Category: Featured Headlines

Deputy National Organizer of SJB MP S.M. Marikkar said that UNP and SJB will contest the Provincial Council elections together.

He said that An alternative political force within the right-wing camp is essential, and such a force is now emerging. He said the United National Party and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya will inevitably unite, stressing that there is no debate on the matter.He noted that unity alone does not guarantee electoral victory, but is a necessary step to meet the aspirations of a globally connected younger generation. He explained that this alternative will be led by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya under the leadership of Sajith Premadasa, while making use of the experience, guidance, and political knowledge of Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) has asked its MP Sivagnanam Shritharan to step down from the Constitutional Council following controversy over his support for the appointment of an army officer as Auditor General, party General Secretary M. A. Sumanthiran said.

Sumanthiran said the decision was taken by the ITAK politburo, citing concerns over Shritharan’s stance on what the party views as the militarisation of independent state institutions.

The development follows criticism from former Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Commissioner Ambika Satkunanathan, who questioned Shritharan’s vote in favour of appointing an Army officer as Auditor General.

In a post on X, Satkunanathan said Shritharan, an ITAK representative on the Constitutional Council, had voted to approve the appointment of O. R. Rajasinghe, an officer attached to the Sri Lanka Army’s Audit Division.

“If this is true, MP Shritharan must explain to the Tamil people the reason for his vote,” she said, adding that supporting a serving military officer contradicted his public opposition to militarisation and its impact on the rights of Tamils.

She warned that appointing a Military officer would undermine the independence of the office of the Auditor General, weaken good governance and entrench militarisation.

Satkunanathan also noted that previous auditors general had identified financial waste, mismanagement and possible corruption within the Army.

Her comments came after it was reported that the Constitutional Council had rejected Rajasinghe’s nomination to take over as Auditor General.

The rejection marked the fourth time in eight months that nominees submitted by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for the Auditor General position, either in a permanent or acting capacity, have been turned down by the Council.

Party sources said the decision to ask Shritharan to step down was not based on a single vote. According to the sources, Shritharan has supported government-backed positions at the Constitutional Council on eight occasions since becoming a member.

Of these, three votes involved the appointment of military personnel to civilian or independent institutions, including the Office for Reparations, the Police Commission and the proposed appointment of an army officer as Auditor General.

Turmoil in Iran has caused a stir among Sri Lankan tea exporters but shipments continue under the tea-for-oil barter deal between the two countries. Iran is one of the biggest buyers of Ceylon Tea.

The Iranian Rial that fell sharply against the US dollar has reportedly sparked protests initially among traders there that later spread to other parts of the country and a shutdown of public institutions. At least five deaths have been reported by Friday.

The devaluation of the Iranian currency has caused a worry among tea exporters but shipments are going to Iran, Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) Chairman Raj Obeysekera told the Sunday Times Business.

Precautions are being taken but allocations for tea exports have come from Iran and shipments are continuing, he said.

Exporters are worried that there will be defaults which is quite natural, Mr. Obeysekera said adding that however, some major exporters have said they are not worried. In addition, authorities are in contact with the Iranian Ambassador in Sri Lanka on the current developments.

However, tea exporters have been very cautious as there has been a delay by Iran in sending the required documentation to Sri Lankan authorities to make the necessary payments to the exporters.

As a result tea exporters have been holding back orders and are right now not keen on accepting any new orders, former Tea Exporters Association Chairman Jayantha Karunaratne said.

He noted that this development has arisen since the last six months and exporters are uncertain of their payments.

Tea exporters have been in discussion with the Plantation Minister Samantha Vidyaratna constantly, he said.

Exporters believe if the situation persists it could result in a fall in prices that could impact on producers and Sri Lanka, currently facing its own rupee depreciation which is not helping exporters.

Sri Lanka has engaged with Iran on a tea for oil barter agreement that will help clear the country’s oil debt of US$251 million. Commencing in August 2023 Sri Lanka shipped US$5 million worth of tea each month to Iran and this amount increased to US$10 million worth of tea by February. Payments are made to the exporters by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) through the Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB).

Sri Lanka continues to buy Iranian oil through a third party via Dubai and Singapore.

Sri Lanka will begin investigations into complaints of enforced disappearances early this year, Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said.

Speaking at a New Year ceremony at the Justice Ministry on Thursday, Nanayakkara said restoring social trust through national integration is essential, highlighting the importance of equitable language access, equal public services, respectful law enforcement and inclusive policymaking.

He said recent experiences, including Cyclone Ditwah, underscored the need for unity rather than division, noting that social cohesion can be critical to saving lives during disasters.

“When a citizen feels acknowledged in their own language, treated fairly by the law, and safeguarded irrespective of their identity, it signifies that national integration is in progress,” Nanayakkara said.

The minister said the government plans within the next month to ensure that all forms required for government services are available in all three official languages, as part of efforts to improve access and fairness in public administration.

Nanayakkara said Cyclone Ditwah tested the country’s systems, institutions and citizens, while also highlighting the resilience of the Sri Lankan people.

He noted that the government’s “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” initiative should not be seen as a slogan but as a social obligation.

As the country approaches 2026, Nanayakkara said the government’s objective is to rebuild Sri Lanka in a gradual, inclusive and sustainable manner, with priority given to reconstructing state systems.

He added that reforming the justice system to earn public trust, rather than instill fear, would be a key part of that effort.

The SJB yesterday called upon the NPP government to hold the much-delayed Provincial Council (PC) polls soon. Its call is bound to go unheeded, for the JVP/NPP is not ready for an election. Having suffered a string of defeats in the cooperative society elections during the past several months, the government is trying every trick in the book to postpone the PC elections further. The outcome of last year’s local government polls is not something the JVP/NPP can be really proud of; its efforts to sweep the polls did not reach fruition although it managed to bag a majority of local councils.

A midterm electoral setback could be the undoing of a government however powerful it may be. The fate that befell the Mahinda Rajapaksa government following the Uva PC polls in September 2014 is a case in point. The UPFA won the Uva PC, but the number of its seats dropped from 25 to 19. The number of UNP’s seats increased from 7 to 13. The JVP, which had only one seat in the previous council, secured 02 in 2014. President Rajapaksa, in his wisdom, advanced a presidential election, and lost the presidency to Maithripala Sirisena in January 2015.

So, it is highly unlikely that the NPP government will hold the PC polls anytime soon. The Opposition is not strong enough to pressure the government politically to take a huge electoral gamble by holding an election.

It is doubtful whether the Opposition is really keen to face an election at this juncture despite its rhetoric. The SJB and other Opposition parties have closed ranks and defeated budgets in a considerable number of NPP-controlled local councils and won cooperative society elections. But their fragile unity is not going to survive an election that they will have to contest separately. A split in the anti-government vote will stand the JVP/NPP in good stead. However, the situation is likely to change if the UNP and the SJB come together to contest future elections.

What enabled the UNP to improve its electoral performance in the Uva Province in 2014 and gain a strategic opening to topple the Rajapaksa government a few months later was a rapprochement between two factions led by Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sajith Premadasa.

The SJB leaders who are demanding that the PC polls be held soon ought to tender an apology to the public for the role they played in postponing the PC elections indefinitely in 2017 while they were in the UNP-led Yahapalana government. The UNP and the SLFP, as Yahapalana allies, were wary of facing an election in 2017 and therefore amended the PC Elections Act to delay the PC polls. None of the political parties represented in Parliament at the time, including the UNP, the SLFP/UPFA, the ITAK, the SLMC, and the JVP, opposed the obnoxious amendment to the PC Elections Act. The current SLPP leaders were dissident members of the UPFA. The original amendment Bill was to provide for a quota of 30% for female candidates on the nomination papers submitted for the PC elections, but it was changed beyond recognition at the committee stage to facilitate the postponement of the PC polls. Article 78 (3) of the Constitution says, “Any amendment proposed to a Bill in Parliament shall not deviate from the merits and principles of such Bill.” But the aforesaid political parties took the bad amendment for granted; the PC polls were made to disappear, as it were.

The incumbent government has said the PC polls will be held under the Mixed Proportional (MP) system. The delimitation of electoral boundaries, which is a prerequisite for holding the PC polls under the MP system, will take about one year, according to the Election Commission. The only way to hold the PC election soon is to legislate for it to be conducted under the existing Proportional Representation system. If the SJB is serious about having the PC polls held soon, it should campaign for amending the PC Elections Act, in Parliament. Let it be urged to fish or cut bait.