Prof. Hudson McLean

We Are on the Same Page!

A Beautifully Crafted Observation!

Prof Sunil J. Wimalawansa

Excellent Article.

May I Highlight Some Points?

However I Hasten to Correct Only One Point – 

Sri Lanka is Not Bankrupt BUT Drowning in Debt!

Sir, Prof Sunil J. Wimalawansa, 

Hopefully, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake Takes Note of Your Brilliant Commentary!

Short-Term Actions Needed to Be Taken by the NPP and Eligibility for Election Nominations

Posted on October 14th, 2024

by Prof Sunil J. Wimalawansa

Now is the time for the NPP leadership to deliver on their promises, ensuring that appointments to government positions, such as chairmanships, are made based on merit rather than favors.”

The government should not function as a job creation factory; instead, the private sector should be encouraged to generate employment opportunities for the public.”

The government should emphasize and facilitate local production and growth over importation while also expanding technologies……..”

Appoint an Anti-Corruption Czar!

In parallel, enacting anti-corruption laws and re-establishing the independent committees eliminated by the past two regimes is essential to maintaining law and order and eradicating corruption.”

The country must shift from a survival-focused, loan-dependent consumption economy to a productive one prioritizing local needs and value-added exports.”

YES! Start with  the massive Unemployed Youth.

Deploy & Export The Human Assets!

Concluding Remarks…….. I said the same in a different way!

…..and abolish the executive Presidency.” …YES

Follow Great Britain,  and India,

——-ENDS——-

Express Your Opinion – Read What Others Say!
The Independent Interactive Voice of Sri Lanka on the Internet.

Please visit -: http://www.lankaweb.com/

BRICS plans to challenge US dollar dominance and transform the international monetary and financial system by developing infrastructure for cross-border payments using local currencies. Russia made a detailed proposal for the October Kazan summit. Ben Norton analyzes the report, explaining how the US-dominated financial system benefits rich Western countries at the expense of the Global South — which is why BRICS is pushing to change it.

by A. Abdul Aziz (Source: Al Hakam, London)

The Torah prophecy is as follows: See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” (Malachi, 4: 5)

Now, due to this prophecy, one reason the Jews at the time of Hazrat Isarejected the claim of Jesus as their messiah, was because Elijah was required to descend amongst them. However, this did not happen in a physical sense. Elijah was not to be seen descending from the skies, and thus Jesuswas declared a false prophet. In response to the claims of the Jewish scholars, Jesus, peace be on him replied: 

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 11: 12-15)

It is further stated: 

And they asked him, ‘Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?’”

Jesus replied, ‘To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.’” (Mark, 9: 11-15)

Now, the Jews did not accept this. They were adamant about the physical re-appearance of Elijah. Then, it is the Holy Quran that dispels any doubts and testifies to the truth of Jesus, peace be on him, as Allah says: 

And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the chamber: ‘Allah gives thee glad tidings of Yahya, who shall testify to the truth of a word from Allah — noble and chaste and a Prophet, from among the righteous.’” (Surah aal-e-Imran, Ch.3: V.40)

This is just one example demonstrating that these religions represent a continuation of one another. It follows logically that as people, societal norms, politics, global dynamics, and traditions evolve, so too must the Word of God be renewed. Just as institutions, whether human or animal, eventually face change or evolution, so does religion. Over time, scholars, teachers, and external forces contribute to these changes, sometimes distorting a religion from its original form.

Given this, why would an All-loving, Merciful, and Gracious God cease sending prophets? A true prophet would not reject the teachings of earlier religions but would instead seek to correct the errors and distortions that have naturally occurred over time, upholding the message of the prophets who preceded them. Or he would bring new law if the previous law have been ended by Allah.

Moreover, it’s important to recognize that there were likely tribes and isolated native societies with their own prophets, unrelated to the Abrahamic lineage. As the Quran states: Every tribe and community was sent a Warner” (Surah Al-Fatir, Ch.35: V.25). These communities would have been taught the belief in one God, albeit with differing methods, laws and practices.

No personal gain

In prophethood, there will be an absence of personal gain. The Holy Quran explicitly repeats this theme, and in relation to Hazrat Nuh, peace be on him (Noah), Hud, Salih, Lut (Lot), and Shu’aib(peace be on all of them), it mentions their saying: 

‘And I ask of you no reward for it. My reward is only with the Lord of the worlds.” (Surah ash-Shu‘ara’, Ch.26: V.110)

These verses address objections from those who claim that prophets seek to impose leadership upon their people. They clarify that prophets are not motivated by selfish desires, but instead, they stand as witnesses before God for their honesty and sincerity. (The Five Volume Commentary [2018], Vol. 4, p. 2620).

When we reflect on the lives of prophets, particularly the life of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, it becomes strikingly evident that they had no desire for power. They actively refused offers of authority and leadership. Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) demonstrated through his actions, simplicity, and way of life that his intentions were not for power:

Hazrat Aisha (r.a.) narrated:

The Prophet’s household would go for days without cooking food, and they survived on dates and water. Occasionally, they would receive a small amount of milk as a gift.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 42, Hadith 7105)

Hazrat Abu Huraira (ra,) (one of the Companion) narrated: The Prophet used to distribute any charity or wealth that came to him among the people and kept nothing for himself. If he received food, he would eat it and share it with others, and if he received anything material, he would give it to those in need.” (Sahih Bukhari, Book 24, Hadith 512)

It becomes evident that selflessness and the absence of personal gain are fundamental qualities of prophets. In the case of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), he not only refrained from personal gain but also shared all his wealth, food, and possessions with those in need.

Facing opposition

After claiming prophethood, each prophet will face retaliation and opposition. One example of this is from the life of Hazrat Musa (Moses), peace be on him, who was raised under the household of the Pharaoh, and was then forced to flee Egypt and was called a liar by Pharoah:

And We did send Moses, with Our Signs and manifest authority, Unto Pharaoh and Haman and Korah; but they said, ‘(He is) a magician and an impostor.’” (Surah al-Mu’min, Ch.40: V.24-25)

The same is true for every prophet. Each prophet has faced such opposition who will be willing to persecute them and their people for their beliefs. Allah says: 

Even so there came no Messenger to those before them, but they said, ‘A sorcerer, or a madman!’” (Surah Adh-Dhariyat, Ch.51: V.53)

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) faced the most fierce and severe opposition against enemies of Islam and his life history is proof of this. (continued)

Palitha Ariyarathna

The Sinhala language holds a captivating history and is deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of Sri Lanka. From its ancient origins as a Prakrit language to significant influences from Sanskrit and Pali, Sinhala is one of the oldest languages in the world. It has evolved significantly over the centuries, playing a crucial role in preserving Sri Lankan culture and heritage.

 Historical Context of Sinhala

The earliest known inscriptions in Sinhala date back to the 3rd century BCE, with significant works like the *Mahavamsa* chronicling Sri Lankan history in Sinhala. This language has been a vital medium for literature, law, and governance throughout various Sri Lankan dynasties, showcasing its importance in the nation’s identity.

A Global Voice: Sinhala in Interstellar Greetings

In a remarkable recognition of its significance, Sinhala was included among 55 languages on the golden phonograph record attached to the Voyager spacecraft. This record aimed to send a message to extraterrestrials who might encounter it during its journey through interstellar space. Dr. Carl Sagan and his team made a conscious choice to feature a variety of languages, underscoring the value of global communication.

One of the voices representing Sinhala was that of Kamal de Abrew, who recorded the greeting ආයුබෝවන්! Āyubōwan!” which means Wish You a Long Life.” This inclusion highlights not just the linguistic diversity of Earth but also the cultural richness embedded within each language.

The Significance of Sinhala

For many content creators, working in Sinhala is not just a choice but a necessity to authentically represent their culture and reach their local audience. Sinhala serves as a repository of cultural and historical heritage, fostering a sense of community and belonging among speakers.

Challenges Faced by Sinhala Content Creators

The absence of Sinhala support in Google AdSense creates significant barriers for content creators, limiting their potential revenue streams and global reach. Without the ability to create Sinhala-language advertisements, businesses in Sri Lanka struggle to connect with local audiences, particularly in rural areas where English is less commonly spoken.

For instance, popular Sinhala YouTubers have reported challenges in monetizing their channels due to the lack of AdSense support, hindering their ability to sustain and grow their platforms.

Current Landscape of Digital Content Creation

The digital landscape in Sri Lanka is rich with content, from educational videos to cultural showcases. Yet, many creators find it difficult to monetize their work. By supporting Sinhala, Google AdSense could open up new revenue opportunities for these creators, allowing them to thrive and share their narratives more widely.

Potential Benefits of Including Sinhala

Increased Revenue Streams: Monetization opportunities can empower Sinhala content creators to sustain and expand their efforts.

Cultural Preservation: Supporting Sinhala helps promote and preserve Sri Lankan culture, making it more viable for creators to produce authentic content.

Enhanced Engagement: Providing more content in Sinhala can improve user engagement and satisfaction, fostering a deeper connection with audiences.

Market Expansion for Google: Including Sinhala could enhance Google’s market reach in Sri Lanka, tapping into a substantial user base eager for monetization opportunities.

Economic Growth: Allowing Sinhala language-based advertisements can boost local businesses by enabling them to effectively reach their target markets.

Advocating for Change

Content creators and users alike can advocate for the inclusion of Sinhala in Google AdSense by raising awareness and communicating directly with Google. Community-driven efforts, such as petitions and social media campaigns, can amplify the call for inclusion. Engaging influential figures in the Sinhala-speaking community can also strengthen advocacy efforts.

The inclusion of Sinhala in Google AdSense is more than a technical adjustment; it is a step towards inclusivity and equal opportunity for content creators globally. By supporting Sinhala, Google can empower a vibrant community of creators, ensuring that the rich cultural and historical narratives of Sri Lanka are preserved and shared widely.

Special Note:

Interestingly, the Sinhala language was included in the Voyager spacecraft’s golden record, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 , with Kamal de Abrew’s voice capturing the essence of the greeting ආයුබෝවන්! Āyubōwan!” This serves as a testament to its global significance and a reminder of the importance of linguistic diversity and cultural representation on a universal scale.

As of now, Voyager 1 is approximately 23.5 billion kilometers (14.6 billion miles) away from Earth, making it the farthest humanmade object from our planet. Voyager 2 is a bit closer, at around 22.2 billion kilometers (13.8 billion miles).

By Palitha Ariyarathna

Reference: Voice: Link One:

Where Are They Now? Link: Live Spot

More : Greetings to the Universe in 55 Different Languages Link:

the Information Services Department, Hong Kong SAR Government

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 October 2024 – Promoting high-quality development and expanding Hong Kong’s capacity for economic growth are core elements of the 2024 Policy Address, announced (October 16) by John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

“Hong Kong is striving to become an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre by promoting the upgrading and transformation of traditional industries while actively nurturing emerging ones,” Mr Lee said. “We will spare no effort in developing new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions.” Hong Kong SAR’s Chief Executive John Lee attended a radio phone-in programme to answer questions about the 2024 Policy Address.
Mr Lee said the Government would establish the third InnoHK research cluster, which will focus on advanced manufacturing, materials, energy and sustainable development. In particular, the Government will set up a research centre under the InnoHK research cluster to participate in the Chang’E-8 space mission, contributing to national aerospace development. Moreover, a new round of Research Matching Grant Scheme funding totalling HK$1.5 billion will also be launched to attract more organisations to support research endeavours of institutions.

The Chief Executive also revealed a number of measures that the Government would adopt to revamp its approach to boosting capital investment in I&T industries. These include setting up a HK$10 billion I&T Industry‑Oriented Fund, forming a fund-of-funds to channel more market capital to invest in specified emerging and future industries of strategic importance; and optimising the Innovation and Technology Venture Fund by redeploying HK$1.5 billion to set up funds jointly with the market to invest in start‑ups of strategic industries.

The Government will also launch an I&T Accelerator Pilot Scheme, with a funding allocation of HK$180 million, to attract professional start-up service providers to set up accelerator bases in Hong Kong, fostering the robust growth of start-ups.

Meanwhile, the Government will establish the Working Group on Developing Low‑altitude Economy, to explore the emerging potential of economic activities in airspace below 1,000 metres.

“We will press ahead with pilot projects and designate venues to explore deploying drones for delivery, surveys, building maintenance, aerial photography, performances, search and rescue, and other possibilities,” Mr Lee said.

On new energy, the Government will earmark around HK$750 million under the New Energy Transport Fund to subsidise the taxi trade and franchised bus companies to purchase electric vehicles, and launch the Subsidy Scheme for Trials of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Heavy Vehicles. Developing new quality development productive forces is one of the core elements of the 2024 Policy Address.
To foster new quality productive forces in biomedical technology, the Government will complement technological innovation with institutional innovation, developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub.

Initiatives include expediting reform of the approval mechanism for drugs and medical devices, including extending the “1+” mechanism to all new drugs for use in Hong Kong. Under the new “1+” drugs registration mechanism, applications for registration of new drugs that are supported with local clinical data are only required to submit approval from one reference drug regulatory authority (instead of two originally).

“Education nurtures our future, technology denotes our strength, and talents lead our development,” Mr Lee said, adding that the Government will set up a Committee on Education, Technology and Talents to co-ordinate and drive the integrated development of education, technology and talents.

The Chief Executive also announced reforming various talent admission mechanisms, including expanding to 198 the number of universities under the Top Talent Pass Scheme list, and extending the validity period of the first visa of high-income talents from two to three years. He supplemented that the Government would extend the pilot arrangement, for two years, for graduates from the Greater Bay Area campuses of Hong Kong universities to work in Hong Kong.

To expand capacity and inject impetus into Hong Kong’s high-quality development, Mr Lee said the Government would take forward development of the Northern Metropolis as a new engine for economic development.

He added that a Government-led company would be established to formulate development and operation strategies for building a pilot industrial park.

To expedite development of the Northern Metropolis, the Government will adopt, on a pilot basis, a large‑scale land‑disposal approach, under which sizable land parcels with commercial value and earmarked for provision of community facilities will be selected and granted to successful bidders for collective development.

“I believe that we must maintain our development momentum and self‑renewal, and that we must embrace changes while staying principled, innovative and flexible in meeting challenges and opportunities,” Mr Lee said.

More information about the Policy Address is available from www.policyaddress.gov.hk. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Hashtags: #hongkong #brandhongkong #policyaddress
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උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

ඉදිරි පෙබරවාරි මාර්තු මාසය වන විට ඉදිරිපත් කරන නව අයවැය ලේඛනය මගින් රාජ්‍ය සේවකයන්ගේ වැටුප් වැඩි කිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් අවධානය යොමු කරන බව ජනාධිපති අනුර දිසානායක මහතා පවසයි.

තංගල්ල මහජන ක්‍රීඩාංගනයේ පැවති පාර්ලිමේන්තු මැතිවරණයේ ප්‍රචාරක රැළියක් අමතමින් හෙතෙම මේ බව කියා සිටියේය.

තමන් ජනාධිපති ධුරයට පත් වූ පසු ප්‍රබලම අභියෝගය බවට පත්වී තිබූවේ මෙරට ආර්ථිකය ස්ථාවර කිරීම බවත් එය ඉටු කිරීමට හැකි වූ බවත් හෙතෙම කියා සිටියේය.

ගොවීන් සඳහා පොහොර සහනාධාරයක්ද, ධීයරයන් සඳහා ඉන්ධන සහනාධායක්ද මේ වන විටත් ලබාදෙමින් සිටින බවද පැවසූ ඔහු ඉදිරියේදී දිළිඳු ජනතාවටත් දුබලතාවන් ඇති පුද්ගලයන්ටත් සහන ලබාදීමට කටයුතු කරන බවද කියා සිටියේය.

තමන් ජනාධිපති ධුරයට පත් වූ පසු කොළඹ කොටස් වෙළඳපොලට ඇති වූ විශ්වාසය මත එය ඉහළ යමින් ඇති බවද පැවසූ ඔහු ජනාධිපතිවරණයට කලින් පැවසූ පරිදි රුපියල් කඩා නොවැටුණු බවත් රුපියල් ශක්තිමත් වී ඩොලරයේ අගය පහත බසමින් ඇති බවත් ඔහු තව දුරටත් එහිදී පැවසුවේය

By Sugeeswara Senadhira Courtesy Ceylon Today

Similar to the South, several Tamil MPs also decided not to seek re-election at the next month’s General Elections. The general view is that, as in the South, most former MPs in the contest in the North and East too are likely to be defeated at the polls. This will pave the way for many newcomers to enter the next Parliament when it meets on 21 November.

Almost all the Tamil parties faced splits in the last few months and former MPs in the North, C.V. Wigneswaran, Mavai Senathirajah, Charles Nirmalanathan and S. Noharathalingam have stepped down.

In both the Jaffna and Vanni electoral districts, six MPs each will be returned to the House. The large number of nominations filed for each electorate in the North reflects the state of Tamil nationalistic political parties that saw fragmentation recently. The splinter and breakaway groups contest Polls separately in the hope of securing seats in the next Parliament.

The main Tamil party, Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) has been faced with dissent since the death of its veteran leader Rajavarothiam Sampanthan and the subsequent party election to find a successor. Though former MP S. Shritharan was elected as president of the party through a ballot process, the legitimacy of the election was challenged in the Courts and the case is still pending. He defeated M.A. Sumanthiran, who is known as the moderate face of ITAK. The ITAK, also known as the Federal Party, has a rich history dating back to S.J.V. Chelvanayakam – a legendary figure.

Several senior dissidents of ITAK left the party to form a new front, the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) to contest in the upcoming Parliamentary Election. In addition to the sitting MPs, DTNA has also nominated Sasikala Raviraj, widow of the assassinated MP Nadarajah Raviraj.

S. Ilankovan

A new face in ITAK Jaffna list, lawyer S. Ilankovan, great-grandson of S.J.V. Chelvanayakam, founder of ITAK. I believe it is a positive thing where youths in the North and East are also becoming very politically active and I hope that it will lead to a progressive nationalism where all communities including Muslim, Malayaha and Sinhala people are included in future,” said Ilankovan. Former Jaffna Mayor and ex-Northern PC member Emmanuel Arnold is also contesting from the ITAK.

ITAK candidates in the Vanni District include Dr. P. Sathiyalingam, a medical doctor and ITAK Secretary. In Batticaloa, the ITAK list includes ex-MPs Shanakiyan Rasamanickam and Gnanamuthu Srineshan. Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, who contested the last General Election while in prison and won, is leading his party Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP).

The Digamadulla District will have the highest number (64) of political parties and independent groups contesting at this year’s election. Among the leading candidates for ITAK are ex-MP T. Kalaiarasan and K. Kodeeswaran. The SLMC is led by former MP Faizal Cassim.

In the Trincomalee District, the ITAK, backed by the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) and Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) led by former MP Kadiravel Shanmugam is contesting from the district. The NDF list is being led by former All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) member Abdullah Maharoof.

One of the special features of the district is that a group of former LTTE cadres who have gone through rehabilitation have fielded candidates.

Suresh Premachandran of DTNA, highlighting the alliance’s electoral journey, said it has supported P. Ariyanethran, who ran as a ‘common’ Tamil candidate. Running under the ‘Conch’ symbol, the alliance managed to secure over 200,000 votes in the previous election—a move he termed a significant achievement.

The ITAK announced its own candidates in the Jaffna District, including current leader-elect Sivagnanam Shritharan, Sumanthiran, S.C. Elangovan, Kesavan Sayanthan, Chandralingam Sukirthan, Surekka Saseendran, Emmanuel Arnold, Krishnaveni Siridharan, and Thiagaraya Prakash.

The other strong alliance is the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) which fielded MP, Selvarajah Kajendran, lawyer and legal adviser Nadarajar Kandeepan, Sugash Kanagaratnam, Vasuki Sudhakar, and Thangavel Jegatheeswaran party leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam. These hard-line politicians paid tribute at the Thileepan memorial in Nallur before officially filing their nomination papers.

At a media briefing in Jaffna this week, former MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam from the Batticaloa District, Party Youth Leader Krishnapillai, former Mayor Thiagaraja Saravanabhavan, and retired doctor Sirinath were also listed as candidates.

The Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) also submitted its nomination papers at the Jaffna District Secretariat. Party leader Douglas Devananda expressed confidence in securing seats in the upcoming polls.

As recent research by the European Commission stated, the Parliamentary representation of minority ethnic and religious groups is in danger of splintering and weakening in the forthcoming elections, affecting their capacity to effectively politically engage and promote the rights of minorities. The main national parties in Sri Lanka have had a history of nominating representatives from minority communities who have gone on to take leadership positions. This is changing now, with minority politicians in these parties often feeling isolated and finding fewer opportunities to raise minority rights issues. National parties now prefer forming alliances or coalitions with minority parties rather than fielding their own minority candidates.

North and East

In the North and East, the voter base is fractured, with around one-third prioritising their economic development and wanting to engage with the State, and another one-third or so are on the opposite end, wanting to disengage with national politics. Tamil Diaspora groups are being accused of influencing this latter group, whilst some candidates fielded by the national parties influence the former, but these candidates.

In Vanni District in the North and Trincomalee and Digamadulla districts in the East, there is serious ethnicisation of the electorate, which has increased with the competition among minority parties and the national parties.

The ruling NPP is in a position to rectify any possible imbalances by nominating minority MPs from its quota of the National List.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, October 18 (Daily Mirror) –  The Election Commission has announced that voters with disabilities will receive special assistance to cast their ballots at the upcoming Parliamentary Election on November 14, 2024. 

According to the Commission, voters who are totally or partially blind or have physical disabilities, will be allowed to bring someone to help them mark their ballot paper. 

This assistant must be at least 18 years old, not be a candidate, and not have any disabilities themselves. The assistant also cannot be an authorised agent of a political candidate or involved in the election campaign.

Voters wishing to bring an assistant must obtain a “certificate of eligibility,” which can be collected from local Divisional Secretariats, Grama Niladhari Offices or the Election Commission’s website. This certificate must be presented at the polling station on Election Day,” the Commission stated. 

The assistant will help the voter in the voting cubicle, but it is crucial that both the voter and assistant bring valid identification documents, such as a National Identity Card,” it added.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, October 18 (Daily Mirror) – The debate over the alleged concealment of the reports on the series of deadly blasts that rocked Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, 2019 took a new turn yesterday with Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila seeking an appointment in writing with Public Security Minister Vijitha Herath to hand over what he said ‘all defence sensitive materials’ to him.

Earlier, Mr. Gammanpila challenged the government to publish these reports, sparking a debate why people are kept in the dark. Later, the government gave Mr. Gammanpila a three–day ultimatum to hand over the reports that he claims to possess.

These reports, commissioned by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, deal with the role of the intelligence services during the time of the attack and allegations raised in the Channel 4 documentary.

They were prepared by committees led by I.M. Imam and A.N.J. de Alwis.

As many as eight blasts occurred in and around Colombo on April 19, 2019, when people gathered at churches for Easter. Three churches, St. Anthony’s Shrine, St. Sebastian’s Church and Zion Church and three luxury hotels in Colombo, were targeted in a series of coordinated terrorist suicide bombings. In the attack, a number of foreign nationals from countries such as China, the United States and the United Kingdom died. Key foreign intelligence organisations such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States assisted in investigations in nabbing the local network of terrorists.

Mr. Gammanpila told Daily Mirror that he was not in a position to publish security-sensitive details and therefore rang up Minister Herath to discuss the next step. Afterwards, he said he sent a text message to the minister but received no response on both occasions.

Therefore, I sent a letter by registered post asking for an appointment to meet him and hand over the materials I have in a responsible manner,” he said.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, Oct 19 (Daily MIrror) – President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said there are 400 files related to corruption and fraud lying with the Attorney General and all of them will be opened for the institution of legal action.

He made these remarks while addressing an election rally in support of his party in Tangalle. 

He said the government will not relent when taking these steps in a legal and systematic manner.

Courtesy Hiru News

Former Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva expressed concerns over the National People’s Power (NPP) government’s recent borrowing practices, revealing that over 400 billion rupees have been borrowed in just a few weeks.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Samagi Jana Sandhana headquarters yesterday (18), he criticized the centralization of financial power with the President, rather than Parliament. He stressed that while implementing the President’s recommendations, Parliament has a duty to provide positive criticism and ensure proper management of the country’s economy.

Dr. de Silva pointed out that during past election campaigns, the NPP criticized previous governments for borrowing without benefiting the people and mismanaging loan funds. Now, despite the NPP’s significant borrowing, he questioned whether any substantial progress, such as infrastructure development or economic relief for citizens, has been achieved.

He highlighted that the current government borrows every Wednesday through treasury bills or bonds, and although President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has not misused funds, the shift to a new economic system is necessary, as the old one has failed.

Courtesy Hiru News

Former Member of Parliament Dayasiri Jayasekara has expressed disappointment over President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s unfulfilled promises, particularly regarding the privileges of former presidents.

Speaking at a rally in Kurunegala yesterday (18), Jayasekara noted that despite promises to revoke benefits such as pensions and official quarters for former presidents, these privileges remain intact, with some former presidents even sending requests for continued perks

He also criticized the government’s financial policies, stating that despite taking loans and promising tax concessions, no significant relief has been provided to the people. Jayasekara further claimed that promises to reduce oil prices have not materialized, leaving the public without the expected benefits.

He suggested that the president hurried the parliamentary election out of fear and pointed out that many public servants who supported the president in the presidential election are not registered to vote in this year’s general election. Jayasekara also said that while salary increases for government employees were promised, no such increase is forthcoming, predicting that the general election results will reflect growing discontent against the current administration

Courtesy Hiru News

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that although National People’s Power (NPP) presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake is talented, he cannot rebuild the country on his own.

Speaking at a rally held in Maharagama today (19), the Prime Minister emphasized that NPP is not just a political party but a people’s movement. She acknowledged that despite 75 years of power being held by others, the people have now entrusted their faith in NPP.

She further stressed that it is the responsibility of the people to send a capable team to Parliament, as President Dissanayake cannot lead the country’s recovery alone. A strong cabinet and progressive parliament, she said, are necessary to revive the nation.

Prime Minister Amarasuriya also revealed that although all 225 members of Parliament had initially resisted change, half of them have now voluntarily withdrawn from the upcoming parliamentary election. She encouraged voters to seize this opportunity to elect a group that can transform the nation’s future.

Prof. Hudson McLean

How Turning the Educated Applicants into Skills to Attract Foreign Employment to Contribute towards External Debt!

Monthly Wage Target – Euro 2000-;+++

PS: Improve English Language Skills! – COMPULSORY

Teach Etiquette & Modern Manners! – Very Important

Better Personal Presentation Skills! – Critical at First Impression!

Note to: DP Education!

Contribution Target towards  Recovering External Debt.

Target 10,000 Graduates and Special Skills for Overseas Jobs/Year

Sri Lanka External Debt 1970-2024

Sri Lanka External Debt 1970-2024

Data are in current U.S. dollars.

• Sri Lanka external debt for 2022 was $58,712,654,401, a 0.03% decline from 2021.
• Sri Lanka external debt for 2021 was $58,732,518,598, a 3.27% increase from 2020.
• Sri Lanka external debt for 2020 was $56,874,445,630, a 1.35% increase from 2019.
• Sri Lanka external debt for 2019 was $56,117,855,647, a 6.04% increase from 2018.

 Foreign Debt Summary (as of end April 2022)

By the end of April 2022, total outstanding external debt of the central Government was US$ 34.8 billion.

https://www.erd.gov.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=102&Itemid=308&lang=en

Special Vocational Skills Needed in UK-EU-USA

*ICT – Information & Communications Technology

*Software Developers

*Medicare – Nurses – Eldercare – Childcare – Hairdressers – Cooks

Simple Calculation

Minimum Monthly Wage Target – Euro 2000

Annual Wage Target – Euro 24,000 less tax

The Carrot & the Stick!

Employee repatriation of 10% – Euro 2000 

Total repatriation by 10,000 – Euro 20,000,000/year

Adding 10,000 recruits each year compounded on wages of earlier!

Most EU member States Do Not Allow Citizenship for non-EU foreigners up to seven (7) years continuous residence.

Therefore the Renewal of Passports may be Conditional to Repatriation of 10% of Gross Income to Sri Lanka or Deny Renewal of Passport.

Increase Tourism!

Increase Exports!

Increase Local Production for Domestic Consumption

Add Taxes on Unnecessary Luxury Imports!

Add Levy for non essential Foreign Travel!

Restriction on import of Luxury vehicles!

——ENDS——

Express Your Opinion – Read What Others Say!
The Independent Interactive Voice of Sri Lanka on the Internet.

Please visit -: http://www.lankaweb.com/

Ministry of Defence  – Media Centre

Ambassador for the Russian Federation in Colombo His Excellency Levan S. Dzhagaryan paid a courtesy call on the Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), at the Defence Headquarters Complex in Sri Jayewardenepura, Kotte today (Oct 18).

The Defence Secretary warmly received the Russian envoy on his arrival and engaged in a cordial discussion. The discussion focused on further strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.

Mementoes were also exchanged to mark the occasion.

Russian Military, Air and Naval Attaché Col. Sergey Belyankin and the Military Liaison Officer of the Ministry of Defence Air Vice Marshal Padman De Costa were also present.

උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්

ආන්දෝලනාත්මක පාස්කු ප්‍රහාරය පිළිබඳ කමිටු වාර්තා දෙක තමන්ට අතට පත් වූයේ තැපැල් මගින් බව හිටපු පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී උදය ගම්මන්පිල මහතා සඳහන් කරයි.

අදාළ වාර්තා දෙක ප්‍රසිද්ධ කිරීමට වත්මන් ජනාධිපතිවරයා කටයුතු නොකරන්නේ වාර්තාවල ඇතුළත් ඇතැම් කරුණු වලට අනුව ජාතික ජන බලවේගයට සම්බන්ධ පුද්ගලයින් කිහිප දෙනෙකුට ද චෝදනා එල්ල වීම හේතුවෙන් බවත් ඔහු කියා සිටී.

ජාතික ආරක්ෂාවට තර්ජනයක් විය හැකි බවද සඳහන් කරමින් වාර්තාවල ඇති ඇමුණුම් පවා තමන්ට තැපැල් මගින් ලැබී ඇති බවත් ඒවා හැර අනෙක් සියළු වාර්තා එළඹෙන සඳුදා මාධ්‍යයට ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමට තමන් පියවර ගන්නා බවද ඔහු යලි අවධාරණය කරයි.

හෙතෙම මෙම අදහස් පල කර ඇත්තේ අන්තර්ජාල නාලිකාවක් සමග සාකච්ඡාවකට එක්වෙමිනි.

උපුටා ගැන්ම  ලංකා ලීඩර්

ජනාධිපති ආර්ථික සහ මූල්‍ය උපදේශක මහාචාර්ය අනිල් ජයන්ත මහතා ආණ්ඩුව දේශීය බැංකුවලින් ණය ගන්න කතාව බොරුවක් බව සහ ආණ්ඩුව කරන්නේ අරමුදල් රැස්කිරීමක් පමණක් බව සඳහන් කිරීම පිළිබඳව ගැන අපගේ පාඨකයන් විවිධ අදහස් පළ කරති. 

අප ඒ පිළිබඳව ජාතික සංවිධානවල මතය විමසන ලදී. මේ වෛද්‍ය වසන්ත බණ්ඩාර මහතාගේ අදහස ඔහුගේ වචනයෙන්,

“ආණ්ඩුවට අරමුදල් රැස්කරන්න ක්‍රම කිහිපයක් තිබෙනවා. පළමුවැන්න භාණ්ඩාගාර බිල්පත් සහ බැඳුම්කර මගින් දේශීයව ණය ගැනීම, විශේෂයෙන්ම රජයේ බැංකුවලින්. දෙවැන්න විදේශීය බහු පාර්ශ්වික සහ ද්වී පාර්ශ්වික ණය ලබා ගැනීම. ලෝක බැංකුවෙන් ලැබුණු ණය එවැන්නක්. තුන්වැන්න විදේශීය ප්‍රධානයන්. හතරවැන්න විදේශීය වාණිජ ණය ගැනීම හෙවත් ස්වෛරී බැඳුම්කර නිකුත් කිරීමයි. ඒක දැන් කරන්න බැහැ.. පස්වැන්න විවිධ පනත් වලදී පිහිටවූ යම් අරමුදල් භාණ්ඩාගාරයට බැර කිරීමයි. එහෙත් අර්ථසාධක අරමුදල් එහෙම කරන්න බැහැ. ඒවා ගන්න පුලුවන් ණය හැටියට බැඳුම්කර මගින්. හයවැන්න මහ බැංකුවෙන් ණය ලබා ගැනීමයි. දැන් ඒක කරන්න බැහැ, නව බැංකු පනත් නිසා. ඒ නිසා මහාචාර්යතුමා මහ ජනයාට මොන බොරු කිව්වත් ජනාධිපතිට ලණු නොදී ඉන්නවා නම් හොඳයි, අඩුතරමින් නව ආණ්ඩුව පිහිටවූ ගමන්. 2017 විදේශ විනිමය පනත සහ 2023 මහ බැංකු පනත සංශෝධනය නොකර ඉස්සරහට යන්න බැහැ.” 

 Kamanthi Wickramasinghe Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) candidate and former Member of Parliament Ajith Mannapperuma (Pix: by Pradeep Pathirana)

Q: What exactly transpired when signing nominations? 
I have been working as the SJB Gampaha District organiser for 20 years. I served as the Mayor for seven years, four years as a provincial councilor and 12 years as a Member of Parliament from the Gampaha District. So I signed nominations for the upcoming Parliamentary Election as the Organiser for the Gampaha District. We are under immense pressure when we sign nominations. We contest to get a seat in the Opposition because we know we can’t represent the ruling party. On the other, hand the financial burden is too much. During the previous election, I obtained a loan of Rs. 50 lakhs from a state bank and even during the Presidential Election held this year I had to obtain another loan. When I called the bank this time I obtained a personal loan of Rs. 200 lakhs through an overdraft. I have no issue repaying the loan because I have a monthly income of Rs. 6-7 lakhs. By the time I signed nominations I had already spent around Rs. 10-15 lakhs for election-related work. But the day after I signed nominations I was informed that the SJB Gampaha organiser position had been given to another individual. When inquired I was told that this individual had previously worked for Ranil Wickremesinghe and later on he was taken to the SJB and offered the post of Gampaha organiser. But I didn’t believe what happened. I trusted Sajith Premadasa and I knew he wouldn’t make such a stupid decision. I shared all my thoughts with him and associated with him very closely. If he had any reason to remove me from the Organiser post he should have discussed it with me first. 

Q: What happened next?

 I was in shock and utter disappointment and I wanted to know what transpired and what made him take this decision. So I immediately called him. He is someone who responds to my calls almost immediately. But on that day he didn’t pick up the phone. Then I called the SJB General Secretary Ranjith Maddumabandara but he didn’t respond either. Ranjith is a senior student in my school and I immediately drove to his place. I knew he hadn’t left his residence yet. Even at that point, I couldn’t believe that something of this nature had happened and I wanted to confirm whether it was true. Had the SJB leader called and informed me about any matter and communicated his decision to me, this situation would have been different. So Ranjith confirmed that the incident was true and he said that anybody who has a good knowledge about politics wouldn’t have removed an organiser position amid an election. If he had wanted to remove me from that position he could have done so after the election or before signing nominations. I was in complete shock because I’m in debt after obtaining so many loans for election activities and I’m working for a party that doesn’t win. Then I called Tissa Attanayake because he was one individual who defended me when people made false accusations against me. Even he agreed that this decision was wrong. I must have made more than 40 phone calls to Sajith. I then convened all politburo members of the Party and discussed what I should be doing next. They said that there seems to be no future with the current leadership and that it’s better for me to step down as I would have to represent SJB alongside him in Parliament. Then I called a press briefing and announced that even though I have signed nominations I will not contest. I urge people not to vote for me because I can’t work with this leader in Parliament despite my name being included in the ballot paper. 

Q: We saw many other contestants such as Damitha Abeyratne, Hirunika Premachandra and even Patali Champika Ranawaka facing similar disappointments. What do you have to say?

We saw Sajith giving promises to many people. He would promise them the sun and the moon but he would never fulfill them. But I never thought he would treat me the same way. He is angry with people who are educated and talented. We saw how he sidelined Patali as soon as he joined the party. We were disappointed about these matters but he joined the Party again during the last Presidential Election and the two parties came to an agreement. Even this agreement was breached. 

Q: But Sajith Premadasa remains to keep mum about these few incidents. How do you perceive this behaviour? 

I chaired the Environmental Committee in Parliament and I have done a great deal of work while chairing this Committee. From seeking compensation for the X-press Pearl incident to the human-elephant conflict etc. I have submitted the most number of reports through this Committee. But Sajith Premadasa has a habit of intervening in these Committees. When Dr. Harsha de Silva chaired the Finance Committee he intervened again and they came to a conclusion that he can be an observer but cannot make any remarks. Patali is an educated politician and is someone with a vision. But he too received step- motherly treatment from the beginning. Even Damitha and Hirunika are popular figures. Sajith’s senior-most advisor is Lakshman Fonseka. I called Fonseka and said that it is not right to involve the family including siblings in politics because I felt that people didn’t like their presence. But the Party is continuing its work and then I requested him to invite Jalani Premadasa for a meeting in Gampaha. But even if Jalani participates she wouldn’t address the people and therefore I thought I should invite Hirunika as well. So I informed Fonseka that both Jalani and Hirunika will attend the meeting. Over  1000 people attended this meeting but I realised that Hirunika is not willing to come. When I called her she said that even though the Party leader had requested her to participate at my event Fonseka had discouraged her from attending the event. So she was in a dilemma. I then called Fonseka and said that we all are working to ensure that Sajith claims his victory and asked him to resolve their internal problems separately. He then persuaded Hirunika to attend the event but she didn’t turn up. So this clearly shows that Sajith Premadasa is being controlled by a separate group of people. 

Q: Did you resign from the United National Party due to issues in the leadership? 

It is because of the UNP that I came this far. If you take my history I am an engineering graduate and I have been working in the construction industry. This is when Ranil Wickremesinghe visited my home and invited me to enter politics. I am someone who disliked politics. But I studied at the university thanks to the Mahapola scholarship and that is thanks to former education minister Lalith Athulathmudali. So I couldn’t believe how a politician could do such good deeds. I then read his biography and studied his political journey and was convinced that such individuals are also engaged in politics. So when Mr. Wickremesinghe visited me with Karu Jayasuriya I decided to enter politics because both of them were gentlemen. But eventually when everyone started working against Ranil Wickremesinghe and broke away from the party to form a new one, I knelt before him and said that I would be joining hands with Sajith Premadasa. But to date, I haven’t said anything against Ranil Wickremesinghe because it was he who guided me in this journey. Perhaps Sajith must be angry that I don’t say anything against RW. People may have pointed this out to him and claimed that I have kept one foot in RW’s camp. But I never thought Sajith would be a weak leader who believes all these tales. During the last Presidential Election he called me and said that I am his Environment Minister. This was his promise. But the same individual removed me from the position of organiser. I’m here as a result of my education. My parents didn’t do politics and they don’t come from aristocratic families. I’m here because of Ranil Wickremesinghe and I have come up the ranks as a Mayor, provincial councilor and created my path. So I can’t say anything against my mentor. 

Q: So what exactly is happening in the SJB? Is Sajith Premadasa working according to his own will or is he being influenced by someone? 

We are not convinced whether he is making decisions on his own or whether he is taking decisions after consulting other members in the Party. But there’s some unknown force that is controlling him. He makes haphazard decisions and when we question the Party’s General Secretary he too complains that he doesn’t understand why such decisions were made. So it is clear that he doesn’t listen or take advice from those within the Party but someone who is manoeuvering him behind the scenes. General Sarath Fonseka claimed that certain individuals engaged in gambling businesses are controlling him but we didn’t believe him then. But now we wonder whether this claim has any truth to it. I have no competition with the leader and therefore I shouldn’t be a challenge for him. He can discuss anything with me. But to date he hasn’t called me at least once after this incident happened. 

Q: A country’s opposition is considered the most important party or camp in any political culture. Do you think that the SJB could form a strong Opposition in the upcoming election with all these internal issues coming to the fore? 

In 2019, we worked for Sajith Premadasa knowing that he is going to lose. At that time, people were more inclined to ensure their safety and national security and were turning their backs on the Yahapalana government. Six months prior to the election we knew that whoever who contested from our Party would be defeated. It was in such a volatile situation that we worked for Sajith Premadasa. He gained over 5,500,000 votes but five years later, when the Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime collapsed and people were challenged with multiple crises we thought Premadasa had a good chance of winning the next election. All our supporters were of a similar view. But during the last Presidential Election he could only get 4.3 million votes. So at this rate will he be able to win a future election? We anyway observed a trend where educated individuals were rejecting Sajith. We knew he was losing a majority of voters from the public sector for instance. Around 20 senior politicians in the Party realised this trend. So we got together to discuss how we could rescue our Party leader from a landslide loss. It was here that we came to a conclusion that the best option would be to forge an alliance between SJB and UNP. Those rejecting Sajith respected Ranil Wickremesinghe. But people who expected houses, dry rations and other perks rallied around Sajith. So we thought if both parties got together we could bring in a government like the J. R Jayewardene – R. Premadasa government and that it could easily continue for 15 years. When I communicated this plan to Sajith he said that 47% of people have pledged their support to him while 30% have abstained from voting. He said this based on surveys that had been done and he was confident that he could gain 50% votes. I told Fonseka that it would be a tough call for Sajith to win on his own and that it would be better if they forge an alliance with Ranil. But Fonseka was also of the view that Sajith could win single handedly. So we thought he would work in the best interest of the Party and its leader because he has invested some money as well. But when the results were released we realized that what we suggested would have been the best option. During the previous election the SJB received around 17,000 votes from the Gampaha District but with my intervention as the organiser I managed to increase the count to 22,000 votes. The UNP had been severely defeated in the Gampaha District. In fact a UNP politician from the Gampaha District was elected to Parliament back in 1988. He remained for five years and lost thereafter. So after 20 years I got elected to Parliament from SJB from the Gampaha District and I worked for 12 years.  So it is rather shocking and disappointing to find out from a third party source that my Party organiser position had been removed without prior notice. If this is how my Party leader is treating me there’s no point in going to Parliament with him. 

Q:  But will you be contesting under the SJB ticket? 

Yes my candidate number is 10. I will not give up politics. But after the election results are released I will take a decision on how I will continue my career in politics. For the time being I will not be working for any other political party, my party or myself. If I’m representing a Party I have to be loyal to the Party. But when I know that the leader himself is a backstabber I can’t simply go and act in front of people. 

Q:  Several politicians have made remarks to the effect that they are indirectly supporting NPP. What are your comments? 

Even if I get elected to Parliament or not, Anura Kumara Dissanayake is the President for the next five years. But AKD was elected as the President against the will of many individuals for the first time in political history of this country. Despite my political affiliation I will support him to develop this country. If we continue to pull his leg claiming that we are from the Opposition it will have a drastic impact on the country and its people. We saw what happened to the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration where ultimately the people suffered. Therefore as politicians we need to support AKD to ensure that he wouldn’t leave his seat halfway through the tenure. The final objective of engaging in politics is social service; so if someone else is engaging in social service we should support him and if he is engaged in any sort of wrongdoing we should voice against those actions as well. 

Q:  So what would be the future of SJB? 

All these events indicate Sajith Premadasa’s downfall. The number of votes he had been able to secure is reducing. I feel he wouldn’t even be able to secure 2 million votes at the next election. So he will continue to diminish and would eventually be replaced by a new leader.  

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, October 18 (Daily Mirror)- Former presidents Ranil Wickremesinghe and Chandrika Kumaratunga engulfed in an argument over an incident of a certain political leader’s young son hiding USD 1000 million in a Dubai bank, where Mr. Wickremesinghe rebuffed the allegation claiming that his 2015 government could not find any even though teams were sent to Dubai.

Ms Kumaratunga said it was found out in 2015 that a young son of a certain political leader had hidden USD 1000 million in a Dubai bank but the government could not bring it back.

I saw the bank statement with my own eyes. But, we could not charge him in court because we needed the original documents,” she said speaking at the 45th National Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka on Wednesday night.

Responding to the allegations, Mr. Wickremesinghe said the government sent in teams to Dubai but could not find any.

I was told that the member’s relatives had kept money abroad. The bank was named as National Bank of Dubai. We sent in teams which had officials from the Police, AG’s Department and the Bribery Commission. We were not able to get anything at all. It was not there. Minister Thilak Marapana spoke to the foreign minister of the UAE. There was no trace of the money. The bank said they cannot disclose anything unless we have a court order,” he said.

He said the then government sent teams to Europe, Hong Kong and Singapore but could not find any dollar alleged to have been hidden.

The person who claimed of hidden money in Uganda is also withdrawing the allegation,” he said.

Mr. Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka would not be able to control corruption unless sophisticated machinery is brought in.

Everyone talks of corruption. They talk of doing away with corruption within one year. Have they been able to do that? How many governments have come to power saying that they will do away with corruption? Why have we not succeeded while some other countries have? Corruption has become a political tool and something for the media. No one looks at what has to be done. We have not had the sophisticated machinery that is needed to control corruption. It is not like 40 years ago, you can do something and you can get paid elsewhere. If you get money in Bitcoins, we don’t have the ability. Our own machinery cannot do that. I don’t think even the present president will be able to do that. That is why we discussed with the IMF as to what we should do,” he said.

Mr. Wickremesinghe said the government filed number of cases in 2015 but most of them got acquitted.

The present president talks of anti-corruption law. If you talk of bringing the money back, first, you need to identify it. So far there has not been any fund identification. Secondly, how can you bring it back? We need people who are trained for this. Some of the cases got rejected due to legal deficiency on our side,” he added.

Jeffrey Sachs Of Fans

Jeffrey Sachs is a well-known American economist, academic, and public policy analyst who has made significant contributions to the fields of sustainable development and economic development. He has held various prestigious positions throughout his career, including serving as the director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University and as a special advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals. Sachs has authored numerous books and articles on topics related to economics, poverty reduction, and sustainable development. Website: jeffsachs.org

Prof. Hudson McLean

Should Vocational Guidance with Market Orientation Play a Vital Role?

Target the Education to Satisfy the Demands of Foreign Country Needs.

-IT, Nurses, Health workers, Hair dressers, Cooks, Childcare etc….

President urges education reform to align with global demands for future growth.

Posted on October 16th, 2024

The Ministry of Education and Culture Finland announced the PISA 2022 survey.

Foreign students arriving in Finland Lack Skills!”

Sri Lankans with University Degrees are Working as Office & House Cleaners in Finland!

A Case-in-Point!

Mr. President – Bring back the Local  Enterprise and Cottage Industries to Create Employment and Deter Imports!

Appropriate article by-;

Great Development Programmes that show us the way out of the economic meltdown:

Posted on October 16th, 2024

Garvin Karunaratne, Former SLAS, G.A Matara

Express Your Opinion – Read What Others Say!
The Independent Interactive Voice of Sri Lanka on the Internet.

Please visit -: http://www.lankaweb.com/

Sarath Wijesinghe President’s Counsel, former Ambassador to UAE and Israel and President Lanka Ambassadors forum UK /Sri Lanka

War on drugs and organized crime with the underworld

War on drugs has commenced again at a rapid rate in Sri Lanka and world over due to the escalation of drug and crime rates as a result of  fast communication skills,  adopting new modes of transport, capacity to generate large income with risk-taking, and various other methods and channels. The most dangerous aspect of this unfortunate scenario  is the rapid  rate of addiction and the impact on the social life, health, and the economy of the nation and the world over spreading rapidly hiding in international criminal centres in some parts of the world using as ‘’safe havens ‘’with a classic example of Dubai . Dealing in drugs is a crime anywhere and other  sad and dangerous aspect is the connection between drugs and underworld as both work together as the other side of the coin with illegal massive wealth generated from both ways. Drug menace is spread world over due to addiction and high turnover of big money.On previous occasions successive leaders of the country started war on Drugs, Bribery, Corruption and many including the underworld that has been short-lived with no long term results that applies to many parts of the world affected by the menace. Those who will be against the move to eradicate the menace would be the drug dealers, underworld, and bribe takers, godfathers of underworld and politicos who protect them. What prompted the former Minister and former  acting IGP to take  drastic steps   in good faith is the enormity of the menace which unfortunately  short lived on this campaign that  should have started long ago as the cancer is already set in  the entire country  possibly via body politics and connected politicos  in office and underworld with tentacles and network worldwide that  continues freely with blessings from the organized wrongdoers in the backseat of political power. How long this would continue is uncertain as this is not the first occasion such public shows have started by many on many occasions now it is time to   reactivate the process with vigour by those who have pledged a drastic change in the  system. Those who engage in preventive measures  obviously have  enemies  many obstacles  and obstructions to prevent and discourage operations  but encouragement and  blessings   from governance courts, civil society and media  is encouraging. 

Campaigns in right Direction?

When such a campaigns are  carried on the right direction whatever the reason  the right thinking citizen will defenitely  approve whoever  does such things  or taken such steps whatever the reason. Drug dealers in white collars or white clothes of Politicos are suspected to be at the backseat as common man has identified as the god fathers mostly benefited  b the mafia local and international ,who are still  in hiding. All peaceful and peace loving citizens are on pins fearing of life and property of them selves and loved ones with no relief and no hopes in sight with uncertainties affecting the life of the citizen, image of the country and the economy already in the lowest ebb with inflation and cost of rising uncontrolled due to weak governance. Common man or the neighbours fear to complain of the culprits out of fear of death as they show no mercy to informants and the punishment is so quick and severe and certain death and massacre of the family with no hesitation as the human value is so cheap and easy as it is a matter of a cocntract killing promptly executed by drug addicts pleading for more drugs. There appear to be no  relief and hopes on the citizen in fear of the underworld infighting, drug peddling, ransom in all scales, daylight robbery and killings on the road victimizing the young and old equally and we are not alone as many countries go through the same or similar fate in different  ways and degrees on various levels. Traditional and social media is Sr Lanka is still full of news on killings of all kinds drug peddling despite measures taken by the security forces which of course has become the world trend concentrated in some selected vulnerable countries.

International dimensions

 Philippine is a country that suffers from the same fate and President ‘’Rodrigo Dukarits’’ took  tough and drastic steeps to fight against drug and crime directly connected to law and order that has shattered the peace and peaceful living of the citizen that is followed with criticism world over yet no solutions are given or proposed. USA, Nigeria, many Latin American, Asian that includes India, Pakistan,Afghanistan  and many Asian countries go through the same fate helpless with no solution in sight. Fight against is not local it is with the powerful worldwide network with shipping airlines and worldwide organized crime groups and lords involved. Menace has spread and rooted far and wide with serious consequences all corners of the society the citizen has now felt through experience that has reached the doorstep. No one is safe at home or on the road due to the theft and robbery of criminals mostly drug addicts for drugs and murders of innocent civilians are reported in media with a note a drug addict is responsible for the crime which is  a common feature. Killings are common on the road during broad day light most of which are not traced and unresolved yet the detailed investigations reveal that a drug addiction being a root cause at certain stage of the crime. Out of hundreds of sad stories the case of a student of 11 years who stole money from the class teacher to purchase the drug Ice was questioned  by the Police until the person who got the student to addict on the drug as a part of his business was traced and dealing and investigated. This is happenings  near schools to find long term soft targets that shows the gravity of the danger faced on the society. Crime, underworld and drug trade are interconnected and there is elegance and connection to each other. All these need networks and organizations and generally link to each other in some form somewhere. Drug trade and underworld are criminl activities with local and international network linked to each other with necessity and enormous sums involved and all networks are equally powerful. Drug trade is international powerful with drug producing countries and the  network of distribution via air,sea, land post and various other means such as linked to human smuggle and bodily transmission parcel and post with modern IT developments. Drug lords find safe haven with the enormous sums accumulated from drug sale most notable in Dubai where investments of black money and living illegally is possible and some operate from Dubai, India ad the west due to the inefficiency of the Sri Lankan governance and officers and lacuna in the legal system the governance is incompetent or not ready to introduce and implement.

Powerful Worldwide

Drug trade is powerful worldwide especially in some countries and regions the governments are helplessly watching the situations. Sri Lanka we presume has gone too far that needs hard honest and definitive steps to curb or at least minimize the spread of the virous and the civil society is of the view that it is already too late for the fight against drugs that is directly connected to bribery and corruption also always backed by corrupt politicians without which the drug trade will not survive. The news on the fight against the drugs is warrying and horrifying considering the drugs and properties connected to is so huge which is obviously a small fraction of the sums possibly collected and in receipt continuously by sea, air, and many other ways with the leaders are not found yet with no signs or clues of themselves. Definitely this illegal trade can not flourish without the direct and indirect involvement of political godfathers playing a safe game with the enormous sums in the system only a minute fraction is found. Despite the organized suppression initiated by the minster in charge and the acting IGP the surge on killings, drug trade and underworld activities continues freely that is indicated by media and social media often of killing on the road by rival groups and the flourishing drug trade with active participation of the underworld now internalized with the fullest cooperation and pulling back by the drug and underworld lords directly as indirectly by various means with enormous  sums illegally accumulated as shown in the media of finding 3000 million in property and funds found in 6 days.

Drug and underworld Lorde, Corrupt Politicos and Government Servants and Security Forces

These groups individually and as groups responsible for the misery and the plight of the unsafe uncertain and pathetic situation  on the suffering gone through by the citizen in day to day life with no signs of the future and future of the country and the children they love so much. The machinery through which the fight on drugs and crime is the allegedly corrupt politicians, security forces and government servants said to be corrupt and inefficient, is the sad story yet true to be improved and reformed According to the Minister of Justice 45% of the drug confiscated to be turned to be flour in police custody which is worrying and surprising 40000 samples await orders for destruction that too may possibly turn to be flours sooner or later indicattes to what extent the cancer has spread length and beath. This is a classis c example of corruption and inefficient machinery through which the eradication process have to be implemented. Security forces come under departments headed by politicos as a part of the most inefficient government servants a frustrated dissatisfied lot, headed by corrupt politicos  dictated the magnitude of the struggle for justice.

International Network on Air, Sea, Land, Cyber and Other

International network is strong and organized on drugs and crime  of all kinds as it is a most lucrative trade led by super powers dealing in arms trade , many other crimes such as human trafficking, gold and counter smuggling and crimes, trade dealings,and modern hi- tec and practices such as easy cash which used in drug peddlers and ransom takers. International network of Sri Lankan governance is apparently  weaker  than the drug network as in the case of LTTE network more stronger than the government of UN network on anti terror campaign. The detections on airports in various ways are proof of the large scale of illegal import of drugs when the culprits vary the strategies using the power of bribery and corruption as in the other pats of the world with the international network active in operation using Sri Lanka as a Hub. Illicit drug trade on sea is easy in an island such as Sri Lanka when fishing is a main trade and  closeness to India and the opportunities to communicate with the other sailors and the amount of bribery and corruption in the drug trade capable of influencing  the crew of ships and boats with large sums to influence. With media publicity on combatting drug trade and the underworld there appear to be a powerful on the rate of killings and illicit drug trade and it is not known how long will it last and stable with the world network with over 30 culprits stationed in Dubai  India an many other countries active with the local network even vis remand prisons using easy cash and many other means and it is time to break the local and international network with the help of states international organizations and like minded citizens word lover, and it is time for every citizen to be active and vigilant in the fight against drugs and underworld.

Solution to the dangerous menace that  has spread as a cancer all over ?

There is a solution for any difficult issues and situations if there is a will, determination, and aim with a vision which does not appear still  in  sight to date to combat this  menace now in our doorstep, despite the joint effort by world over with the assistance on the United Nations – yet still unsuccessful in many parts of the globe that can not be solved in isolation unless there is a joint effort with consorted affects with determination. Citizen has moved for a change and decided as one for a change with changes in all aeras including peace and peaceful living which is the main aim of a developed human being denied to enjoy due to breakdown of law and order which is the main cause and root of the spread of crime and drug addicts led by war lords and selfish underworld unable to identify yet carrying on regardless. It is time the new governance gives top priority for restoration of law and order and rule of law strictly that will be beneficial to governance and development of the the nation giving equal priority. War on crime, drugs and underworld should be waged by all world citizens alike with a detournement d efforts and a proper plan of action ealiazing the danger everybody is confronted especially when we are on door steps of AI stage with modern platforms and everybody is armed with laptops, computers and large penetration of mobile phones which are most friendly productive and that if mis used especially by the undesirables. It is time UN intervenes with the states that has to be tricked down to the individuals and it is time for a effective and adoptable convention to be adopted that trifles down to the individual citizens. Sarathdw28@gmail.com

Asoka Weerasinghe Gloucester, Ontario. K1J 6G1, 

October 17, 2024

The Editor (Letters)

THE OTTAWA CITIZEN

Pierre Poilievre, it is time that you tell  Liberal Prime Minister Justine Trudeau,

to stop painting  themselves lillywhite about foreign interference,

when we were  interfering in Sri Lanka’s internal ethnic  Eelam war,’letting 

Canadian-Tamil separatists collect two million dollars a month

for13 Liberal years to stuff their  Eelam war chest to buy sophisticated armouries.

.And then let  a Tamil  Tiger separatist cut a cheque in 1994 from a bank 

in Vancouver to pay the Rubizon Chemical Factory in the Ukraine to

purchase 10 tonnes of hexagon,plastic explosives like Semtex; 50 tonnes 

of TNT that were used in the Truck bomb by the Tamil Eelam Terrorists

that brought down the Central Bank Building in Colombo, on January 31,1996.

That bomb killed 114 people and maimed  1,338 others for life.’

Canada is not that innocent and Lillywhite, are we?

Asoka Weerasinghe 

Gloucester, On

by A. Abdul Aziz

Part of being grateful is remembering to express gratitude towards other people. The Prophet of Islam Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, He who does not thank people, does not thank God” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi).

I travelled with my wife from Chennai to Colombo on 10^th September 2024, via FITS AIR – An Aircraft between Colombo / Chennai / Colombo and my Gas Stove (an important kitchen need) was returned back to my daughter’s house, based on the baggage policy of the airline.

I contacted FITS AIR Chennai Office in Nungambakkam on 8^th October 2024.through a letter expressing the plight of non-availability of this important kitchen need and requested to arrange to send it back on FREE OF CHARGE. I submitted all the relevant documents. I was in touch with three officials including a lady officer. Efforts continued and FITS AIR also tried to do their level bast for me.

In the meantime, I wrote a letter to Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Supreme Head (Fifth Khalifa – Caliph) of the World-wide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Islam (to which we belong to), requesting His Holiness to pray for this matter.

By the Grace of God, the Prestige Gas Stove reached into my hand on 14^th October 2024 at Bandaranayake International Airport, Colombo.

My special thanks go to Mr. Ashok Kumar Gangadharan, Asst. Airport Manager, Fits Air, Chennai, Mr. Manimaran M., Customer Service Executive, FITS AIR at International Airport (M.A.A.), Chennai, Mr. Nehal Ahmed, Station Manager, Tamil Nadu and a Lady Officer at Fits Air Office in Nungambakkam, Chennai. This collective team worked hard for this effort came into a success.  Moreover, my special thanks go to my daughter in Chennai as well.

I appreciate all of their efforts, I salute them all, and I say, Thank you Very much indeed. Jazakallah. May God Reward you all.

by A. Abdul Aziz (Source: Al Hakam, London)

Islam believes 124,000 prophets have come before and preached submission to the Creator. These prophets came to different peoples and languages. The Quran only mentions 25 prophets, yet there are many of whom we do not know of. The Quran declares:

And We did send Messengers before thee; of them are some whom We have mentioned to thee, and of them there are some whom We have not mentioned to thee; and it is not possible for any Messenger to bring a Sign except by the leave of Allah. But when Allah’s decree came, the matter was decided with truth, and then there perished those who uttered falsehoods. (Surah al-Mu’min, Ch.40: V.79)

However, as religion is prone to change, alteration and deception, Islam posits that prophethood and religion are a succession that requires newer prophets to revive the faith. It also shows that prophets have come for specific people and specific times. Islam presents itself as the final message for humans in a long line of previous religions that had come before it. So, rather than rejecting previous prophets and religions, Islam is their completion and compilation. 

To understand Islam’s position on other prophets, I will initially present some criteria Islam sets out for identifying a true prophet. Then I will discuss the role of a prophet. By discussing these core points, it will become clear how Islam recognises other prophets and religions.

In Islam, the criterion of a prophet is set out in the Holy Quran. Although there are many factors to consider, I have only mentioned seven different criteria for the sake of brevity.

The character of the Prophet

One must look at the character and life of the claimant of prophethood. The Holy Quran states in several places how each prophet had high moral qualities which were traits that were evident before their claims. Companions, town folk and other people would testify to this wherever it has been recorded. Regarding this, Allah says: 

And that is Our argument which We gave to Abraham against his people. We exalt in degrees of rank whomso We please. Thy Lord is indeed Wise, All-Knowing. And we gave him Isaac and Jacob, each did We guide aright, and Noah did We guide aright aforetime, and of his progeny. David and Solomon and Job and Joseph and Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward those who do good. And (We guided) Zachariah and John and Jesus and Elias, each one of them was of the virtuous. And (We also guided) Ishmael and Elisha and Jonah and Lot; and each one did We exalt above the people.” (Surah al-An’am, Ch.6: V.84-87)

The Five Volume Commentary to Holy Qurán by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad (the second Caliph of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaát) states that these verses point toward three groups of prophets descending from Noah. The first group refers to David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses and Aaron – they were doers of good and were granted power and prosperity. Thus, they were able to grant material good to humanity. The second group consists of Zachariah, John, Jesus and Elias who each lived a humble and lowly life, they were not possessed with worldly goods but were highly virtuous. The third group (Ishmael, Elisha, Jonah and Lot) had no worldly power, but God granted them grace and excellence. In other scriptures, these prophets were alleged to have coveted power and riches. For example, in the Bible, Ishmael is described to be a wild man and that his hand will be against every man (Gen, 16: 12). In the Talmud, Elisha is said to cause a king to be slain after he felt disobeyed. Jonah was also allegedly displeased with God as he was disgraced by the non-fulfilment of his prophecy, which showed he sought power for himself. However, it is the Holy Quran which declares all of these charges to be false. All these prophets were a group of heavenly people of high moral qualities and obedient to God. (The Five Volume Commentary [2018], Vol. 2, p. 890)

A true prophet receives revelation

A true prophet will receive revelation of the unseen, for example through prophecy. Allah says in the Quran: 

(He is the) Knower of the unseen; and He reveals not His secrets to anyone,” Except to a Messenger of His whom He chooses…….”  (Surah Al-Jinn, Ch.72: V.27, 28)

When messengers receive knowledge from the unseen, it acts as both a sign for the people that a God exists, but also as a testament to the truthfulness of the prophet. Whether it is through prophecy or the deliverance of divine scripture, it is divine revelation and secrets of the unseen that distinguish a prophet from other mystics and fortune-tellers. As explained by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, peace be on him (Promised Messiah and Mahdi) the prophecies and knowledge of the unseen communicated to the people by a prophet is of such clarity, quality and quantity, that none can present such a like of it. (In his book: Haqiqatul-Wahi [English], p. 24)

Spreading Tawhid – Oneness of God.

A messenger of Allah calls to the worship of Allah alone (tawhid). It is this call to monotheism and warning against associating partners with Allah that is the fundamental belief of every prophet: 

And We did raise among every people a Messenger, [preaching:] ‘Worship Allah and shun the Evil One.’ Then among them were [some] whom Allah guided and among them were [some] who became deserving of ruin. So travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those who treated [the Prophets] as liars!” (Surah an-Nahl, Ch.16: V.37)

Revelation and prophecy

Consistency with previous revelations and a fulfilment of past prophecies is another element of prophethood. Rather than contradicting previous revelations and prophecies, newer prophets would entirely fulfil the need for prophethood. One example found in the Holy Quran is where Allah affirms His previous word in the Torah through Hazrat Isa^, peace be on him, (Jesus) and Yahya(John the Baptist). 

The Torah prophecy is as follows: See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” (Malachi, 4: 5)

Now, due to this prophecy, one reason the Jews at the time of Hazrat Isarejected the claim of Jesus as their messiah, was because Elijah was required to descend amongst them. However, this did not happen in a physical sense. Elijah was not to be seen descending from the skies, and thus Jesuswas declared a false prophet. In response to the claims of the Jewish scholars, Jesus, peace be on him replied: 

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 11: 12-15)

It is further stated: 

And they asked him, ‘Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?’”

Jesus replied, ‘To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.’” (Mark, 9: 11-15)

Now, the Jews did not accept this. They were adamant about the physical re-appearance of Elijah. Then, it is the Holy Quran that dispels any doubts and testifies to the truth of Jesus, peace be on him, as Allah says: 

And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the chamber: ‘Allah gives thee glad tidings of Yahya, who shall testify to the truth of a word from Allah — noble and chaste and a Prophet, from among the righteous.’” (Surah aal-e-Imran, Ch.3: V.40)

This is just one example demonstrating that these religions represent a continuation of one another. It follows logically that as people, societal norms, politics, global dynamics, and traditions evolve, so too must the Word of God be renewed. Just as institutions, whether human or animal, eventually face change or evolution, so does religion. Over time, scholars, teachers, and external forces contribute to these changes, sometimes distorting a religion from its original form. (Continued)

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Oct 16 (NewsWire) – The government has received Rs. 419 Billion in treasury bills and bond loans, in the 13 days from 02-15 October 2024, former Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Matale District MP Rohini Kavirathna said. 

Issuing a statement, former MP Kavirathna said the government is continuing to take unlimited loans, but the country is not receiving any tangible relief.

The former SJB MP gave the following breakdown of the government’s loans between 02-15 October;

• October 02 – Rs. 142.2 Billion
• October 09 – Rs. 85 Billion
• October 11 – Rs. 95 Billion
• October 15 – Rs. 97 Billion 

She further said that in the last few days, the government has been spending Rs. 32.23 billion each, which means Rs. 1.34 billion per hour.

The former MP called on the government to clarify what investments were made using these funds. 

Tags: Sri Lanka

Jayati Ghosh and Kanchana N. Ruwanpura Courtesy The Jordan Times

COLOMBO — More than a year after the mass protest movement known as the Aragalaya ousted Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lankans have once again taken to the streets.

The impetus for the resurgence of public discontent is the recent bailout agreement between the International Monetary Fund and President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government. The deal, which aims to address the country’s ongoing balance-of-payments crisis, offers Sri Lanka less than $3 billion over four years, a tiny fraction of what the country needs to meet its debt-servicing requirements and just one-sixth of its foreign-exchange earnings, which amounted to roughly $18 billion in 2022.

In exchange for this emergency loan, the IMF imposed a series of conditions that have significantly exacerbated Sri Lanka’s wage and cost-of-living crises. The mandated shift to market exchange rates, in particular, immediately led to a sharp currency devaluation, causing imported fuel and food prices to skyrocket and contributing to a 165 per cent increase in electricity tariffs between June 2022 and February 2023.

As fiscal restraints were imposed, the economy continued to spiral down, with GDP shrinking by 7.8 per cent in 2022 and 11.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2023. This has had an adverse impact on employment, livelihoods, and the viability of small and medium-size enterprises. Consequently, real wages fell by 30-50 per cent in 2022 and have remained stagnant.

Despite paying lip service to the importance of combating corruption and curbing illicit financial flows, the IMF plan falls short of tackling these issues effectively. Although it includes a modest increase in corporate income taxes, it neglects the possibility of imposing wealth taxes. Moreover, its focus on highly regressive measures, such as nearly doubling the value-added tax to 15 per cent, means that the bulk of additional revenues will be generated through indirect taxes that disproportionately affect ordinary people.

The current wave of protests is partly a reaction to the government’s decision to comply with the IMF’s demand to restructure both external and domestic debt. Instead of focusing on lowering the external debt to a sustainable level, however, the agreement aims to bring down total debt, thereby reducing the haircut imposed on foreign creditors to just 30 per cent.

This has exacerbated the crisis and is difficult to justify. In countries that do not issue global reserve currencies, there is a clear distinction between domestic and external debt. Governments can and do service domestic debt using their own currencies, the supply of which is controlled by their central banks. By contrast, foreign currency-denominated debt necessitates either foreign-exchange earnings or new borrowing.

Sri Lanka’s crisis is largely the result of the country’s inability to service its external debt due to insufficient foreign-currency reserves. Since 2016, the government has preferred to take on new international loans, primarily from private lenders, to repay its foreign creditors, including bilateral and multilateral lenders. In early 2022, the government chose to default on its foreign loans rather than explore alternative solutions.

But restructuring domestic debt in an economy already in decline is both painful and unnecessary. Sri Lanka’s domestic debt is held by various entities, including the central bank, commercial banks, and pension funds. Given that the country’s banking system is already severely weakened, pension funds will almost certainly bear the brunt of the expected adjustment.

This will have a significant impact on the retirement savings of workers who have already been hit by massive price increases. By reducing the interest rates on sovereign bonds held by Sri Lanka’s largest pension funds from more than 20 per cent to 12 per cent, and then to 9 per cent from 2025 until maturity, the government aims to reduce its interest burden by 0.5 percentage points of GDP annually.

Recent estimates by Ahilan Kadirgamar suggest that this will result in a 30 per cent decline in the value of retirement funds a decade from now. Moreover, these pension funds, often holding the only financial assets of working people, will be subject to a 30 per cent tax on their returns, higher than the tax rate applied to many in the corporate sector.

Many workers whose life savings are invested in these retirement funds earn wage incomes well below the minimum taxable rate. This includes workers who face numerous intersecting deprivations stemming from gender and ethnic discrimination, such as women employed in the garment industry and tea-plantation workers, especially those from minority Tamil groups.

These groups have already experienced an alarming decline in living standards. Nearly 56 per cent of Sri Lanka’s 22.2 million people are now grappling with multidimensional vulnerabilities, with women and girls being the hardest hit. Official estimates suggest that roughly 43 per cent of children under the age of five suffer from malnutrition, as do a growing number of pregnant and lactating women.

By targeting the meager pension funds of Sri Lanka’s wage workers, the government’s domestic-debt restructuring plan is likely to exacerbate existing class, gender, and ethnic inequalities. With their hard-earned savings eroded, poverty-level workers will be pushed further into destitution.

Meanwhile, the adjustment process relies heavily on the unpaid labor of women who continue to provide care in the face of austerity and diminishing social services. The plight of working-class Sri Lankan women underscores the clearly gendered effects of the county’s debt crises and the government’s approach to tackling them.

A genuine resolution to Sri Lanka’s prolonged economic crisis would require a dramatic change in strategy. To bring about a robust economic recovery, the government and the IMF must focus on improving the lives of working people rather than imposing on them the burden of adjustment.

Jayati Ghosh, professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is a member of the Club of Rome’s Transformational Economics Commission. Kanchana N. Ruwanpura, professor of Development Geography at the University of Gothenburg, is a member of the coordinating collective of the virtual and voluntary initiative Institute of Political Economy in Sri Lanka. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2023. www.project-syndicate.org

උපුටා ගැන්ම  ලංකා ලීඩර්

ජනාධිපතිවරණයට පෙර ජාතික ජන බලවේගය ජනතාවට මොනතරම් පොරොන්දු දුන්නත් බලයට පත් වූ පසුව ජනාධිපති අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක අනුගමනය කරන්නේත් රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහගේ ආර්ථික ප්‍රතිපත්තියම බව කොළඹ විශ්වවිද්‍යාලයේ ආර්ථික විද්‍යා අධ්‍යයන අංශයේ ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ කථිකාචාර්යල ආචාර්ය ප්‍රියංග දුණුසිංහ මහතා පවසයි.

ඒ අනුව මැතිවරණ පොරොන්දු දැනටමත් කඩ කර අවසන් නමුත් එය රට පැත්තෙන් ඉතා යහපත් බවත් හෙතෙම කියා සිටී.

“ජනාධිපතිවරණයට පෙර මැතිවරණ වේදිකාවල සිට ජාතික ජන බලවේගය ජනතාවට විවිධ පොරොන්දු දුන්නා. විශේෂයෙන්ම ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදලට අදාළව ණය තිරසරභාවය පිළිබඳව විකල්ප විශ්ලේෂණයකට යනවා කියලා ඔවුන් කිව්වා. නමුත් මේ වනතුරු ඔවුන් එවැනි විකල්ප විශ්ලේෂණයකට යොමුවෙලා නැහැ. ඒ වගේම ණය ප්‍රතිව්‍යුහගතකරණ ක්‍රියාවලියට අදාළ වෙනස්කම් සිදුකිරීම සඳහා ඔවුන් මැදිහත් වෙන්නෙත් නෑ. ඒ බව ඉතාම පැහැදිලියි. ඒ නිසා ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදලේ ගිවිසුමේ සඳහන් දේවල් කිසිම වෙනසකින් තොරව ඉදිරියට ගමන් කරනවා.

ඉදිරියේදී ඇතිවිය හැකි ප්‍රධාන වෙනස්කමක් හැටියට උපයන විට ගෙවන බද්දට අදාළව වෙනස්කම් හඳුන්වා දෙන්න පුළුවන්. නමුත් මීට පෙර පැවැති රජය ඉදිරිපත් කළ කාරණා තමයි එහිදීත් මූලිකව සිද්ධවීමට නියමිතව තියෙන්නේ. ජනාධිපතිවරණය ආසන්නයේදී රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහත්මයා මීට අදාළ යෝජනා ඉදිරිපත් කළා. ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදලෙනුත් ඒ සඳහා එකඟතාවය හිමි වුණා. ඒ වෙනස්කම් සහ තවත් බදු සහන කිහිපයක් තමයි ඉදිරියේදී මූලික වශයෙන් ලැබීමට නියමිතව තියෙන්නේ.

ඒ අනුව ජනාධිපතිවරණයට පෙර ජාතික ජන බලවේගය ආර්ථිකය සහ ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදල සම්බන්ධයෙන් මොන අදහස් ඉදිරිපත් කළත්, ජනතාවට මොන පොරොන්දු දුන්නත් ඔවුන් ඒ කිසිවක් ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන්න ඉදිරිපත් වෙලා නෑ කියලා අවබෝධ වෙනවා.

දේශපාලනිකව බැලුවොත් වත්මන් ජනාධිපතිවරයා ජනාධිපතිවරණයට පෙර ජනතාවට දුන් පොරොන්දු කඩකරලා කියලා කියන්න පුළුවන්. නමුත් ආර්ථිකය පැත්තෙන් බැලුවාම ඔහු අනුගමනය කරන ක්‍රමවේදයේ වරදක් තියෙනවා කියලා මට නම් හිතෙන්නේ නෑ. ඔහුගේ ක්‍රියාකලාපය ආර්ථිකය පැත්තෙන් ඉතාමත් යහපත් ප්‍රතිඵල ගෙන දෙනවා යන්නයි මගේ අදහස. කොහොම වුණත් පවතින ආර්ථික ප්‍රතිපත්තිය, ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදල සමග එකඟ වී ඇති ගිවිසුම ආදිය වෙනස් කරන්න ඡන්ද දායකයින් තුළ බලාපොරොත්තුවක් තිබුණානම්, දැනට තියෙන තත්ත්වය අනුව නම් ඔවුන්ගේ ඒ බලාපොරොත්තුව ඉටුවන බවක් පේන්නේ නෑ.

වත්මන් ජනාධිපති අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන්නේත් මීට පෙර රජයේ තිබූ ආර්ථික ප්‍රතිපත්තියමයි. ඒ අනුව වත්මන් ජනාධිපතිවරයාත් හිටපු ජනාධිපති රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහගේ ආර්ථික ප්‍රතිපත්තියට එකඟ වෙනවා කියන කාරණාව පැහැදිලි වෙනවා. මේ රටේ ආර්ථිකය තිරසර කරගැනීමට නම් මින් පෙර පැවැති ආර්ථික ප්‍රතිපත්තිය තවදුරටත් ඉදිරියට ගෙන යා යුතුයි කියන මූලික පදනමේ සිටිමින් තමයි නව ජනාධිපතිවරයා කටයුතු කරන්නෙත්. මැතිවරණ වේදිකාවේදී මොන පොරොන්දු දුන්නත්, පවතින තත්ත්වය අනුව පෙර රජය කටයුතු කළ ආකාරයට ආර්ථිකය පවත්වාගෙන නොගියොත් නැවැතත් ආර්ථික අර්බුදයක් ඇතිවිය හැකි බව ජනාධිපතිවරයා ඇතුළු පිරිස වටහාගෙන තියෙනවා. ඒ වටහා ගැනීම ඉතාමත් යෝග්‍යයි.

එමෙන්ම තවදුරටත් ආර්ථික කටයුතු කරගෙන යාම සඳහා මුදල් අමාත්‍යංශයේ ලේකම්වරයාට සහ මහ බැංකු අධිපතිවරයාට අවස්ථාව ලබාදීලා තියෙනවා. ඒ නිලධාරීන් කාලාන්තරයක් තිස්සේම ඔවුන්ගේ වටිනා සේවය රටට ලබාදුන්නා. තවදුරටත් ඔවුන්ගේ සේවය මේ රටට අවශ්‍යයි. මේ නිලධාරීන් තමයි රටේ ආර්ථිකය සම්බන්ධයෙන් බොහොමයක් තීන්දු තීරණ ගත්තේ සහ සාකච්ඡාවලට සම්බන්ධ වුණේ. ඔවුන්ට ඉහළ වෘත්තීමය සුදුසුකම් සහ අත්දැකීම් තියෙනවා. ඒ නිසා ඔවුන්ගේ සේවය ලබාගැනීමට ජනාධිපතිවරයා ගත් තීරණයත් අගය කළ යුතුයි.

ඒ වගේම අදානි සමාගම සමග එකඟ වී තිබෙන සුළං විදුලි බලයට අදාළ ව්‍යාපෘතිය නවත්තනවා කියලත් ජනාධිපතිවරණයට පෙර ජාතික ජන බලවේගය කිව්වා. නමුත් ඔවුන්ගේ ඒ ස්ථාවරය දැන් වෙනස් වෙලා. ඒ පිළිබඳව පසු විපරමක් කිරීමට තීරණය කිරීමත් සාධනීය ලක්‍ෂණයක්.”

2024-10-17

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, October 17 (Daily Mirror) – While pointing out how Ministers rob government assets, former President Maithripala Sirisena noted that Ministers cannot steal without the knowledge of their secretaries and chief accountants.

Addressing the 45th National Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka), he stated that later, the secretaries and chief accountants begin to follow the Minister’s example, and this practice trickles down to lower levels as well.

Meanwhile, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that, except for unsolicited procurement, all other procurement processes must go through the Ministry Secretaries.

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga mentioned that an institute called the National Procurement Agency was formed during her government to oversee all procurements. The most trustworthy officials in the country were appointed to this agency.

They did not become corrupt, but unfortunately, they were removed along with the agency by the government that came to power afterward.

Courtesy Adaderana

The leader of the United National Party (UNP), former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has called on voters to elect to the Parliament candidates with proven experience in managing economic crises as the country faces ongoing challenges. 

Making a special statement ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election, Wickremesinghe emphasized that those who have worked with him over the past two years are best suited to guide the nation forward.

In these difficult times, it is vital that we have leaders in Parliament who know how to handle an economic crisis. Whether you are in the opposition or part of the government, without this experience, you will fail to meet the country’s goals,” Wickremesinghe said.

I urge the supporters of all political parties to vote for our experienced candidates,” he added.

Wickremesinghe also made a special appeal to those who did not vote in the previous election that in order to solve the country’s economic problem and move forward, the experienced people should be in the Parliament. 

He stressed that the future of the country depends on electing leaders with the right skills to solve the economic issues and ensure the nation’s recovery.

Highlighting his leadership in the previous presidential election, where he ran under the symbol of the ‘gas cylinder’ with broad support from representatives of diverse political parties including the UNP, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), and other political groups, Wickremesinghe noted that this coalition continues to stand strong. 

A portion of those MPs and UNP officials who worked with me are now joining together in this election under the ‘New Democratic Front’. With their experience and dedication, they will ensure the success of this new parliamentary term,” he added.

Wickremesinghe concluded his statement by urging citizens to cast their valuable vote for the candidates with the expertise to lead the nation through this crucial period, stating, If we succeed in this effort, we can rebuild the country and secure a better future for all.”