Author: Branita

Farmers have expressed concern that Sinhala families from other districts are re-occupying and cultivating the Mayiladuthurai and Madhavanai grazing areas in the Batticaloa district.

Sumanthiran, President’s Counsel and Member of Parliament on behalf of the Batticaloa District Parliamentarians, had filed a case in the Colombo Supreme Court last year alleging that Sinhala people from other areas had encroached on and cultivated hundreds of acres of land in the Madhavanai grazing area in Mayiladuthurai.

In this case, the cultivators in the area had agreed to leave. The farmers say that the area has been accepted as a grazing area by the lawyers appearing on behalf of the Sinhalese people (occupiers) in the court and the land is being reclaimed and cultivated again.

The farmers state that despite government support being brought to the attention of parliamentarians, no action has been taken so far.

Kumar Sangakkara, a sportsperson both our countries greatly admire, spoke passionately about ‘different ethnicities and religions who celebrate their diversity by uniting for a common cause’. Naturally, he was talking about cricket, but I like it as a metaphor for the ties between your country and mine. We hold in our hands the enormous potential to unite – in all our diversity – to create a more secure and prosperous future.

As the UK’s Minister of State for South and Central Asia, United Nations and the Commonwealth I’m visiting Sri Lanka this week to discuss our shared interests and to explore future opportunities. I look forward to meeting people from all communities in Colombo, Jaffna and Trincomalee.

The UK has a renewed focus on the importance of the Indo Pacific region to global trade and investment, and our mutual security. The UK is building a network of economic partnerships and will look to work with Sri Lanka on these issues. I am also keen to support those in Sri Lanka striving for good governance and for strengthening human rights for all citizens.

The UK and Sri Lanka, with our wide range of shared interests, are long-standing partners in the Commonwealth, and share many international concerns. One of these is climate change. In November 2021, the UK hosted the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, COP26, bringing together delegates, along with youth and indigenous leaders, civil society groups and business, across the world. This was a huge moment for the world to take stock of climate commitments and ensure that we deliver the collective action to maintain the target of limiting temperature rises to 1.5°C and finalise the outstanding elements of the Paris Agreement, as set out in the new ‘Glasgow Climate Pact’.

Following COP26, the UK will continue working closely with Sri Lanka to help realise its transition to a greener and sustainable economy. This means working together to deliver the action needed to support Sri Lanka’s recent climate, COP26 and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitments. We will support Sri Lanka’s climate adaption and decarbonisation efforts through initiatives like the UK’s ‘Climate Action for Resilience Asia Programme’ and the UN’s ‘No New Coal Compact’ and facilitate green finance and investment opportunities. We will continue to offer support through the Blue Planet Fund and Commonwealth Litter Programme to reduce marine litter, increase and strengthen marine protected areas, and develop seafood and aquaculture industry sustainably. We will also continue to work with Sri Lanka to support their pioneering work on mangrove restoration and nitrogen management to boost environmental protection.

The recovery from Covid has presented many economic challenges. The UK, a long-term partner with Sri Lanka, is keen to support Sri Lanka in its goals to develop new infrastructure, develop the financial services sector and expand trade and investment links, through our honest, reliable, and transparent approach to providing infrastructure finance and support for the green transition. This includes Sri Lankan Government priority projects with significant social benefits, including the transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy generation. With the right market conditions and open supply chains, there will be potential for financing from the City of London and UK Export Finance.

Dealing with issues of the past is essential to lasting peace, and building an inclusive future. The Geneva process provides an essential framework for all those supporting Sri Lanka’s progress on peace, accountability, reconciliation, and social cohesion following the civil war. The UK supports the promotion of human rights in Sri Lanka, for all groups of people. As Desmond Tutu, the inspiring human rights activist once said: “True peace must be anchored in justice and an unwavering commitment to universal rights for all humans, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin or any other identify attribute.”

We strive to combine our words and deeds on the international stage, with practical support for reconciliation and peace building on the ground. One example of this is our support to Sri Lanka becoming mine risk free by 2025, and helping those displaced to resettle and build resilient livelihoods. We have seen encouraging results: the clearance of more than 1.7 million square metres of mine-contaminated land – benefitting more than 120,000 Sri Lankan citizens and, we hope, saved lives.

Like Kumar Sangakkara’s diverse vision for the Lions team, the UK also seeks to play a positive role supporting freedom of religion or belief and the strengthening the rights and opportunities for women and girls. We have supported partners in the country to tackle violence and online abuse, especially where the risks are heightened due to COVID-19 lockdowns. We also support civil society to tackle hate speech and extremism, promoting dialogue and understanding across faiths and strengthening the monitoring and reporting of crime. I look forward to meeting those seeking to make progress on these important issues to share ideas and learn from each other experiences.

As a born and bred Brit, muslim by faith and proud of his Asian heritage, I am acutely conscious of the depth and breadth of historical and cultural ties between our two countries, and the rich network of friends and families. I have often heard of people fondly referring to the British Council and their valuable links in arts, culture, education and the English language, teaching programmes, and improving access to knowledge through its libraries in Colombo, Kandy, and Jaffna. The British Council can also help Sri Lankan students access a UK education through courses hosted in both the UK and Sri Lanka.

I am so proud that the UK has and will continue to offer a world-class education. Four of the world’s top universities are in the UK: Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, and UCL. The British Council can help Sri Lankan students to access a UK education through courses hosted both in the UK and Sri Lanka, with more flexibility than ever before with our learning from the pandemic.

I encourage the best students from across Sri Lanka to apply for our prestigious Chevening Scholarship to study for a Masters qualification in the UK. Details can be found on their website @Chevening.org. The Chevening Alumni network is a group of formidable talent, with business, academic and world leaders in its number.

Of course, the sporting ties between the UK and Sri Lanka are our shared passion. I followed the England and Sri Lanka cricket match in Galle closely last year, and the Queen’s Baton toured Sri Lanka just two week ago. I’m really excited that Birmingham will host the Commonwealth Games later this year, a city that is home to over 190 nationalities speaking more than 200 languages, making the West Midlands one of the most diverse regions in the UK. So we expect Birmingham 2022 to be a ‘home Games’ for every nation competing, including Sri Lanka! This sporting occasion epitomises the resilience and spirit of our two nations as we explore new ways of delivering on our mutual prosperity, security, and shared values as Commonwealth members.

It is my firm belief that if we celebrate our diversity by uniting for these common causes, we can make sure that every one of us has a chance to play their part. I look forward to my visit to Sri Lanka and in celebrating the ties between our two countries, bound together by our people to people links.

The United Nations (UN) expects Sri Lanka to face numerous challenges this year, mainly as a result of the coronavirus.

According to a UN report, Sri Lanka’s major challenges are food shortages, dwindling foreign reserves and sovereign debt risks.

The 2022 World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report, produced by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), cites a cocktail of problems that are slowing down the economy globally, namely new waves of COVID-19 infections, persistent labour market and lingering supply-chain challenges, and rising inflationary pressures.

On Sri Lanka, the report says GDP growth is projected at 2.6 per cent in 2022. Its major challenges include food shortages, dwindling foreign reserves and sovereign debt risks.

“The Central Banks of Pakistan and Sri Lanka increased interest rates in the second half of 2021 amid rising inflation and widening current account deficits. Central banks need to assess the magnitude and timing of policy changes to support an inclusive recovery and maintain financial and price stability,” the report said.

The report said that South Asia faces major downside risks that can strengthen headwinds in achieving the 2030 Agenda.

Relatively slow vaccination progress leaves the region vulnerable to new variants and recurrent outbreaks. Financial constraints and an inadequate global vaccine supply continue to drag down full recovery in some countries.

As of early December 2021, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan had less than 26 per cent of their populations fully vaccinated. By contrast, the fully vaccinated population is above 64 per cent in Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka. In India, a deadly wave of infection with the Delta variant stole 240,000 lives between April and June and disrupted economic recovery. The report said that similar episodes could take place in the near term.

The Head of Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo claimed that certain political leaders, who were well aware of the 2019 Terror Attacks, used it for their political advantage.

He reiterated that the 2019 April 21st Attacks or the Easter Attacks was a conspiracy.

“The 2019 April Attacks may be over. But, today we can see that those in powerful places are attempting to put the entire blame on Muslim Extremists and cover up the truth. However, the truth is now coming out,” he told a gathering while marking 1000 days since the heinous attacks took place.

He said many tried to cover up the truth and they failed to do so.

“God Almighty has started to expose those who are responsible for this. The Parliamentary Select Committee in its findings said that Intelligence that only a few people were privy to, was not shared with relevant parties. The Parliamentary Select Committee on State Intelligence has highlighted serious concerns over this,” he said.

“The Parliamentary Select Committee has also called for further investigations to determine if action was NOT taken on the intel received that claimed that persons with vested interests were attempting to incite fear, uncertainty, and turmoil in the country targeting the elections that were to be held later that year (2019),” he further quoted a report in his address.

His Eminence said it is now even more clear that persons with vested interests had ulterior objectives that they concealed the fact they were aware of the intel and did nothing to save the lives, and also prevented those from taking action to prevent the attacks well.

“Such events will lead to a call for a change in government to control acts of terror by inciting fear among the people. This report suggests that the attacks were used to win votes at the election,” he further added.

Former Minister D.E.W. Gunasekera says that the cash-strapped government lacked the wherewithal to implement the much publicized Rs 229 bn relief package.

Therefore, the one-time General Secretary of the Communist Party said the government had no option but to print more money at the expense of financial stability at a time the country was under tremendous pressure. The former minister quit the top party post in August 2020.

CP organ ‘Aththa,’ in its January 09, 2022 edition quoted the former lawmaker as having alleged that the Rs 229 bn relief package meant for the public sector, pensioners and Samurdhi recipients was nothing but a political strategy to revive the waning popularity of the government.

Declaring that he had no issue with the government providing relief to the public sector et al, the ex-MP warned that such measures wouldn’t help resolve the growing crisis. The outspoken former minister said that the controversial relief package should be examined against the backdrop of the failure on the part of the government to allocate the required funds through the 2022 budget.

Mr. Gunasekera last served as a National List MP from 2010 to 2015.

Reiterating that such a move had been necessitated by political compulsions, the veteran Communist warned of the grave risk of rising inflation. The CP member questioned the absence of a mechanism to assist those in the private sector, small and medium scale industries as well as the unregulated economy. The much weakened national economy couldn’t be revived unless the government paid attention to the neglected sectors.

The veteran politician explained how the global Covid-19 epidemic devastated the unregulated economy world over. However, the government hasn’t taken into consideration the fuller picture. Instead the government sought to use the financial package to counter dissenting views within the government.

The ex-Minister said that even if printing money caused inflation, the government could have achieved positive results if the total amount was used to increase domestic production. Had that happened, the government could have accomplished both political and economic objectives.

The former MP said that incumbent Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa hadn’t still understood the developing economic crisis.

Mr. Gunasekera told The Island that the private sector, including the plantation companies had quite clearly turned down the government request to match the special Rs. 5,000 monthly grant to employees. The government seemed not to have examined the situation at all, the former MP said, asserting that the current crisis could be the worst ever in post-independence Sri Lanka.

Continuing political instability in the wake of serious differences among coalition members with three ministers challenging a cabinet decision in the Supreme Court has jeopardized recovery attempts, Mr. Gunasekera said.

The one-time Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) emphasized the pivotal importance of some real effort to reach consensus on the country’s response to the emerging threat. “We are almost overwhelmed. Unless tangible measures are taken there can be a catastrophe. Losses are likely to be immeasurable and irrevocable.”