Category: Breaking News

Rebel Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) lawmaker Patali Champika Ranawaka yesterday (31) denied speculative media reports pertaining to him being the presidential candidate of the ruling Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa alliance.

In a hastily issued statement over the weekend, the leader of the Eksath Janaraja Peramuna (EJP) emphasised that there was absolutely no basis for such claims.The next presidential election is scheduled to be held later this year. The parliamentary election is scheduled to be held thereafter.

Declaring that he wouldn’t close ranks with the Rajapaksas under any circumstances, the former Minister urged the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) to replace party leader Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Ranawaka contested the last parliamentary election in August 2020 on SJB ticket.The SJB secured 54 seats, including seven National List slots.A co-founder of former Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Ranawaka said that Wickremesinghe, who had been picked by the SLPP as the eighth President, in July 2022, brazenly advanced the SLPP’s political agenda, hence there couldn’t be any alliance between his party and the incumbent administration. The MP alleged both Rahapaksas and Wickremesinghe promoted utterly corrupt business interests hell-bent on making money at the expense of the country and the people.

Referring to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ouster in July 2022, following an intense protest campaign (though apparently hatched by outside forces), Ranawaka said that his party had explicit faith in the public power to achieve their political objectives.

Commenting on various political proposals advanced by different parties, MP Ranawaka stressed that daunting challenges faced by the country couldn’t be overcome by pursuing now defunct JRJ, Premadasa strategies or socialist experiments. The parliamentarian who had served the Cabinets of both Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena declared their efforts were meant to harness public opinion against the current corrupt set up and help facilitate a new social order.

A dissident SLPP MP told The Island that a section of the ruling party seemed uncertain about Wickremesinghe’s candidature at the presidential poll though the likes of Minister Kanchana Wijesekera publicly declared the party’s support for the incumbent President. Power and Energy Minister Wijesekera is on record as having said that the majority of the SLPP parliamentary group backed Wickremesinghe for a second term.

In July 2022 the SLPP, at a vote in Parliament, picked Wickremesinghe to complete the remainder of the five-year term won by Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the 2019 Nov presidential election.

The dissident SLPP lawmaker pointed out that a group, led by Gampaha District MP Nimal Lanza, that had been at loggerheads with the top leadership over criticism of the President’s policies, also backed Wickremesinghe’s candidature, regardless of SLPP National List MP Dammika Perera being promoted as their candidate.

MP Ranawaka said that both the Rajapaksas and Wickremesinghe had been rejected by the people and they couldn’t regain public confidence under any circumstances. MP Ranawaka was among those who voted against the Budget 2024 at the Third Reading of the Appropriation Bill on Dec 13. It was passed with a majority of 41 votes, with 122 for and 81 against. Jaffna District MP C.V. Wigneswaran was absent at the time of the voting.

MP Ranawaka said that his party was in touch with members of the SLPP, the UNP as well as the SJB. However, the EJP wouldn’t seek a consensus with the Rajapaksas and Wickremesinghe but would continue to work with other parliamentarians, he said.

The former Minister also dealt with the continuing controversy over the procurement of fake immunoglobulin. Declaring that the corrupt deal on the purchase of immunoglobulin had been first disclosed by Chairman of the EJP, Medical Specialist Ajith Amarasinghe, MP Ranawaka urged President Wickremesinghe to allow the law to take its course. According to MP Ranawaka, Dr. Amarasinghe had revealed the controversy pertaining to blood samples.

MP Ranawaka said that former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and the others involved in the immunoglobulin scam shouldn’t be allowed to side-step the issue and escape justice.

Three victims of the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks have filed a Fundamental Rights petition before the Supreme Court seeking an order restraining Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon from accepting any further appointments as Acting Inspector General of Police.

The petitioners A.M.A. Nishantha, P.M.R. Fernando and J.A.D.F. Priyantha, victims of the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks in 2019 filed this petition naming the Attorney General, members of the Constitutional Council and Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon as respondents.

The petitioners stated that the Commission of Inquiry appointed by former President Maithripala Sirisena, to inquire into the Easter Sunday bombings of 2019 had made several findings of serious negligence and or lapses on the part of numerous public officials, and officials serving in the Sri Lanka Police including Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon and had recommended taking disciplinary action against them.

The petitioners further said by letter dated June 26, 2023, Colombo Archbishop Malcom Cardinal Ranjith wrote to the Speaker expressing concerns relating to Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena and Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon and explaining the reasons on why the said individuals were not qualified to be appointed as IGP.

The petitioners further seek an order restraining the Constitutional Council from granting approval to the President, in terms of Article 41C of the Constitution, with regard to the appointment of Deshabandu Tennakoon as the Inspector General of Police.

This petition has been filed through Attorney-at-Law Thushari Jayawardena.

Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa seems to believe that if the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP ) is not rebuilt as a strong political party in his time, other Rajapaksas may not be able to do so in the future.

Although the Rajapaksas of Ruhunu had been involved in politics and held various positions since the early part of the last century, it was only after Mahinda became the Executive President in the early part of this century that they grew into a powerful family wielding immense influence in politics. Mahinda is the political face of the Rajapaksa family.

The Rajapaksas, who stepped down from power after last year’s ‘Aragalaya’ uprising, within a few months started talking about coming back to power in the near future. They went along with President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s decision to indefinitely postpone the local government elections. But they were not hesitant about claiming that their party would win any future election. It can be seen that in recent times such talk has increased.

Mahinda is well aware that the landmark November 14 Supreme Court judgement holding the three Rajapaksa brothers directly responsible for last year’s economic crisis has grave implications for his family’s political prospects. But he said that he did not accept the ruling and that all economic decisions taken during his regime were with the approval of Parliament.

Two weeks later, on November 28, he released a report with numerous statistics, saying that the economy had seen healthy growth during his tenure from 2005 to 2014 and that the actions of the ‘ Yahapalanya ‘ government that came to into office was the main reason for present economic crisis.

Through the statement, Mahinda appealed to the people of the country to never again take a decision like the one taken in the 2015 elections. His message to the people was “bring SLPP back to office.”

Neither the leaders nor the ministers of the ‘ Yahapalanaya ‘ government issued a strong reply denying Mahinda’s allegations.

Exactly one month after the Supreme Court’s ruling, on December 15, the second national convention of the SLPP was held at the Sugatadasa Indoor Stadium, Colombo. Mahinda was re-elected leader of the party.

The post of national organizer, earlier held by former finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, was left vacant. This could not be without a good political reason. Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was conspicuous by his absence at the convention. Only Mahinda and Basil addressed the gathering. SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam was only allowed to deliver the welcome address.

” The SLPP is prepared to come back to power. The party will start a new journey according to the needs of the country. We invite people of all communities to join us in creating a new nation. With all our strength we will win any election. Many political parties are waiting for our invitation to join our journey,” Mahinda thundered.

“We will create a new political culture eschewing falsehood. We will strive until our efforts and work are written in history. We are ready to start our journey from where we failed to take Sri Lanka to the front of the world as a proud country,” Mahinda said.

He once again claimed credit for the war victory saying that during the three decades of war, no other leader had the courage to confront LTTE leader Prabhakaran head-on.

The Rajapaksas will definitely need Prabhakaran to regain influence among the Sinhalese people. Not only that, communal politics will once again play a key role in their quest for recovery.

A strange feature is observable in the current approach of the Rajapaksas. Having used their party’s parliamentary majority to install Wickremesinghe as President last year, they are now keen on distancing themselves from his administration.

Although President Wickremesinghe is the leader of the United National Party, all but one or two ministers in his government are members of the SLPP. Many of them were ministers in the government of two Rajapaksa brothers.

Bills and resolutions brought by the Wickramasinghe government are passed in the House with the support of the members of the SLPP. The two budgets presented by Wickramasinghe, in his capacity as Finance Minister could not have been passed without the support of SLPP. Not only that, the Rajapaksas do not fail to say from time to time that the President is working efficiently in rescuing the country from crisis and has restored law and order.

Everyone knows that Basil Rajapaksa has often urged President Wickremesinghe to give ministerial posts to the district leaders of the SLPP but to no avail.

Mahinda, who issued a statement on the government’s tax policies, said that the current government is not run by the SLPP. He tries to justify his support to the Wickramasinghe administration by saying that though the SLPP is part of the government, the head of the government is the leader of another party that follows a different policy. It is the duty of SLPP to ensure that a stable government is in office until the next national elections.

Also, Mahinda has expressed an opinion against tax hikes as people are worried about the impending rise in the cost of living.

Mahinda made such statements after his MPs had raised their hands in support of bills to increase taxes like the Value Added Tax (VAT) which was raised from 15 percent to 18 percent.

While Mahinda supported the VAT bill, his eldest son, Namal Rajapaksa, who is said to be his political heir, did not. Namal was not present in the House during the vote on the bill. He said he could not support the tax bill which would bring untold hardship to the people.

What can be said about this other than that it is an insult to the intelligence of the people? Namal did not have the courage to be in the House vote against it.

Tax policy will become a key political issue in the new year, with Mahinda saying it will be a major focus of their campaign in the national elections.

Mahinda’s two statements issued in November and December and his comments to the media from time to time make it clear that he expects the people of the country to believe that the origin of the economic crisis facing the country today lies in the policies and actions of the ‘Yahapalanaya’ government and that the Rajapaksas are not responsible despite what the Supreme Court said in its judgment.

Even last week, Mahinda said that the SLPP would regain power in the next election. He seems to believe that by repeating this he can influence the masses.

Clearly, the Rajapaksas have not learned lessons from the way they were humbled and driven out of office within years of the grand image they had built about themselves. They dream of coming back to power without really understanding what people really think about them. However, the general estimate is that the SLPP will not suffer the same fate as the United National Party in the last parliamentary elections.

Be that as it may, it is unlikely that a Rajapaksa will contest the next Presidential election. They know that a defeat in that election will be detrimental to rebuilding the party. The Rajapaksa’s strategy in the next elections will be to ensure a government that does not hold it accountable for past mistakes.

Even if the Rajapaksas try to present some people to the country like Dhammika Perera as potential presidential candidates of their party, they have no ‘safer choice’ than Wickremesinghe.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka released its Financial Stability Review (FSR) for 2023, painting a picture of a resilient financial sector navigating a challenging economic landscape.

The report, covering data up to September 2023, highlights the sector’s resilience in navigating the aftermath of the economic crisis while acknowledging lingering vulnerabilities and ongoing policy efforts.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka acknowledged the significant headwinds faced by the financial sector this year due to the economic crisis.

Despite these challenges, the Central Bank highlighted the positive outcomes of implemented measures, including interest rate stabilization.

This policy approach appears to be encouraging a gradual return of credit growth within the banking system, offering a glimmer of hope for revitalization.

The Central Bank further expressed optimism for the near future, projecting inflation to stabilize around 5% in the coming months.

Additionally, successful completion of the ongoing foreign debt restructuring process is expected to serve as a significant catalyst for further solidifying the financial sector’s stability.

However, the path towards sustained recovery remains intricately linked to unwavering commitment to policy reforms outlined in the agreement with the International Monetary Fund’s extended credit facility.

The Central Bank acknowledged the challenging nature of adhering to this narrow path, but firmly emphasized the potential for irreversible consequences, impacting both the financial system and the broader economy, should any deviations occur.

The Catholic Church claimed that it is in doubt as to whether President Ranil Wickremesinghe is allowing Public Security Minister Tiran Alles to continue making baseless accusations against Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and the Catholic Church with the aim of undermining their (the Church’s) programme to demand justice for the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019.

In the recent past, Alles was seen criticising Cardinal Ranjith and the Catholic Church based on two key matters – the Church’s allegation that the Government had not properly investigated the said terror attacks and the Church’s opposition when the Government was earmarking Senior Deputy Inspectors General of Police (SDIGs) Nilantha Jayawardena and Deshabandu Tennakoon for the post of Inspector General of Police (IGP).

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka National Director of Communications Rev. Fr. Jude Chrishantha Fernando said that they had reasonable grounds to accuse the Government of not investigating the Easter Sunday terror attacks properly.

“The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) that investigated the terror attacks has made a set of recommendations including action against several individuals, but the Government has not implemented any of those recommendations. There are several aspects that the Police and other related agencies have not looked into. If the situation is as such, how can we say that we are satisfied with the investigations?”

In response to Alles’ criticism of the Church over their opposition to appointing Jayawardena and Tennakoon as the IGP, Rev. Fernando said that they had objected to the duo over nothing but their failure to prevent the terror attacks in 2019.

“If you look at the list of police officers who are to be appointed as the IGP, there is not a single Catholic officer. We have never asked the Government to appoint a Catholic as the IGP. What we always say is that the CoI report clearly mentions that Jayawardena and Tennakoon have neglected their responsibilities. It states that the terror attacks could have been prevented if they worked properly. That is the reason for our opposition to their appointment as the IGP.”

Commenting on a recent statement made by Alles that there are religious leaders who even maintain links with organised criminal gangs, and in turn, make remarks critical of the police crackdown on suspected criminals, Rev. Fernando said that the Church had been launching various programmes to help eliminate drugs and criminal activities in the country.

“We even organised two peaceful protest marches before the terror attacks in 2019 in order to urge the Government to eliminate drugs and criminal activities. In addition, the Archbishop has appointed a Catholic priest to look into drug addicts, and to help them. The Church is also maintaining two rehabilitation centres in Colombo for drug addicts. While doing all these things, why should we have links with criminals?”

Noting that Alles has made critical remarks against Cardinal Ranjith and the Church on several occasions in the past few months, Rev. Fernando said that President Wickremesinghe is doing nothing to stop the former from doing so.

“Wickremesinghe does nothing and allows Alles to make critical remarks against the Cardinal and the Church. We have a doubt that what Alles is doing is fulfilling a contract given by the President with the aim of disrupting our struggle to seek justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks.”

The Catholic Church and Cardinal Ranjith have been subjected to various criticisms by pro-Government parties including Parliamentarians and Ministers as a result of their (the Church’s) programme to seek justice for the victims of the terror attacks. The Church has been emphasising that the relevant investigations have not been conducted properly, while the Government, particularly Alles, has been asserting that almost 90% of the related investigations have been concluded. In addition, critical remarks have also been exchanged by the Church and Alles over Tennakoon’s appointment as the Acting IGP.