long term plans need to be implemented immediately, says Dr. P. B. Jayasundera, Secretary to the President.

Delivering a very ‘worrying’ speech at the ‘Top German Brands in Sri Lanka’ event held at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo on Monday Dr. Jayasundera made these remarks.

He said, “It’s not a good time for Sri Lanka. I have been a long standing Secretary to the President and this is the worst time of my life. 2020 saw a negative economic growth, not just a negative growth but several activities that kept the economy running have collapsed.”

“The trade balance was better earlier. The country was importing twice as much as it was exporting before the restrictions were placed. World shipping and commodity prices have gone up now. The trade deficit was US$10 billion a month, when tourism and foreign remittances were coming in. The country is trapped with a debt of $4 billion as of today,” he added.

He also mentioned that Sri Lanka didn’t have difficulties honouring its obligations in the past.

“Trade restrictions came in 2020 and it’s not comfortable for many of us. International brands from countries such as Germany bring value to our construction, agriculture, energy, apparel, tire, automobile, jewellery and so on,” he noted.

German Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Holger Seubert in his remarks at the event stated that diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Germany began in 1953, 68 years ago. “The German Government has decided on an Indo-pacific strategy in the region. Future of international relations will be shaped in Sri Lanka while Sri Lanka exports three times more than imports to Germany. Trade is a concern for the German government and a stable and reliable framework is what German businessmen look for.”

Sri Lanka is reporting a wheat flour shortage from multiple areas. Traders, bakery owners, and the people are complaining of a shortage of wheat flour at present.

Traders in Pettah say wheat flour prices were increased by 17 rupees a kilo as the supply has dropped.

Owners of eateries and bakeries say they are facing difficulties in buying wheat flour to prepare food.

“We have been trying to contact the distributors. But we haven’t received a response,” said one bakery owner.

However, Sri Lanka’s Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena said the shortage experienced is merely due to the pandemic affecting most country, and as a result the prices increase.

“The cost of cement has increased. So has the price of iron. If production reduces there will be a shortage of goods. The cost of goods increase because of the shortage,” he explained.

The main opposition SJB warned the government to get ready to face more charges at the next UNHRC sessions in Geneva of not doing justice to the Easter Sunday victims.

Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella, speaking during the committee stage of the budget, said on Thursday that the government has to face eight major human rights allegations against it in Geneva. The newest of these would be the allegation of not doing justice to the Easter Sunday victims.

Kiriella said Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and the Catholic Church have already declared their willingness to go before the UNHRC over the government’s deliberate delay in taking actions against those who have been identified as responsible for security failures in the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on the Easter Sunday carnage.

“This charge too would be added to the list of charges against this country,” Kiriella said.

Other charges the government would face include militarizing civil administration, erosion of judicial independence, dismantling the independent commissions, political pressure to prevent dispensing of criminal justice, interfering with freedom of religious practice, intimidation on civil society activists and curtailing media freedom.

“These are the main charges against the country at the UNHRC. It is clear that the government has chosen to delay delivering justice to the Easter Sunday victims and it is also certain that this charge too would be made against us at the next UNHRC sessions,” Kiriella said.

He said that the government should name former SIS head Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena as an accused of the case on the Easter Sunday terror attacks. SDIG Jayawardena, who had allegedly failed to prevent the terror attacks and is now a state witness in the case, should be indicted as an accused and prosecuted.

“The court has the power to name him an accused. Actually, he should be the main suspect. He received the information about the impending terror attacks more than ten days in advance. He has said he did not pass that information to the President, who was the Defence Minister.

“Suppose we accept his version, then he has committed an offence under provisions of the Penal Code. But today he has been set free. When Nilantha Jayawardena was asked to surrender his phone to the investigators he deleted all information that had been stored in it.

“Such deletion shows that there was something to be hidden. It amounts to suppression of evidence. That offence would have alone been sufficient to name him a suspect,” Kiriella said.

Political tensions between the ruling party Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and coalition partner Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) have escalated and the SLFP is already preparing to contest the forthcoming provincial council elections separately, Lankadeepa reported according to political sources.

It is reported that the SLFP has already commenced interviews to fill the vacancies for Electoral Organizers and District Organizers and interviews have been held at the party headquarters throughout the last week.

In the past, many in the party have accused the government of ignoring their party and due to this, Cabinet Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, a senior Vice President of the party, has recently informed the Local Government members of the party to take a decision of their choice in the budget voting of the local government bodies.

Meanwhile, SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara said in parliament last week that some government ministers and MPs were carrying out mudslinging attacks targeting party chairman former President Maithripala Sirisena.

Political analysts point out that the recent clash in Parliament between former President Maithripala Sirisena and Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, a strongman of the SLPP, was the culmination of a political rift between the two parties.