අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන මහතාගේ ප්‍රධානත්වයෙන්, බුද්ධශාසන හා ආගමික කටයුතු අමාත්‍ය විදුර වික්‍රමනායක මහතා සහ විපක්ෂ නායක සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස මහතාගේ  සහභාගිත්වයෙන් බුද්ධශාසන අරමුදලේ  සාමාජිකයෝ 2023.03.24 දින කොළඹ අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය කාර්යාලයේදී රැස්වුහ.

මෙහිදී බුද්ධ ශාසන අරමුදලේ වත්මන් තත්වය, පසුවිපරම හා ප්‍රගතිය පිළිබඳ පිරික්සින.  
එමෙන්ම බුද්ධ ශාසනයේ, භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේගේ, විහාරස්ථාන ඇතුළු බෞද්ධ සිද්ධස්ථානයන්හි උන්නතිය වෙනුවෙන් වන මතු යෝජනා පිළිබඳව සාකච්ඡාවට බඳුන් විය.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය ලේකම් අනුර දිසානායක, බුද්ධශාසන හා ආගමික කටයුතු අමාත්‍යංශයේ ලේකම් සෝමරත්න විදානපතිරණ, වැඩ බලන මහ භාරකාර . එම්. නාලිකා, රාජ්‍ය ව්‍යවසාය දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව අධ්‍යක්ෂක ආර්.ඒ.එල්. උදය කුමාර යන කමිටු සාමාජිකයෝ මෙම අවස්ථාවට එක්වුහ.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා මේ බව සඳහන් කළේ මහ කන්නයේ රජයේ වී මිලදී ගැනීම් සහ වී බැහැර කිරීම් වැඩසටහන යටතේ අඩු ආදායම්ලාභීන්ට නොමිලේ සහල් බෙදාහැරීම 2023.03.26 දින මහරගමදී සිදු කළ අවස්ථාවේදී ය.

එහිදී  අදහස් දැක්වූ අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය වරයා –

අස්වැන්න කපා රටේ අස්වැන්න අඩු ප්‍රදේශ වලට  ලබා දීමේ හැකියාව දැන් ලැබී තිබේ . විශේෂයෙන් සහල් අතින් විශාල ඉදිරි පියවරක්  තැබීමට හැකි වී ඇත. ගොවි ජනතාවට  මුහුණ දීමට සිදුවුණු විවිධ ගැටලු ප්‍රමුඛතා කරුණු අතරට ගනිමින් ලිහිල් කිරීමට රජය ක්‍රියා කළේය.

 විශාල හැකියාවක් විස්වාසයක් ඇති අපේ රටේ ගොවි ජනතාව මහපොළොවෙන් සහල් නිෂ්පාදනය කරන්නට පුළුවන්කම ඇති කළා. ඒ සමඟම ඔබද අපද ජීවත්වන සෑම  ග්‍රාම සේවක කොට්ටාශයකම  ගමින් ගමට ඇති ගෙවතු වගාව වැඩි කිරීමට  උනන්දුව ඇති කරන්නට  කටයුතු දියත් කළා.

ඒ වෙනුවෙන් මහරගම ප්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම් කාර්යාලයත් ග්‍රාමසේවක කොට්ඨාස හතළිස් එක්කමත් යොමුවීම ගැන ස්තුතිවන්ත වෙනවා.
 ග්‍රාමසේවක කොට්ඨාස වල ජීවත් වන සැමට  අලූත් උත්සාහයකට එක්වෙන්නට පුළුවන්කම ලැබුණා.අපි කුමක් හෝ දෙයක් වගා කරලා එහි ඵලය ඉක්මනින් භුක්ති විඳින්නට පුළුවන් මහා පින්වන්ත ජාතියක්.

වැඩි වුනොත් දවස් හැටයි යන්නේ. දවස් හැටෙන් කුමක් හෝ දෙයක් මේ මහ පොළොවෙ පැල කළොත් වගා කළොත් පල නෙළන්නට පුළුවන් මහ පොළොවක් අපේ මහපොළොව.
ප්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම් කාර්යාලයේ නිලධාරින්  මෙන්ම ගමින් ගමට ගෙවතු වගාවෙන් එක් වුනු සෑම නිවහන කම  සියලුදෙනාටම අපි අපේ ගෞරවය කෘතවේදීත්වය පිරිනැමේ.

දිස්ත්‍රික්කයට අවශ්‍ය තරමට වඩා අතිරික්තයක් තියෙන තවත් දිස්ත්‍රික්කයකට යවන්නට පුලුවන් කමක් ඇති තත්ත්වයට හම්බන්තොට දිස්ත්‍රික්කය පත්කිරීමට හැකිවීම සුවිශේෂී තත්ත්වයක්.දකුණු පළාතේ  ගොවි ජනතාව සමග  ගිය සතියෙ මේ පිළිබඳව දීර්ඝ වශයෙන් සාකච්ඡා කළ බව අගමැතිවරයා කීවේය.

ඒ දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ අතිරික්තය කොළඹ දිස්ත්‍රික්කයට එවීම සඳහා එකඟ වීමත් සමඟ අපේ දිසාපති තුමා විසින් එය සම්බන්ධීකරණය කොට ජනාධිපතිතුමාගේ තීරණය පරිදි අඩු ආදායම්ලාභී ආහාර දුෂ්කරතාවයන්ට මුහුණ දෙන හැම පවුලකටම   සහල්  ප්‍රමාණයක්  ලබාදීමේ වැඩපිළිවෙළ ආරම්භ කරන්නට පුළුවන් වීම සැබැවින්ම ජයග්‍රහණයක්.


අපි හුඟක් කෑගහනව වාහන වලට දෙන තෙල් ප්‍රමාණය මදි කියලා. වාහන වලට දෙන තෙල් ප්‍රමාණය පුච්චනවා. එය පිටරටින් අපි ගේන්නේ. ඒකට විදේශ විනිමය අවශ්‍යයි.ඒක පුච්චන දෙයක්. නමුත් සහල් ගොවි ජනතාව නිෂ්පාදනය කලාම එය තවත් අඩුවෙන් තියෙන තැන්වලට ප්‍රදේශවලට ලබා දෙන්න පුළුවන්කම ලැබෙනවා.

කෙසේ හෝ අපි රටේ තිබුණු මූලික ගැටළු   විසඳාගෙන රටවැසියාට හොඳ හෙට දවසක් ගොඩනැගීම සඳහා කැපවිය යුතුය. මහජන මන්ත්‍රීවරයා ලෙස හතලිස් අවුරුද්දක් මහරගම ජනතාව සමඟ මම වැඩ කරලා තිබෙනවා.අපට දිය හැකි සෑම සහයෝගයක් ම වැඩිහිටියන් තරුණයන් බාලයන්ට ලබාදීමට ක්‍රියා කෙරේ.

 දේශපාලන මත භේදයක් නොමැතිව එම සේවා ඔබ වෙනුවෙන් එදා වගේ අදත් ඉෂ්ට කිරීමට අප බැඳී සිටි.සහයෝගයෙන් එකමුතුවෙන් අත්වැල් බැඳගෙන අපේ රට මේ මුහුණ දෙන අමාරු කාලය අපි පසු කරමු. ඒ විශ්වාසයේ මගට අප අද පැමිණ තිබේ .අපට ජාත්‍යන්තරව ලෝකයේ රටවල් සියල්ලම පාහේ දැන් උදව් දෙන්න පුළුවන්කම ප්‍රකාශ කරලා තියෙනවා.

 වත්මන් රජයේ ප්‍රතිපත්ති හේතුවෙන් විදේශ රටවල් සමඟ බැංකු සමග ගනුදෙනු කිරීමේ  පුළුල් අවස්ථාව දැන් උදා වී තිබේ.ගනුදෙනු නවතා තිබුණු සෑම බැංකුවක් ම  සහාය පළ කර ඇත.හැම බැංකුවක්ම ඉකුත් සතියේ සිට මෙරට බැංකු සමග ක්‍රියා කරන තීරණය අපේ රට ගොඩ ගැනීමේ ක්‍රියාදාමයේ  පළමු  ජයග්‍රහණයයි.

 ඉදිරියේ දී  භාණ්ඩ ආනයනය ට තිබෙන නීති ලිහිල් කොට  තවත් ජීවන වියදම සැහැල්ලු කිරීමට දරන උත්සාහය සාර්ථක කරන්නට අපි කැපවී වැඩ කරමු.

තමුන්නාන්සේලාගේ මහා ජන වරමෙන් පාර්ලිමේන්තු ගිය මන්ත්‍රීවරයෙක් ලෙස අපේ  රටේ ඉතිහාසයේ ලොකුම අන්තරාව ට වැටුණු වෙලාවේ තමයි අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය ධූරය මම භාරගත්තේ.
ජනාධිපතිතුමා ජනාධිපති ධූරය බාර ගත්තේ.

 ඒ ඔබත් අපත් රටත් මේ අර්බුදයෙන් ගොඩ ගෙන යළිත් රටට ඒ විශ්වාසනීය මාර්ගය සකසා දෙන්නටයි. අඩු  ආදායම්ලාභීන් පිළිබඳව මේ කරගෙන යන තොරතුරු එකතු කිරීමේ වැඩපිළිවෙළ හමාර වූ  වහාම එම දීමනාව වැඩිකිරීම සඳහා රජය ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදල සමග සාකච්ඡා ආරම්භ කරලා තියෙනවා.

අද ආරම්භ කළ මේ වැඩසටහන ලංකාවේ සෑම දිස්ත්‍රික්කයක ම ග්‍රාමසේවක  කොට්ඨාශ කිහිපයකින් හෝ ආරම්භ කර ඉදිරි දින කිහිපයේ දී නිමාවට පත් කරන්නට අපට පුළුවන්කම ලැබේවි.මේක අපේ ගොවි ජනතාව  ලබාදුන් ජයග්‍රහණයක්. රටින් ගෙනල්ලා නෙවෙයි. එය ආඩම්බරයෙන් සතුටින් භුක්ති විදින්නට කටයුතු කරන්න කියන ටික සඳහන් කරනවා.
පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී යදාමිණි  ගුණවර්ධන, හිටපු පළාත් සභා මන්ත්‍රීවරුන් වන උපාලි කොඩිකාර, සලෝචන ගමගේ, කොළඹ දිසාපති කේ.ජී විජේසිරි, මහරගම  ප්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම්   දිල්රුක්ෂි  වල්පොල ඇතුළු නිලධාරීන් මෙම අවස්ථාවට සහභාගි වූහ.


අග්‍රමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය.

BasicEconomics

Courtesy Livemint

President Wickremesinghe provided his insights on the early implementation of these initiatives when the delegation led by Pankaj Jain, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Natural Gas, met him, the Indian High Commission here said.

A high-level Indian delegation called on Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe here on Sunday and briefed him on the developments in the jointly-identified priority areas for bilateral collaboration in the crucial energy sector.

President Wickremesinghe provided his insights on the early implementation of these initiatives when the delegation led by Pankaj Jain, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Natural Gas, met him, the Indian High Commission here said.

It said India would gift Sri Lanka 500 solar-powered indoor cooking systems.

The Lanka India Oil Company (LIOC), the local operator of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), said the visiting Secretary to the ministry of power and natural gas Jain and Chairman IOC Shrikant Madhav Vaidya had earlier visited the Trincomalee eastern Sri Lanka’s IOC terminal.

Sri Lanka and India run a joint venture storing fuel in the World War II time storage tanks in Trincomalee.

In January last year, Sri Lanka formally signed an agreement with India to jointly develop the oil tank farms in Trincomalee. The joint venture was finalised amid growing concerns over China’s influence in the island nation.

Jain had inaugurated three new LIOC retail fuel sheds in their ongoing expansion whilst addressing the chamber of commerce and attended a meeting of chief executive officers of leading Indian businesses based in Sri Lanka.

Chairman IOC Vaidya said he was delighted to have met former World Cup-winning Sri Lankan cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga.

The top-level Indian delegation on the petroleum sector is expected to have extensive talks with their Lankan counterparts for further collaboration, LIOC said.

Courtesy The Morning

• First ferry from Pondicherry due end of April
• $ 50 one way ticket, 100 Kg luggage allowance

A new passenger terminal at Kankesanturai (KKS) port, built at a cost of Rs 144 million is to be completed by the second week of April, with the first ferry from the Indian port of Karaikal, in Pondicherry expected on 29 April.

According to the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation, Nimal Siripala de Silva, the first ferry line of the new ferry service between Pondicherry and Kankesanthurai (KKS) is scheduled to call on 29 April 2023.

According to Minister Siripala, the passenger terminal is built at the KKS port, with funding of Rs. 144 million from the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA). The total construction of the new terminal has been entrusted to be carried out by the Sri Lanka Navy.

It is learnt that basic constructions of the passenger terminal have already been begun by the SL Navy with work expected to complete by the second week of April.

According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Aviation, ferry service owners have revealed that $ 50 will be charged from a passenger for a one way trip, and each passenger will be afforded a baggage of 100 kg.

A ferry will carry 150 passengers at a time, and will take around 4 hour’s journey from Karaikal Port to KKS. Ferry Service owners emphasised that only day time operations will be in effect during the first stage of operations” a ministry official said.

Minister Siripala also said that with the launch of the new ferry service, the expansion activities of the KKS port are expedited. Since the credit grant facility granted by India for these constructions at present is insufficient, an additional credit facility of $ 16 million has been requested from the Indian Exim Bank,” Minister Siripala explained. 

Courtesy Adaderana

The Committee on Public Enterprise (COPE) has investigated numerous cases of procedural impropriety and financial misappropriation at the University of Peradeniya. 

This comes in the wake of an evaluation of current performance and status of issues raised in the Auditor General’s report from 2020 and 2021.

The COPE Chairman, Professor Ranjith Bandara attributed the lack of financial accountability and the execution of past directives due to the non -participation of members of the Audit and Management Committee. 

Salient questions were asked of the University hierarchy who were present as to what would motivate these individuals to abscond proceedings with massive amounts of monies that are not properly accounted for.

1.Scrutiny into payment of salaries by staff in violation of attendance frequency

The Committee further queried the violation of a University Grants Commission circular in University Academic support staff presenting their attendance record. The committee requested that procedure be immediately implemented to address this violation. 

Concurrently, an issue was also raised about lecturers who go overseas for study through scholarships received through the government and have dues owed to the universities. The Committee directed that these dues need to be effectively collected and advised the University Grants Commission to give them direction to come back to Sri Lanka and serve within the universities domestically for at least a period of 5 years following their overseas training.

2.Inquiry into unsubstantiated expenses incurred by the University Board

Numerous financial misappropriation issues were addressed. Some of which included the rationale behind the purchase of table tennis tables which cost less than what was actually disbursed. On a similar note, the Chairman of the Committee also requested the physical presence of the director who authorized the renovations of the Arunachalam and Wijewardena Campus hostels for clarification as to the large sums of money that had been allocated accordingly. The Chair further addressed the compulsory leave and subsequent dismissal of the former Registrar without so much as an inquiry into the mismanagement of funds.

3.Inquiry into funds allocated and rents not collected by the University for various buildings under its purview, with a timeline by the Committee on restitutive measures.

With regards to building projects around the campus, the Chairman directed the Vice Chancellor to appoint a committee to look into the foundation of the central building of the engineering faculty due to subsequent costs incurred as a result of improper due diligence and utilise a deposit the University already has to begin putting up a structure on the existing foundation. Concurrently a purported art gallery which is in dilapidated condition was directed by the committee to be renovated per the University’s plans expeditiously with an update to be furnished within 30 days. 

The Chairman also requested the Survey General’s support in ensuring that lands conferred to the University of Peradeniya would not be encroached on.

Discrepancy regarding uncollected rent from buildings owned by the University leased to the Samurdhi ministry was addressed. The Chairman of the Committee directed the university to either revise the owed rent from the Valuation Department or request the Samurdhi Director General to hand the property back to the University. The timeline for this was 06 months to review and collect all outstanding dues.

4.Attention to a purported software system that is yet to come online.

The Committee queried the continual payment of a license fee for a software system which purportedly was built for use. The Chairman pointed out that software systems that collect a subscription are ones that are already existing with the option to modify it. With the project originally set to be completed by almost 04 years ago, the Chairman directed the Board to resolve this expeditiously and provide an update of proceedings within the next 30 days. 

The meeting was adjourned with the revelation that the 0.01% of revenue generated through self-funding activity has not been disbursed to any university from January 2018 to date. 

Follow up to all matters to ensure real-time accountability will take place in 03 months from now per the direction of the Chairman of the Committee.

Courtesy Adaderana

Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera says that the programme to distribute rice free of charge for 2.9 million families will commence tomorrow (March 27).

Thus, the government has planned to distribute the paddy bought from farmers during this Maha season after converting them into rice.

The Agricultural Minister also highlighted that the government has decided to provide 10 kilograms of free rice per family for 02 months.

Furthermore, the free rice distribution will take place in several districts including Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kandy, Ratnapura, Galle and Matara as per the requests, the minister said.

Courtesy Adaderana

Minister of Transport and Highways Bandula Gunawardene states that permission will be granted for anyone to carry out trade activities on the sides of the roads in all parts of the island during the upcoming New Year festive season.

Joining an event held in Galle, the minister expressed that the producers will be allowed to sell their goods on the sides of the roads temporarily, from April 01 to April 18.

So far, we have reserved such special locations on the sides of the roads for selling garment items in several places including Maharagama city.”

Accordingly, we will grant the opportunity for the producers who are temporarily engaged in self-employment to sell their products directly to the consumers in the same way in other parts of the country until the end of the festival season”, he said

Furthermore, Minister Gunawardene also emphasized that the manufacturers are temporarily entitled to this permission to sell their products on the sides of the roads without making permanent constructions in the specific areas with the approval and supervision of the Divisional Secretary of the respective area.

Shenali D Waduge

The JVP of present day is the opposite of the JVP as per the ideology of its founder Rohana Wijeweera. This is why, the JVP present day stalwarts have nothing to do with the Wijeweera family. So what is the ideology that the present day JVP promotes? In all reality, they too do not understand what they stand for. Take the speeches or statements of the main polit bureau leaders – they are controversial & conflict with each other and even themselves. Adding to the malady is the entrance of the NPP that unabashedly promotes neo-liberalism thus subtly forcing us to conclude that the masterminds & sponsors of JVP propose to slowly replace JVP with NPP under a new leadership & new account to kickstart another phase of anti-social & anti-national agenda.

While it is everyone’s guess where JVP gets its funds from though it is clear that a large diaspora network contribute to it regularly, in view of JVP’s history of plugging itself to the government in power, it must be recipient of foreign intel funding as well. Clearly JVP has funds from different sources to be used for a variety of causes. This is where their ambiguity lies and thus the conflicts of interest & their inability to focus on a national plan other than  following orders of those that fund them.

Having understood the funding aspect & its influence over JVP leadership, we need to look at the operational change of the JVP from its violent past to the indoctrination that is taking place teamed up with another breakaway faction the peratugami. Though we may presume or we are made to believe these two entities oppose each other, in more ways than one, they follow the same objectives.

To briefly recapture the past JVP for the many who think JVP are angels – it was not too long ago that the JVP took to arms, killed police, armed forces, even their parents, used a chit of paper to put every house & business into darkness, burnt transformers, buses and even attempted to blow the sacred Dalada Maligawa. Scores of youth are in their graves because of JVP having fallen prey to their ideology of violence.

Fast forward to present – JVP has scaled its way from indoctrinating the youth in universities, impeding their education & bringing them to streets for political protests to now setting base in villages where they are preying on innocent Sinhala Buddhist families.

The modus operandi if JVP in these villages are

• Identifying Sinhala Buddhist families & filtering them into various classes – rich middle class-poor & their political affiliation
• TARGETING FAMILES: Targeting Rich Sinhala Buddhist families & forming illicit relationships with school-going girls or boys using JVP cadres & eloping with the underaged child & then returning home where parents are forced to give away their cherished child in marriage to the JVPer. This strategy is used to claim lands, inheritances & politically influence families who are not JVP. This negates the political affiliation of the family while also taking over the decision making within the family traumatizing innocent families into submission. JVP also influences families to distance themselves from the cultural, rituals & values that Sinhala Buddhists have followed traditionally. What the colonial British aspired to do, the JVP are given the baton to complete.
• TARGETING TEMPLES: Next the modus operandi is to target the village temple & bring allegations against the Temple thero to the point that he is chased away or has to flee. The replacement is a JVP thero” who influences the Sinhala Buddhist families who are subtly drawn away from their historical ties to Buddhism. This is part of the niraagamikarana” plan of the JVP funded by the Born Again/Catholic Action/Church factions that influence JVP segments.
• SCHOOLS: Gifting books, joining shramadana & any other school related activity enables the JVP to influence the Principal & Teachers & dictates to them what happens in school and the type of events that should be held.
• CULTURE & SPORTS: youth & young adults are next targets by using traditional songs & cultures but behind the scene influenced by JVP. This taps their talents & steers this under the stewardship of the JVP – making these youth indebted to the JVP for their growth & development & thus trapping them thereafter by presenting themselves as being so concerned about these youth. It is a pseudo concern but these youngsters are caught to JVP indoctrination.
• JVP is the kingpin in these villages – their groups are at the forefront of every death, virtually taking over the entire proceedings of the funeral – they do everything except embalming the dead. The grieving family have no choice but to look on as JVP place their flags, do their speeches & influence all who come simply because they are the first to come & force themselves upon grieving families to pay for the funeral.
• JVP also influences businesses: by either influencing the workers not to work & demand more daily wages & perks or by threatening the business owners. This scare tactics previously done violently are done in subtle ways.
• JVP also take over village activities from shramadana to avurudu kreeda 

• JVP is now even commemorating the soldiers (completely ignoring they have yet to acknowledge & compensate for the many soldiers/police & their family members killed by JVP) This is to break up the patriotism embedded in soldiers & their families & break one of the key pillars that holds this nation together.
• JVP slogans & speakers: We are all well aware of JVP’s ability to organize & talents in slogans & these are used to psychologically influence people. Speakers are used to demotivate, scare or trigger civil unrest & was used widely during the aragalaya by spreading & exaggerating news about lack of fuel/gas etc & carried busloads of people to protest.

In this manner villages are being traumatized by JVP infiltrating & influencing Sinhala Buddhist families, Buddhist temples & schools – every area which Sinhala Buddhists have held sacred.

Why have other political parties failed to follow similar strategy are they not aware that the JVP are subtly eating into their political bases at village/grassroot levels?

Where are the police while these subtle indoctrinations are taking place, has no one identified the pattern in these incidents taking place in every village/district across the Sinhala Buddhist belt?

Where are the civil organizations that represent the Sinhala Buddhists? Why are they not taking up these issues at national level with the Government & demanding action?

Sinhala Buddhists should be concerned, as should the head theros & other Sinhala Buddhist influential players. The Sinhala Buddhist may be a majority by name only – they are being disrobed from the village up & from the town down. The aragalaya & the role of the JVP in it & its non-Buddhist religious support gave away much that we assumed to be true. The open insults, the fake videos, the attacks on Sinhala Buddhists is shameful but unabashedly continuing because no action is being taken by the Govt & its failure to uphold Article 2 of Sri Lanka’s Constitution as well as the historical duty it has.

While the external enemies in the form of foreign countries, foreign intel agencies, anti-Buddhist religious institutes & organizations may be funding these initiatives, tragically it is the namesake Sinhala Buddhist JVP who are trying to remove & erase the Sinhala Buddhist ethos of Sri Lanka.

Shenali D Waduge

පුරවැසි පෙරේරා විසින්

‘නීති-ප්‍රමාද’ ගැන ශෝකයක් මවා පාමින් සහ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ අධිකරණය ගැන කුණුහරුප ප්‍රකාශ කරමින් රාජ්‍ය තාන්ත්‍රික නොහොබිනාකමේ පුද්ගලාරෝපණය වූ ඇමෙරිකානු තානාපතිනී ජූලි චුන්ග් ය.

එක්සත් ජනපද රාජ්‍ය දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව විසින් අරමුදල් සපයනු ලබන සහ වොෂින්ටනයේ හොරණෑව මෙන් ක්‍රියා කිරීමට නැඹුරු වන නීතිඥ සංගමයේ එම ශාඛාව විසින් සංවිධානය කරන ලද උත්සවයකදී, නීතීඥයින්ගේ රැස්වීමක් අමතමින් චුන්ග් ඇයව දර්ශනය කර ගත්තාය.

අධිකරණයේ සාමාජිකයන් ස්වාධීන නොවන බව හඟවමින්, යුක්තිය පසිඳලීමේ දී ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ අධිකරණ පද්ධතිය ගැන චුන්ග් සමහර තුච්ඡ අදහස් පළ කළේය.

මෙම අවස්ථාවට ආරාධිතයෙකු වූ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ අගවිනිසුරුවරයා ලැජ්ජාවට පත් වූ අතර කරුණාවන්ත ලෙස බැලීමට බල කළේය.

සාමාන්‍ය ආත්ම ගරුත්වයක් ඇති රටක, චුංව විදේශ අමාත්‍යාංශයට කැඳවා, රටක හුදු තානාපතිවරයකු ලෙස සීමාව ඉක්මවා යාම සම්බන්ධයෙන් සාරාංශයෙන් අවවාද කරනු ඇත; අඛණ්ඩ ප්‍රබලත්වය ඇයව පුද්ගල-නොවන ග්‍රාටා ප්‍රකාශ කිරීමට හේතු වනු ඇත.

ජුන්ග්ගේ වෙන් කිරීම ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ඇමරිකානු මැදිහත්වීමේ පසුබිමක සිදු වූවක් වීම හාස්‍යයට කරුණකි. ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදල විසින් ඉල්ලා සිටින අනිවාර්ය කොන්දේසි සමග රටේ ස්වෛරීත්වයේ 144 + ස්ථර ඉවත් වෙමින් පවතී. රටේ ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාව, ව්‍යවස්ථාදායකය සහ අධිකරණය තුළ බරපතළ අභ්‍යන්තර මාර්ග සකස් වෙමින් පවතී.

පාඨකයන්ගෙන් අසන ලද ප්‍රශ්නයක් නම්, චුන්ග් ඒ හුරතල් පිපිරවීම සිදු කරන විට ඇගේ මුදල් කටට දමාගෙන සිටියාද?” යන්නයි.

ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ භූ-දේශපාලන ක්ෂේත්‍රයේ ප්‍රධාන ඇමරිකානු ක්‍රීඩකයෙකු වන්නේ දිල්ලියේ ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ කොමසාරිස් මිලින්ද මොරගොඩ ය. මෙම ඉහළ පෙළේ ව්‍යාපාරිකයා, දේශපාලනඥයා සහ ජාවාරම්කරු යැයි කියන පුද්ගලයා නන්දසේන රජයේ ප්‍රධාන ආර්ථික උපදේශකයෙකු වූ අතර රටේ ආර්ථිකය විනාශ කිරීමට විශාල දායකත්වයක් ලබා දුන්නේය.

ජුන්ග්ගේ පිපිරීම විකිපීඩියාවේ මොරගොඩ ගැන කියන දේට සංකීර්ණත්වයක් එක් කරයි; විකිපීඩියාවේ මොරගොඩ පිළිබඳ අදාළ උපුටා ගැනීම් වඩාත් පැහැදිලි කිරීම සඳහා පහත දක්වා ඇත; විකිපීඩියාව මොරගොඩගේ චරිතයට මෙම අපකීර්තිය දිගටම ගෙන යන්නේ ඊට පටහැනිව විශ්වාස කළ හැකි සාක්ෂි නොමැති තතු තුලය.

2007 මොරගොඩගේ පක්ෂය 2005 මැතිවරණයෙන් සන්ධානයෙන් පැරදිලා විපක්ෂයේ හිටියා. එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂ පාලන සමයේ සිදු වූ දූෂණ හෙළි කිරීමට සන්ධාන රජය කටයුතු කළ අතර, පොදු ව්‍යාපාර පිළිබඳ පාර්ලිමේන්තු කාරක සභාව (කෝප්) වාර්තාවක් නිකුත් කරමින් මොරගොඩට පුළුල් දූෂණයක් සහ බලය අයුතු ලෙස භාවිත කළ බවට චෝදනා කළේය.

මොරගොඩ විසින් ආරම්භ කරන ලද මර්කන්ටයිල් මර්චන්ට් බැංකුවේ අනුබද්ධිත සමාගමක් වන මර්කන්ටයිල් ක්‍රෙඩිට් ලිමිටඩ්, මොරගොඩ ආර්ථික ප්‍රතිසංස්කරණ අමාත්‍යවරයාව සිටියදී රුපියල් බිලියන 4.7 ක (බොරු තොරතුරු ලබා දී ලබාගත්) ණය පැහැර හැර ඇති බව අනාවරණය විය. මෙම ණය සහ ඒවා ගෙවීම පැහැර හැරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් කෝප් කමිටුව පරීක්ෂණ තුනක් සිදු කළ නමුත් දේශපාලන බලපෑම් මත එම සෑම අවස්ථාවකදීම පරීක්ෂණ අවසන් අදියරට පැමිණීමට ඉඩ ලැබුණේ නැත.

2002 දී කොළඹ වරායේ අක්කර 8.5 ක ඉඩමක තිබූ රජයට අයත් ලංකා ඛනිජ තෙල් නීතිගත සංස්ථාවට අයත් Lanka Marine Service (Pvt) Limited ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ජෝන් කීල්ස් හෝල්ඩිංග්ස් සමාගමට විකුණා ඇත. ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය තීන්දු කළේ එවකට PERC සභාපතිවරයා ලෙස ආචාර්ය පී.බී. ජයසුන්දර සහ JKH හි විධායක අධ්‍යක්ෂ සුසන්ත රත්නායක LMSL කොටස් විකිණීමේදී වංක චේතනාවෙන් කටයුතු කර ඇත. මෙම ගනුදෙනුවට අදාළව පොදු දේපළ අවභාවිත කිරීමේ චෝදනාව මත වෛද්‍ය ජයසුන්දර, හිටපු අමාත්‍යවරුන් වන මිලින්ද මොරගොඩ (PERC ඔහු යටතේ) සහ කරු ජයසූරිය (CPC ඔහු යටතේ සිටි) යන අයට එරෙහිව අපරාධ චෝදනා සම්බන්ධයෙන් ද අල්ලස් කොමිසම විමර්ශන ආරම්භ කළේය.

විමර්ශනය අවසන් වීමට පෙර මොරගොඩ සහ ජයසූරිය යන දෙදෙනාම ආණ්ඩුවට මාරු වූහ. ලංකා සමුද්‍ර සේවා ආයතනය පෞද්ගලීකරණය කිරීම පිළිබඳව වාර්තා කරමින් කෝප් කමිටුව ප්‍රකාශ කළේ මොරගොඩගේ ක්‍රියාවෙන් රජයට අවම වශයෙන් රුපියල් බිලියන 1.7ක පාඩුවක් සිදුවී ඇති බවයි.

මොරගොඩ මහතාගේ පාලන කාලය තුළ සිදු වූ ශ්‍රී ලංකා ඉන්ෂුවරන්ස් පෞද්ගලීකරණයේ බරපතළ අක්‍රමිකතා ද සිදුව ඇතැයි කෝප් වාර්තාවෙන් චෝදනා කර ඇත. කොන්ත්‍රාත්තුවේ 4 වන වාරයට අනුකූල නොවීම තුළින් පමණක් මොරගොඩ රජයට රුපියල් බිලියන 3 කට වැඩි පාඩුවක් ඇති කළ බව වාර්තාවේ සඳහන් වේ. මොරගොඩ ආණ්ඩුවට යන්න කලින් මේ පරීක්ෂණත් ඉවර වුණේ නැහැ.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milinda_Moragoda

ජෝන් කීල්ස් හෝල්ඩිංග්ස් පීඑල්සී හි වත්මන් සභාපතිවරයා වන්නේ මොරගොඩගේ කරදරකාරයා වන ක්‍රිෂාන් බාලේන්ද්‍රන් වීම අහම්බයක් විය හැකිය. ඔහු 2002 දී JKH හා සම්බන්ධ විය.

2021 සැප්තැම්බර් මාසයේදී, මොරගොඩ දිල්ලියේ සිටියදී, කොළඹ වරායේ (CWICT) කොළඹ බටහිර ජාත්‍යන්තර බහාලුම් පර්යන්තය (CWICT) ඒකාබද්ධව සංවර්ධනය කිරීම සඳහා ශ්‍රී ලංකා වරාය අධිකාරිය (SLPA), Adani Group සහ John Keells Holdings අතර දැඩි මතභේදාත්මක ගිවිසුමක් අත්සන් කරන ලදී. POC).

ගොඩනැගීම-ක්‍රියාත්මක-මාරු (BOT) ගිවිසුමේ වටිනාකම USD මිලියන 700කට වඩා වැඩිය.

ඔහුගේ සැක සහිත වාර්තාව අනුව, මොරගොඩ විශ්වාස කළ යුතු පුද්ගලයෙකු නොවේ, අඩුම තරමින් ඔහු ගැන සොයා බලා පිරිසිදු සෞඛ්‍ය පනතක් ලබා දෙන තුරු.

මොරගොඩට සංවේදී භූ දේශපාලන පත්වීමක් තිබේ; මූල්‍ය විෂමාචාර පිළිබඳ ඔහුගේ චෝදනා වාර්තාවට අනුව, රෝද රථ අලෙවි කරන්නන් විසින් කරන ලද දීමනාවලට ඔහු ගොදුරු විය හැකි අතර භූදේශපාලනික බ්ලැක්මේල් වලට ගොදුරු විය හැකිය. මොරගොඩට තවදුරටත් රජයේ නිලතල දැරීමට ඉඩ දීම ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට හිතකර වන්නේ නැත.

ඩොලර් මිලියන 700ක වරාය ගනුදෙනුව ඇතුළුව මොරගොඩගේ සියලුම ක්‍රියාකාරකම් පිළිබඳ ප්‍රසිද්ධියේ සහ විනිවිද භාවයෙන් යුත් පරීක්ෂණයක් සඳහා ඇය සිය හඬ ලබා දෙන්නේ නම් එය නිසැකවම ජුංගේ විශ්වසනීයත්වයට උපකාරී වනු ඇත.

A google translation of the original

Shenali Waduge

By Engr. Kanthar Balanathan DipEE (UK), GradCert (RelEng-Monash), DipBus&Adm (Finance-Massey), C.Eng., MIEE, Former Director of Power Engineering Solutions Pty Ltd, Consulting Electrical Engineers

1. Political Situation

Sri Lanka may be returning to its normal peaceful balanced static and dynamic situation with the approval of the IMF fund. However, it’s a loss to understand as to why people lighted firecrackers and celebrated on the streets of Colombo. This is why the writer stated in one of his articles as literacy rate does not limit to people can read and write but understand what they read.

The gravity of the Sri Lankan economic and people ambitious situation should be understood by all people.

Quote Ref: What are moral rights in Sri Lanka?

The rights take two forms: (a) economic rights and (b) moral rights. Economic rights include the right to reproduce, sell, rent, distribute, communicate with the public, and translate etc. whereas the moral rights cover the right to claim the authorship and right to oppose distortion or mutilation of the work.

Could we agree that (a) is in full form? Not in full.

(b) is practised in full form. People, students are on the road fully disagreeing what the government gives them.

• LTTE

LTTE is a defunct terrorist group. Some crooks who are money mongers are trying to say that LTTE is alive. LTTE was wiped out in 2009 under the military Command of Gen Sarath Fonseka. GOSL and the citizens should not worry about the defunct LTTE.

Only those corrupt Tamils who have no principles in their mind are using the LTTE to collect money and become rich. Already those LTTE funds have been invested in Supermarkets, Shopping complexes, conference halls, and businesses elsewhere. They will be punished as the curse has been thrown at them.

Tamils build temples in overseas countries. They get grants and aids from their local state and governments. Tamils cannot boast that they built the temples with their own money.

GOSL should not worry about the LTTE. That does not mean that the service the Sri Lankan intelligence organisation should sleep but be active as usual.

At the current period, GOSL and the People should trust only those who are honest and trustworthy, which is Hon Doulas Devananda and the EPDP.

• Reconciliation

Quote; Title: Strengthening Reconciliation Processes in Sri Lanka

The reconciliation process in Sri Lanka is strengthened. Governmental and non-governmental organisations in Sri Lanka address key aspects of the reconciliation process jointly.

Yes, everything except the hurt minds of the Tamils have not been sobered. Now that the situation is returning to normal, GOSL should review their status and pass a resolution to Tender and Apology” for the burning of the Jaffna Library in 1981, and record in gazette. This will cool the minds and the thoughts of the Tamil people and the politicians.

The tender of the apology should be passed by the parliament of the GOSL.

The writer considers this act as a diplomatic and magnanimous act only.

The writer wishes to add that he has donated more than three dozens engineering books to the University of Moratuwa, to which he is indebted to the rest of his life.

Sasanka De Silva Pannipitiya

A human library is an organization or event that promotes dialogue, understanding, and respect among people from various backgrounds by allowing people to “borrow” other people as “books” to learn about their experiences, perspectives, and identities.

The idea behind the Human Library is to create a safe space where people can engage in open and honest conversations with others, particularly those with whom they may not have previously interacted.

A Human Library event allows participants to select from a catalogue of available “books” real people who have volunteered to share their stories and experiences and then engage in one-on-one conversations with them.

The Human Library was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2000 and has since spread to many countries worldwide. It is frequently used to combat prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping by questioning people’s assumptions and encouraging empathy and understanding.

The Human Library offers several benefits, including:

Promoting empathy and understanding:

By giving people the opportunity to engage in one-on-one conversations with individuals who have different experiences, perspectives, and identities, the Human Library helps to break down barriers and promote empathy and understanding.

Challenging stereotypes and prejudices:

The Human Library challenges stereotypes and prejudices by allowing individuals to learn about other people’s experiences firsthand. This helps to break down preconceived notions and encourages people to question their assumptions.

Fostering dialogue and communication:

It promotes dialogue and communication by creating a safe space where individuals can engage in open and honest conversations about difficult topics.

Building community:

Further brings people from different backgrounds together and helps to build a sense of community by encouraging individuals to learn from one another and share their experiences.

Encouraging personal growth:

Participating in the Human Library can be a transformative experience, as it challenges individuals to step outside of their comfort zones, learn about new perspectives, and reflect on their own beliefs and values.

Sasanka De Silva

Pannipitiya.

Priyantha Hettige

Hospitals in Sri Lanka are being overwhelmed by a huge wave of Diabetes and Diabetes related cases. It seems that many people, usually over the age of forty, are consuming sugary foods and carbohydrates and getting not enough exercise, leading to insulin resistance.

They become ill. Go to any hospital, island wide and it is the same story, rooms and hallways jammed packed with people lying on beds.

They become ill, then government hospitals are expected to repair the damage. The taxpayer has to foot the bill – pay the costs of treatment.

Businessmen are profiting from this system by offering sweets, cakes, biscuits etc. They are profiting from the bad eating habits of Sri Lankans.

But this remedial treatment costs the government much money. The cost of running a hospital; providing medicine and providing doctors and staff care is hugely expensive. Now, the price of insulin is very high and it is sometimes not available to patients in need.

The question must be asked – how can this flood of diabetes cases be reduced to save the government money?

Not only is the treatment expensive, but also this disease is ruining healthy people’s lives. Added to that there is a loss in happiness – they are not working, earning money and going out enjoying themselves.

Diabetes progresses; it develops. In time, feet can turn black, eyes swell and blindness follows. Heart attacks are common and so is dementia.  cardio-vascular disease, ‘stroke’ incidences increase. Because feet become swollen and distorted this prevents people from walking properly.

It is as if Sri Lankans are indifferent to this disease- up the point when they need treatment for their eyes – but then it is too late.

Eminent U.S. Medical doctors tell how sugar damages our mitochondria, but in a less sever way but with the same effect as, suppose, we eat cyanide. But people do not know this!

The government need to take this issue seriously even if the people do not. It is estimated that as many as thirty thousand people die of Diabetes and other Insulin Resistant causes each year. This is a huge number, just to support a sugar industry.  The government must treat it as they did for smoking prevention.

Colourful images of seriously decayed people with diabetes are needed to be displayed on the labels of fizzy drinks bottles. They can be placed in cake stores, and so on. Public awareness of this issue needs to be raised.

People need to change their lifestyle. People get out of shape. Towns need to be more user friendly. Overloaded busses in the evenings are a problem. Struggling to catch the last bus at 5.00pm is stressful. People should be served by a sufficient bus service allowing them to be relaxed, fit and healthy.

It is a matter for the leaders of society to take the lead. To raise the climate of public opinion. Local governments should build jogging tracks. Some countries build sports halls for people to have fun and go trampoline-ing and obstacle course rope climbing. Other countries do this for their citizens, why not here?

Sasanka  De Silva Pannipitiya

Dementia is a general term used to describe symptoms affecting memory, thinking, and social abilities to the point where it interferes with a person’s daily life.

Dementia is not a specific disease but rather a term used to describe a set of symptoms caused by various underlying conditions or diseases.

It can affect a person’s ability to communicate, solve problems, and complete everyday tasks, and it often gets worse over time.

Some of the most common types of dementia include Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and Lewy body dementia.

Lewy body dementia (LBD) is a type of progressive dementia that affects a person’s ability to think, reason, and remember.

It is caused by the brain’s buildup of abnormal proteins called Lewy bodies.

These proteins interfere with the brain’s normal functioning and can lead to a range of symptoms, including:

Cognitive problems: LBD can cause problems with thinking, memory, and attention. It may also cause hallucinations and delusions.

Movement problems: LBD can cause tremors, stiffness, and problems with movement and balance. It may also cause falls and difficulty walking.

Sleep disturbances: People with LBD may experience vivid dreams, nightmares, and other sleep disturbances.

Fluctuating alertness: LBD can cause a person’s level of alertness to fluctuate throughout the day, with periods of confusion or drowsiness followed by periods of increased alertness.

Autonomic dysfunction: LBD can affect the autonomic nervous system, leading to problems with blood pressure, digestion, and bladder and bowel control.

LBD is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease because it shares many of the same symptoms.

However, LBD has some distinct features, such as visual hallucinations and fluctuating alertness, that can help distinguish it from other types of dementia.

There is currently no cure for LBD, but treatment can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.

Wandering is a common behaviour in people with dementia, and it can be challenging to prevent completely.

Here are some tips that can help reduce the risk of wandering and keep the person safe:

Keep the person engaged: Provide them with activities that they enjoy, such as puzzles, music, or art. This will help keep them occupied and reduce their urge to wander.

Create a safe environment: Install locks on doors and windows and use alarms or sensors that alert you when a door or window is opened. You can also consider installing a fence or a gate around the yard to prevent the person from wandering away.

Provide supervision: Make sure that someone is always watching the person, especially during times when they are most likely to wander, such as during the evening or when they are agitated.

Use identification: Make sure the person wears identification at all times with their name, address, and phone number, in case they wander off and become lost.

Consider GPS tracking: There are various GPS tracking devices available that can be worn by a person with dementia, and you can track their location using a smartphone or computer.

Seek professional help: If the person’s wandering behaviour becomes severe or challenging to manage, it may be necessary to seek the help of a healthcare professional, such as a doctor or a social worker, who can provide additional advice and support.

There are trained service animals that can provide assistance to people with dementia, including helping to prevent wandering and keeping them safe.

These animals are typically trained to perform tasks such as guiding the person back to their home if they become lost, or alerting caregivers if the person is in distress.

Some organizations train dogs specifically for people with dementia, and these dogs can be trained to perform tasks such as responding to verbal commands, retrieving items, and providing comfort and companionship.

However, it’s important to note that not all people with dementia may benefit from a service animal, and the decision to get a service animal should be made in consultation with a healthcare professional.

If someone is interested in getting a service animal for a loved one with dementia, they can contact organizations that specialize in training and providing service animals.

These organizations can provide more information about the process and requirements for getting a service animal.

Sasanka  De Silva

Pannipitiya.

Sri Lankan High Commission

High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India Milinda Moragoda met the Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India Shri Nitin Gadkari today (24) in New Delhi to discuss bilateral cooperation in the transport sector.

The meeting between the Indian Minister and the High Commissioner was held in a very cordial manner, and the discussion centred on a range of matters pertaining to collaboration and partnership between the two countries in the transport sector.

High Commissioner Moragoda requested the assistance of Minister Gadkari in sharing India’s experience in public-private partnerships in the highways sector with Sri Lanka. He proposed to set up a platform through which this experience could be shared with the relevant stakeholders in Sri Lanka. He also suggested that Indian investors could be encouraged to positively look at investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s infrastructure sector. Minister Gadkari expressed his support to these proposals.

As India aims to become a developed economy by 2047, its government has focused on boosting infrastructure, including highways and the road network. India’s spending on infrastructure has gone up manifold times over the last decade to hit a record Rs 10 trillion for the next financial year.

Minister Gadkari and High Commissioner Moragoda also discussed cooperation in the electric mobility sector. They explored the possibility of India sharing its experience, expertise and best practices of the electrical vehicle industry with Sri Lanka. High Commissioner Moragoda also sought the assistance of Minister Gadkari in encouraging Indian private companies from the electric mobility sector to invest in Sri Lanka.

High Commissioner Moragoda briefed the Indian Transport Minister on the economic revival programme in Sri Lanka and observed that India is playing a pivotal role therein.

The High Commissioner also presented a copy of his policy roadmap the ” Integrated Country Strategy for Sri Lanka Diplomatic Missions in India 2021/2023″ to Minister Gadkari and Minister presented a copy of his latest book ‘Unmasking India’ is a compilation of thought articulated by him during the Coronavirus pandemic on the Armanirbhan Bharath through a series of webinars.  

Hailing from the State of Maharashtra, Shri Nitin Gadkari is the longest serving Minister for Road Transport and Highways of India currently running his tenure for over eight years since 2014. He also served as the President of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) from 2009 to 2013. Previously, he has held the ministerial portfolios of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises; Shipping; Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation; and Rural Development & Panchayati Raj. He has authored several books as well.

තිස්ස ගුණතිලක

(මෙම ලිපිය 2023 මාර්තු මස 23 වනදා lankaweb අන්තර්ජාලයේ පලවු ‘භාහිය සූත්‍රය තුල සිහියට හසුවන සිතේ (උදය-) වය අදියර phase’ හා සම්බන්ධයි

https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2023/03/22/භාහිය-සූත්රය-තුල-සිහියට/ )

මෙහිදි හමුවන ඉතාමත් සංකීර්ණ ක්‍රියාවලිය තේරුම් ගැනීමට ධර්මයේ මූලික කරුනු කිපයක් නැවත මතක්කර ගත යුතු වෙයි.

1. භාහිර ලෝකය – ඔබ ඉදිරියේ පවතින භාහිර ලෝකය රූප හැඩතල (චක්ඛු රූප, ශබ්ද රූප, ඝාණ, රස රූප හා ස්පර්ශ රූප) හා එම රූප හැඩතල වලින් නිකුත්වන තරංග (වර්ණ තරංග, ශබ්ද තරංග ආදි) වල සංයෝජනයක් වන ආත්මීය නොවන ස්වභාවයක් පමනක් බව පලමුවෙන්ම පසක්කර ගතයුතුය. භාහිරය ආත්මීයවන්නේ විඤ්ඤාණ මායාව තුලයි. එනම් භාහිරයේ අනාත්මීයව පවතින හැඩතලයකට පමනක් සීමාවී සිටි ‘අම්මා හෝ දරුවාගේ’ රූපය විඤ්ඤාණ මායාව තුල ‘කෙනෙක්’ වී ආත්මීය ස්වභාවයට එනම් ‘භවය’කට පත්වී  ඔවුන් නිසා අප තුල ‘ගින්නක්’ ඇතිකරයි. අම්මා හෝ දරුවා නිසා ගින්නක් (නන්දියක්) ඇතිවන්නේ ඔවුන් ආත්මීය කරගැනීම තුලයි. ‘ආත්ම දෘශ්ඨිය’ යනු මෙම සංසිද්ධියයි.
2. ධර්මාවබෝධය – යනු භාහිරයේ ‘දෙයක් යමක් කෙනෙක් මමෙක්’ නැතිබව (ආත්මීය නොවනබව) අවබෝධ කිරීමයි. එනම් ආත්ම දෘශ්ඨියෙන් මිදීමයි.
3. ධර්මාවබෝධයේ නිර්නායක – පලමු නිර්ණායකය (prerequisite) වන්නේ සියළුම දෘශ්ඨිවලින් මිදී සම්මා දෘශ්ඨිය ඇතිකර ගැනීමයි. සියළුම දෘශ්ඨි වලින් මිදුන තැන සම්මා දෘශ්ඨියයි. කර්ම විපාක දෘශ්ඨියෙන් මිදීම මෙයින් ප්‍රධාන වෙයි. 
4. දෙවන නිර්ණායකය වන්නේ ‘සිත’ සහ ‘සිහිය’ යනුවෙන් වෙන්ව පවතින අවස්ථා දෙකක් ඇතිබව දැනගැනීමත් ඒවායේ ක්‍රියාවන් අවබෝධ කරගැනීමත්ය.

5. සිත/සිතුවිල්ල/අරමුණ යනු සංඥාවලින් සකස්වුන අරමුණ පවතින කාලසීමාව තුල පමනක් විද්‍යාමානවන වේදිකාවකි. Consciousness is a vertual platform simulated with perceptual experience. It manifests and desappears with the (perceptual) experience. 

‘සිත’ තුල ඇතිවන ක්‍රියාවලියේ ප්‍රතිපල හසුවන්නේ/දැනෙන්නේ ‘සිහිය’ටයි. මේ සඳහා සතිය පිහිටුවා ගත යුතුය. උදාහරණයක් ලෙස යම් සිතිවිල්ලක්/අරමුණක් 

1. උපාදානවූ බව (බැසගත්බව), 
2. භවය ඇතිවූ බව (භාහිරය යමක් දෙයක් කෙනෙක් නැතහොත් ආත්මීයවූ බව) හෝ 
3. භව වු දෙයක් දකින විදින ‘මම’ ඇති වූ බව (ජාතිය පහලවූ බව) දැනෙන්නේ ‘සිහිය’ටයි.
4. සද්ධර්ම අවබෝධයට අවශ්‍යවන විවිධ ඤාණ හසුවන්නේද සිහියටයි.

6. සිතේ ක්‍රියාවලිය සිහියට හසුවන බව දැනගැනීමට ‘සිහිය පිහිටුවා ගත යුතුය’. සිහිය පිහිටුවා ගැනීම යනු ‘සතිය’යි. යෝනිසෝමනසිකාරය යනු ‘අවදිකරගත්’ (awakening) නැතහොත් පිහිටුවාගත් සිහියයි. ත්‍රිපිටකය තුල අන්තර්ගත වන ‘නුවණැසින් දුටුවාවු’ යනු ‘සිහියට හසුවීම’යි.

7. සිහිය අවදිවන්නේ බොජ්ජංග ධර්ම (seven factors of awakening) වැඩීමෙනි. එවිට සියළුම නීවරණ ඉවත්වී ඔබ තුල නිරතුරැවම පවත්නා (inherent) ‘බුද්ධ ස්වභාවය’ මතුවේ. මෙම බුද්ධ ස්වභාවය ඔබට ප්‍රසාදයේ සිදුවන විපරිනාම වේගය හා එම වේගයට අනුකූලව සකස්වන ප්‍රසාදයේ කලා/ධාරා (phases) සිහියට හසුකර ගැනීමට උපකාරී වෙයි.

ඉහත සඳහන් සද්ධර්මයේ මූලික කරුනු අවබෝධ කල ඔබ දැන් ස්‍රතවත් ආර්ය ස්‍රාවකයෙකි.

ඉදිරි පියවර ඔබ සඳහා වෙයි.

tgunite@tpg.com.au

තිස්ස ගුණතිලක

2023 මාර්තු මස 25වනදා 

Sufian Siddique Independent researcher and freelance columnist, Dhaka

On March 20, the  State Department released a global report titled “2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices”.  The report is based on the human rights situation in 198 countries and territories.  The section on Bangladesh in the report highlights the issues of extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture, prison conditions, arrest, detention, or arrest process, and treatment of prisoners; the judiciary; threats to human rights activists, civil society, and government critics; harassment; torture; freedom of expression; and respect for civil rights. Apart from this, restrictions on the media, right to peaceful assembly and organization, religious freedom, protection of ‘refugees’, access to basic services, freedom of participation in the political process, corruption, lack of transparency in government activities, discrimination and social oppression, human trafficking, workers’ rights are mentioned.

Analysis showed that the US human rights report has “fundamental weaknesses” and “errors.” There is no qualitative difference between the 2021 and 2022 reports. The report incorporated data from open sources. It reveals a contradictory position.  Many times it is said from the American side that freedom of media and freedom of speech are being curtailed. But the report contains many examples of open source and proves that the government does not stifle the creation of news.

Another observation is that the report makes reference to some NGOs, INGOs, and organizations representing civil society, one of which is Odhikar. It is clearly found that Odhikar has no valid papers or license to work. The application they made to renew their license was rejected.  There is no opportunity to look at any civil organization or non-governmental aid organization that has a political history or political identity from the point of view of neutrality. If such weaknesses persist, the report loses its acceptability.

They collected the information from various anti-government and biased sources. Collecting information from organizations that are not registered is illegal or unethical. Bangladesh should request that not only the United States but other states stay away from these organizations and take them into consideration as per the laws of the country.

A prime minister has only as much power as he needs to have. A friendly state has no moral right to doubt or question its degree of application or otherwise.  In a presidential-based government, he can have many things at his command. It is part of the constitution and how their government is run. So can we say that the president is the only powerful person in that country? But that is not the case. Everyone knows how laws are made in the parliamentary democracy of Bangladesh. There is an unfortunate tendency to limit the constitutional office to a single term.

The report  on the abuse of power by the country’s security forces has led to a data breach.  The number of missing persons is listed here as 81. This number will be 76. In this regard, it is very vaguely stated in 76 that Bangladesh has claimed to identify 10 persons. The matter was mentioned in the report as if it had not been addressed. But here  It is unequivocally true that after receiving the information about those 10 people, the United Nations did their own verification, and already 10 people have been removed from the list of 76. So it is not that Bangladesh is making a claim on the matter.

Looking at extrajudicial killings in the United States, it can be seen that from 2013 to 2019, 7,666 people were killed by police, 996 in 2020, and 1,000 in 2021-22.  In a country where an average of 1,000 people are killed by the police every year, the question is how much moral right there is to question other countries.

Although the report released by the US State Department states that incidents of disappearances decreased in Bangladesh last year, But there is no mention of the authority taking action on the disappearances or the return of many missing persons, and all these disappearances are filled with rights reports. The US human rights report’s allegation that the government has impunity for abuse of power and corruption by the security forces is not true. If someone is killed in a gunfight by the security forces, if the security forces fire in self-defense, an inquiry is arranged by an executive magistrate in every case. They are investigated and punishment is also prescribed depending on the investigation.  If the Executive Magistrate feels that the incident has been done with injustice or carelessness, it is referred to the Judicial Department.

At the beginning of the report, it is said that the Awami League won for the third time in the 2018 elections in Bangladesh. It is said that this election is not free and fair. But no major objection was ever made in the international arena about this election. If Washington is worried about Bangladesh, why did they express this opinion so late and when the elections are ahead? Such news is not pleasant after four years of elections. It is considered such efforts only in US interest. Thus, the entire report is riddled with inconsistencies, confusion, and misinformation.

There are many questions about the US election. Donald Trump has not yet accepted defeat in the election. In view of that, the attack on Capitol Hill under the leadership of Donald Trump has never happened in our country. So before questioning the election, they need to look at the questions they have about their own electoral system or the attacks on Capitol Hill after their election.

When a report is made on a friendly country, it should be given an opportunity to defend itself before it is published. The United States has made such promises at various times. But as usual, this time they did not keep their promises.

By making and publishing the reports, the USA always tries to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. Human rights are a universally accepted term. Bangladesh is also working to promote human rights, law, peace, and harmony in the country. Bangladesh has its own human rights commission. The legal codes of Bangladesh ensure the protection of human rights in Bangladesh.

දිනසේන රතුගමගේ Lanka Lead News

කුරුන්දි අට්ඨකථා ලේඛණය කළ ලාංකේය ඉතිහාසයේ වැදගත්ම ඓතිහාසික පුදබිමක් වූ මුලතිව් කුරුඳුමලේ විහාරස්ථානයට කෙලවර වූ බටහිර මායිමේ පුරාවිද්‍යා දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව විසින් අත්පත් කරගෙන තිබූ ඉඩම් අක්කර 229ක් වහාම නිදහස් කොට ඒවායේ අයිතිකරුවන් වෙත බාරදෙන ලෙස ජනාධිපතිවරයා ඊයේ(22) දැනුම් දී තිබේ.

මෙම ඉඩම් පිහිටා ඇත්තේ මුලතිව් තන්නිමුරුප්පු ප්‍රදේශයේ වන අතර, මේ සම්බන්ධයෙන් ලිපියක් ජනාධිපති ලේකම් කාර්යාලය විසින් මුලතිව් දිසාපතිවරයාටත් පළාතේ පුරාවිද්‍යා සහකාර කොමසාරිස්වරයා වෙතත් එවා ඇත.

පුරාවිද්‍යා ගවේෂණයකින් අනතුරුව පුරාවිද්‍යා දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව විසින් පවරාගෙන තිබූ එම අක්කර 229ක භූමිය මැණුම් කටයුතු සිදුකිරීම සඳහා පුරාවිද්‍යා නිලධාරීන් විසින් මිනින්දෝරු නිලධාරීන් කැඳවා තිබූ අතර එම මැනුම් නියෝගය ද ජනාධිපතිවරයා විසින් නවතා දමන ලෙස නියෝග කොට තිබේ.

පුරාවිද්‍යා නිලධාරීන් විසින් කාර්යාලයක් පිහිටුවා බුදු මැදුරක් ස්ථාපිත කිරීම පිණිස බුදු පිළිමයක් රැගෙන ගිය අවස්ථාවේ දෙමළ දේශපාලන පක්ෂ නියෝජිතයෝ ඊට එරෙහිව විරෝධය පළකිරීම නිසා පිළිමය පොලිසියේ තැන්පත් කිරීමට ද සිදුවී තිබේ.

දිනසේන රතුගමගේ

ජනාධිපති මාධ්‍ය ඒකකය

දකුණු ආසියාවේ හොඳම දූෂණ මර්දන පනත නුදුරේදීම ශ්‍රී ලංකා පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ දී සම්මත කිරීමට අවශ්‍ය පියවර ගන්නා බව ජනාධිපති රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතා පැවසීය.

එම පනතට අදාළ කැබිනට් අනුමැතිය මේ වන විටත් ලබාදී ඇති බව අනාවරණය කළ ජනාධිපතිවරයා ඉදිරියේදී විපක්ෂ නියෝජිතයන් සමඟ සාකච්ඡා කර එය පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට ඉදිරිපත් කරන බව ද පැවසීය.

ජනාධිපති රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතා මේ බව සඳහන් කළේ මාධ්‍ය ආයතන ප්‍රධානීන් සමඟ ජනාධිපති කාර්යාලයේ පැවති සාකච්ඡාවට එක්වෙමිනි.

එහිදී වැඩිදුරටත් අදහස් දැක්වූ ජනාධිපති රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතා මෙසේද කියා සිටියේය.

‘මෙම අවස්ථාවට සහභාගීවීම පිළිබඳ සියලු මාධ්‍ය හිතවතුන්ට මම ස්තූතිවන්ත වෙනවා. ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදල සමග ඇතිකරගත් ගිවිසුම පිළිබඳ ඔබව දැනුවත් කිරීමට මෙම අවස්ථාවට එක්වන ලෙස මම ඔබගෙන් ඉලීමක් කළා.

අපි මීට වසරකට පෙර බංකොලොත් රටක් බවට පත් වුණා. ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදලේ සහ අපේ ණය හිමියන්ගේ සහයෝගය ඇතිව අපගේ ණය ප්‍රතිව්‍යුහගත කිරීමට අපට සිදු වූ පළමු අවස්ථාව මෙයයි. මෙය ආරම්භය පමණයි. IMF සහයෝගය පිළිබඳ මූල්‍ය සහතිකය ලැබීමෙන් පසු අපේ රට තවදුරටත් බංකොලොත් රාජ්‍යයක් ලෙස සලකන්නේ නැහැ. දැන් අපි මීළඟ අදියරට යා යුතුයි. ඒ අපගේ සියලුම ණය හිමියන් එනම් බහුපාර්ශ්වික ණය හිමියන් සහ ද්විපාර්ශ්වික ණය හිමියන් සමඟ සාකච්ඡා කිරීමයි. පුද්ගලික ණය හිමියන් සමඟ සාකච්ඡා කිරීම වඩාත් දුෂ්කරයි. නමුත් අපි ආපසු හැරී නොබලා විශ්වාසයෙන් යුතුව ඉදිරියට යා යුතුයි. එබැවින් මෙය අවසානය නොවෙයි. එක් අතකින් ආරම්භය පමණයි. අපි ඊළඟට ණය දෙන්නන් සමඟ ද සාකච්ඡා කළයුතුයි.

ණය හිමියන් සමඟ සාකච්ඡා කරන අතරම, අපට වසර හතරක වැඩසටහනක් ද තිබෙනවා. ඒ නිසා තමයි මම පාර්ලිමේන්තුවෙන් ඉල්ලුවේ මේ ගිවිසුම සඳහා මට අනුමැතිය ලබා දෙන්න කියලා. එය නීතියෙන් කිරීමට මට අවශ්‍ය නැහැ. නමුත් මෙම ගිවිසුම සඳහා පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ ඡන්දය ප්‍රකාශ කිරීම අපිව තවත් ශක්තිමත් කරනවා. ජනතාව ඒ සඳහා දැනටමත් ඡන්දය ලබා දී තිබෙනවා.

ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදලේ මෙම ගිවිසුමේ ඇතුළත් මූලධර්මය රට පිළිගෙන ඇති බව ණය හිමියන්ට පෙන්වීමට අවශ්‍ය වෙනවා.

එබැවින් පළමුව, එය ණය ප්‍රතිව්‍යුහගත කිරීමක් වන නමුත් ණය ප්‍රතිව්‍යුහගත කිරීමට පමණක් සීමා නොවී එය අපගේ ආර්ථික ප්‍රතිව්‍යුහගත කිරීමක් බවට පත්කරගත යුතුයි.

පළමුව, අපට මූල්‍ය ස්ථාවරත්වයක් තිබෙනවා. අපි මෙම ක්‍රියාවලිය හරහා අපගේ ආදායම වැඩිකරගත යුතුයි. මෙය ඉතා දුෂ්කර යුගයක් වන අතර අපි රජයේ වියදම් ස්ථාවර කරගත යුතුයි. මන්ද එය රජයේ වියදම්වල ස්වභාවය සහ අපට ඇති ආදායම විස්තර කරන නිසයි

අපේ ඉලක්කය වන්නේ රජයේ අයවැය වඩාත් හොඳින් පාලනය කිරීමයි. නමුත් මෙය අපට ප්‍රාථමික අයවැය අතිරික්තයක් ඇති කිරීම හා ආදායම් වැඩි කිරීමක් තහවුරු කරනවා. අප විසින් සිදු කරන ව්‍යුහාත්මක ප්‍රතිසංස්කරණ මගින් අපට ආර්ථික වර්ධනයක් ඇති කර ගැනීමට හැකි වන බව අප මතක තබා ගත යුතුයි.

අපි විවිධ ආයෝජන ක්ෂේත්‍ර, නිෂ්පාදන සඳහා අමතර විදේශ ආයෝජන පිළිබඳව ද සොයා බලමින් සිටිනවා. එයින් අදහස් වන්නේ අප ඉදිරියටම යා යුතු බවයි.

දෙවනුව කෘෂිකර්මාන්තය සහ ධීවර කර්මාන්තය නවීකරණය කිරීම සිදු කළයුතුයි. තෙවනුව ශ්‍රී ලංකාව කලාපීය සැපයුම් මධ්‍යස්ථානයක් බවට පත් කිරීමට කටයුතු කළයුතුයි. සංචාරක කර්මාන්තය, ඩිජිටල් ආර්ථිකය, හරිත ආර්ථිකය නිසැකවම වැඩිදියුණු කිරීම සහ පුළුල් කිරීම සිදු කළ යුතුයි. ඒ තුළින් අපිට නව ශ්‍රී ලංකාවක් ගොඩනැඟීමට හැකි වෙනවා.

මගේ අරමුණ තවත් වසර 25කින් ඒ කියන්නේ 2048 වන විට ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ඉහළ මැදි ආදායම් ලබන රටක් බවට පත් කිරීමයි. එකතැන පල් වූ ආර්ථිකයක් සමඟ අපට ඉදිරියට යා නොහැකියි. අපේ රටේ සිදු වූ සියලු ගැටලු මේ ප්‍රශ්නයට සම්බන්ධ බව අප සිහිතබා ගත යුතුයි.

1971 දී විරැකියාව සම්බන්ධව මතු වූ ගැටලුව මෙන්ම, 1983 භාෂාව පමණක් නොව, දෙමළ තරුණයින්ට රැකියාවක් නොතිබීම නිසා

ගැටලු මතු වුණා. 1989 දී ද සිදු වුයේ එයයි. අපට ඕනෑවට වඩා ප්‍රශ්න තිබුණා. ආර්ථික වර්ධනයක් නොමැතිකම හා අස්ථාවරත්වය හමුවේ ලේ වැගිරීම් සිදු වුණා. දැන් අපිට අලුතින් පටන් ගැනීමට අවස්ථාව තිබෙනවා.

එය ඓතිහාසික ක්‍රියාවලියක්. මම ඒ සඳහා ඔබ සියලුදෙනාගේ සහාය අපේක්ෂා කරනවා. මෙම ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදලේ ක්‍රියාවලිය පිළිබඳ තොරතුරු ඕනෑම අවස්ථාවක නිලධාරින් සමග කතා කර දැනගැනීමට මාධ්‍යවේදීන්ට අවස්ථාව තිබෙනවා.

නමුත් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ඉදිරි ගමන තීරණය වන්නේ මෙම ගිවිසුම සමග අප ඉදිරියට යනවාද, නැද්ද කියන කරුණ සමග බව අමතක නොකළ යුතුයි. අප එසේ නොකළහොත් අනාගත පරපුර අපට ශාප කරාවි. එබැවින් අපගේ ආර්ථිකය තුළ මෙම දීර්ඝකාලීන වෙනස්කම් සිදු කරමින් සියලුදෙනාගේ ජීවිත පහසු කර ගැනීමට සහයෝගය ලබාදෙන ලෙස මම ඉල්ලා සිටිනවා.

අපි පළමු කාර්යය ලෙස මෙම ගිවිසුම අනුමත කරලා, ඊළඟට ණය ප්‍රතිව්‍යුහගත කිරීමට යමු. ණය ගෙවන විදිහ දැන ගන්න පුළුවන් වෙන්නෙ ඊට පසුව තමයි. අපේ වැඩසටහන් අවසන් කරලා නැහැ. ඇයි අවසන් කළේ නැත්තෙ? ඒක දේශපාලනයට යටවුණා. එහෙම නැත්නම් ජනමතයට යට වුණා. ජනමතය ඇති කළේ ජනමාධ්‍යයයි. මේ වතාවේ මෙම වැඩසටහන සාර්ථක කර ගන්න මාධ්‍යයේ සහාය ලබා දෙන්න.

එපමණක් නොවෙයි එම්සීසී ප්‍රදානය ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ලබා ගැනීමට යන විට ඇතැම් පාර්ශ්ව එමගින් රට බෙදන බවට චෝදනා කළා. අයිඑම්එෆ් එන විට කිව්වා අපි බටහිරට යටත් වෙනවා කියලා. ඉතිං මේ විදියට කරගෙන යන්න අමාරුයි. ඒ නිසයි ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදල සමග 17 වැනි වැඩසටහන සාර්ථක කර ගැනීමට එක් වෙන්න කියලා මාධ්‍යවලින් ඉල්ලා සිටියේ. මේ ක්‍රියාවලිය ඉතාම දුෂ්කරයි. අපි හැම දෙනාටම එය දැනෙනවා. මෙය අවුරුදු හතරක ක්‍රියාවලියක්. එය 2026 දී අවසන් වෙනවා. මගෙත් එක්ක ගොඩක් දුරගිය අය, මගේ ප්‍රතිපත්ති හරි කිව්ව අයත් දැන් මට විරුද්ධව කතා කරනවා.

ඉතිං විරුද්ධව හිටපු අය එකතු වෙන එක පුදුම විය යුතු දෙයක් නොවෙයි. අපි එකක් මතක තියා ගත යුතුයි. අපි දැන් අමාරු තැනක ඉන්නෙ. පරණ සෙල්ලම් ආයේ කරන්න බැහැ. පරණ සෙල්ලම් දැම්මොත් ආයෙත් වැටෙනවා. ඒ නිසා අතීතය අමතක කර අපි ඉදිරියට යමු.

අපි හැමෝම වැරදි කළා. දැන්වත් මේ සමඟ එකඟ වෙලා අපට සහාය ලබා දෙන්න. මේ ලැබුණු මුදල් අරගෙන මේ මාසේ පඩි ගෙවනවා. ඒක හොරකම් කිරීමක් නෙමෙයි. හොරකම් කියන කතාව නිසානෙ මේවා නැති වුණේ. එවැනි කතා පතුරවන්න එපා. ඔය කියන අය මීට වඩා හොරකම් කරනවා. ඔය ඉන්න අයට වඩා මගේ වැටුප අඩුයි. අපි ආකල්ප වෙනස් කරගත යුතුයි.

මං ආවේ හොරු ආරක්ෂා කරන්නයි කියලා චෝදනා කළා. නමුත් අපි අයිඑම්එෆ් සමඟ සාකච්ඡා කර දකුණු ආසියාවේ හොඳම දූෂණ මර්දන පනත ගෙන එනවා. විපක්ෂය කෑ ගැහුවට කිසිවක් ගෙනාවේ නැහැ. අධිකරණ ඇමැති මේ ගැන විපක්ෂය සමගත් සාකච්ඡා කරයි.

අප මෙය පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට ඉදිරිපත් කළේ සෑම පක්ෂයකම සහාය ලබා ගන්නයි. කාටවත්ම මේකට විරුද්ධ වෙන්නත් බැහැ. අලුත් නීති කිහිපක් ගෙන ඒමටත් තිබෙනවා. නව පියවර ගණනාවක් අපි අරන් තිබෙනවා.

මාධ්‍ය මර්දනය කරන්න අපට වුවමනා නැහැ. මාධ්‍යයෙන් වැඩියෙන්ම බැනුම් අහන්නෙත් මම. මාධ්‍යය නැති වුණෙත් මටයි. මාධ්‍ය සඳහා පනවා තිබූ අපරාධ නීතිය ඉවත් කළෙත් මමයි. තොරතුරු දැන ගැනීමේ අයිතිය ලබා දුන්නෙත් මමයි. ස්වාධීන කොමිෂන් සභා තුන් වතාවක් පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට ගෙනාවා. ඉතිං කොහොමද මම මාධ්‍ය මර්දනය කරන්නෙ.

ජාතික ප්‍රශ්නය විසඳන්න කියනවා. නමුත් මම ඒ කටයුතු සිදු කරද්දි සුමන්තිරන් මන්ත්‍රීතුමා සමඟ එකතු වෙලා අනික් ප්‍රශ්න නැති කරන්න හදනවා කියලා චෝදනා කරනවා. එසේ චෝදනා කිරීම සුදුසු නැහැ කියා මාධ්‍යවල කවුරුත් කිව්වෙ නැහැ. ජාතික ප්‍රශ්නය විසඳීමට කටයුතු කරන බව මම කලින් කියලා තිබෙනවා. ඒකට කිසිම මාධ්‍යයක් විරුද්ධ වුණේ නැහැ. ඒ සඳහා සියලුම දෙනා පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේදී එකඟ වුණා. ඒක මුවාවෙන් ජාතිවාදය ඇති කරන්න එපා. එක් මාධ්‍ය ආයතනයක් ජාතිවාදී වැඩපිළිවෙළක් ගෙන යනවා. එකම දේ දවස් හතරක් විකාශය කළා. ඒ අතරතුර එක ද්‍රවිඩ වැසියෙකුට කවුරුන් හෝ පහර දුන්නා නම් මොකද වෙන්නේ.

ආණ්ඩුවට විරුද්ධ උද්ඝෝෂණ පෙන්නුවට කමක් නෑ, නමුත් එහි තව පැත්තකුත් තිබෙනවා කියලා පෙන්විය යුතුයි. උද්ඝෝෂණ පෙන්වන්න එපා කියා හෝ මට හොඳ කියන ඒවා විතරක් දාන්න කියා මම කියන්නේ නැහැ.

මෙහිදී මාධ්‍යවේදියෙකු විමසා සිටියේ පාඩු ලබන රාජ්‍ය ව්‍යවසාය පමණක් නොව ලාභ ලබන රාජ්‍ය ව්‍යවසාය ද ප්‍රතිව්‍යුහගත කිරීමට රජය තීරණය කර ඇත්ද කියාය.

ඊට ප්‍රතිචාර දක්වමින් ජනාධිපතිවරයා මෙසේ පැවසීය.

ඇයි රජය ව්‍යාපාර වල ඉන්නෙ. ඒක රජයේ වැඩක් නොවෙයි. ඩී එස් සේනානායක මැතිතුමාගේ කාලයෙ ඔය වගේ වැඩ තිබුනේ නැහැ. ඒත් රටේ සල්ලි තිබුණා. එදා එංගලන්තයටත් ණය දීලා ගල්ඔය ව්‍යාපාරය හදන්නත් රටේ සල්ලි තිබුණා.

දැන් අපි චීනයෙන් සල්ලි ඉල්ලා ගන්නවා මොරගහකන්ද හදන්න. රාජ්‍ය ආයතන ව්‍යාපාර කළ යුතුයි කියලා කුමන රටේද නීතියක් තිබෙන්නේ. අපි යන්නේ රටක් හැටියට සීග්‍රයෙන් දියුණු වෙන්න. අපි විතරයි රටක් හැටියට මේ රාජ්‍යය ව්‍යාපාර කරන්න ඕන කියලා කියන්නේ.

රජය තිබෙන්නේ නීතිය හා සාමය ආරක්ෂා කරන්න සහ ජනතාවගේ ප්‍රශ්න විසඳන්නයි. අද හොඳ අධ්‍යාපන ක්‍රමයක් තියෙනවද? අපි අධ්‍යාපනයට වඩා ගිය අවුරුද්දෙ ඛනිජ තෙල් සංස්ථාවට ගෙවලා තියෙනවා. අධ්‍යාපනයට වඩා විදුලි බල මණ්ඩලයට ගෙවලා තියෙනවා. ඩී එස් සේනානායක අගමැතිවරයා කාලයෙ මේ එකක් වත් තිබුනේ නැහැ. පෞද්ගලික අංශය විසින් ව්‍යාපාර කරනකොට එකේ බදු රජය ලබාගන්නවා.එංගලන්තෙ ටෙලිකොම් එක අයිති කාටද. පෞද්ගලික අංශයට. ප්‍රංශයේත් ඇමරිකාවේත් එහෙමයි. අපිත් එලෙස දියුණු විය යුතුයි. නැත්තම් උතුරු කොරියාව වගේ වැටෙන්න ඕනේ. ඒ දෙකෙන් මොකක්ද කැමති කියලා මට කියන්න.

මෙහිදී අදහස් දැක්වූ බන්දුල ගුණවර්ධන මහතා

ජනාධිපතිතුමා අගමැතිවරයා වශයෙන් සිටියදී 2002 වසරේදී රාජ්‍ය මූල්‍ය කළමනාකරණ විනය සකස් කිරීම සඳහා 2003 අංක 3 දරණ මූල්‍ය විනය කළමනාකරණ පනත ඉදිරිපත් කළා. මෙම පනතේ ප්‍රධාන අරමුණු තුනක් තිබුණා. 2006 වන විට අයවැය පරතරය දළ දේශීය නිෂ්පාදිතයෙන් ප්‍රතිශතයක් ලෙස 5% දක්වා අඩු කිරීමටත් ඉන්පසුව බලයට පත්වන රජයන් මේ 5% මට්ටම ඉදිරියටත් පවත්වාගෙන යාමටත් මෙම පනත මගින් ප්‍රතිපාදන සැලසී තිබුණා.

2013දී රාජ්‍ය නොපියවූ ණය ප්‍රමාණය දළ දේශීය නිෂ්පාදිතයෙන් 65% දක්වා අඩු කර එතැන් සිට හැටපහේ සීමාවේ පවත්වාගෙන යාම, තුන්වන කරුණ රජය ණය වන විට ණය විය හැක්කේ දළ දේශීය නිෂ්පාදිතයෙන් 4.5% පමණක් විය යුතුය යන්නයි. මේ කරුණු තුන ඇතුලත් කරලා එතුමා අගමැතිවරයා වශයෙන් එය ශ්‍රී ලංකා පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ සම්මත කළා. නමුත් අවාසනාවට 2004දී ජනතාව තීරණය කළා එම ආණ්ඩුව හොඳ නැහැ කියා, ඒ වෙනුවට වෙනත් ආණ්ඩුවක් පත්කරගත යුතුයි කියලා . එදා පත්‍ වූ ආර්ථික උපදේශකවරුන් පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට කියලා පනත නැවත සංශෝධනය කළා. එම නිසා එම ආර්ථික ඉලක්ක වලට යාමට අපට නොහැකි වුණා

රජය ගන්න තීන්දු ජනප්‍රිය නොවෙන්න පුළුවන්. අසීරු තීන්දු නොගත්තොත් රටක් හෝ අනාගතයක් නැහැ කියලා ජනාධිපතිතුමා නිරන්තරයෙන්ම කැබිනට් මණ්ඩලයට ප්‍රකාශ කළා. මේ සියලුම ගිවිසුම් කිසිවක් සඟවන්නේ නොමැතිව පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට ඉදිරිපත් කළා. මේ හැර වෙන විකල්පයක් තිබෙනවා නම් කවුරුන් හෝ පාර්ලිමේන්තුවට ඉදිරිපත් කරන්න. එයිනුත් රජයට විශාල මුදලක් ඉතිරි වෙනවා. එහෙම වුණොත් ප්‍රංශයේ ලසාඩ් සමාගමට ගෙවන්න තිබෙන මුදල් ගෙවන්න අවශ්‍ය නැහැ. ණයබරින් බේරෙන්න වෙන ක්‍රමයක් කියන්න පුළුවන් කෙනෙක් ඉන්නවා නම්, එය අපට ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන්න පුළුවන්. අපි හිතනවාට වඩා මෙය සංකීර්ණ ගැටලුවක්. මෙම ගැටලුව සාධාරණ ලෙස සමාජගත කරන්න උදව් කරන්න.

මෙහිදී අදහස් දැක්වූ මහබැංකු අධිපති ආචාර්ය නන්දලාල් වීරසිංහ මහතා

ණය ප්‍රතිව්‍යුහගත නොකලානම් වසරකට ඩොලර් බිලියන 06 බැගින් වසර ගණනක් යනතුරු විදේශ ණය බරක් අප මත තිබුණා. එය ගෙවීමට අපහසු නිසා තමයි ණය ගෙවීම තාවකාලිකව නවතා ණය ප්‍රතිව්‍යුහගත කරගැනීමට මේ ක්‍රියාවලයේ යෙදෙන්නේ. එහිදී අපට මේ තිබෙන ආකාරයට ගෙවීමට නොහැකි නිසා අපට ණය ලබා දුන් වාණිජ ආයතන සහ පුද්ගලික අංශ සහ ඒ ඒ රජයයන් ගෙන් අප ඉල්ලා සිටිනවා අපට මේ සඳහා සහනයක් ලබා දෙන ලෙස.

එම ක්‍රියාවලියේ පළමු පියවර තමයි ණය හිමියන් ලබාදුන් මූලය සහතිකය. අපේ ණය තිරසාර කිරීම සඳහා අවශ්‍ය ඉලක්ක ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදලේ ලේඛනයේ තිබෙනවා. ඒ තිරසාර මට්ටමට ළඟා කර ගැනීම වෙනුවෙන් ඒ ඒ රටවල් සහයෝගය දෙන බවට සහතිකයක් දී තිබෙනවා.

ඊළඟ පියවර වන්නේ ඒ සහතිකය අනුව සාකච්ඡා කර අපට වසරකට බිලියන 06 බැගින් ගෙවීමට තිබෙන ණය මේ කාලයේ ගෙවිය නොහැකියි නමුත් යම්කිසි සහනයක් ඇතිව දීර්ඝ කාලීනව ගෙවීමට අවස්ථාව ලබා දෙන ලෙස ඉල්ලා සිටිමයි.

මෙතන තිබෙන්නේ අප නැවත ණය ගන්නේවත් ගෙවන්නේවත් නෑ කියන කාරණය නොවෙයි. ණයක් ලබා ගත් විට එය ගෙවීමට අපට වගකීමක් තිබෙනවා. එසේ නොවුනහොත් නැවත කිසිවෙක් ණය ලබා දෙන්නේ නෑ. මෙහිදී සිදු වන්නේ ණය ගෙවීමට අපට හැකියාවක් නොමැති නිසා ගෙවීම පැහැර හැරීම වෙනුවට සහන ක්‍රමයකට ගෙවීමට අවස්ථාවක් දෙන්න කියා ඉල්ලා සිටිමයි.

උදාහරණයක් ලෙස දැනට අපට බිලියන 50ක් වසර දහයෙන් ගෙවීමට තිබෙනවා නම් අපි කියනවා ඊට අවුරුදු විස්සක, තිහක හෝ ඊට වැඩි කාලයක් ලබා දෙන ලෙස ඉල්ලා සිටිනවා.

වසරකට ගෙවීමට ඇති විදේශ ණය වාරිකය දළ දේශීය නිෂ්පාදිතයෙන් 4.5%කට වඩා අපට ගෙවීමට හැකියාවක් නෑ. ඒ අනුව එම ගණනට අඩු කර දෙන ලෙසයි ඉල්ලා සිටින්නේ. ඉතුරිය දීර්ඝ කාලීනව ගෙවීම සඳහා තමයි දැන් සාකච්ඡා පවත්වන්නේ.

මුදල් රාජ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය රංජිත් සියඹලාපිටිය, රාජ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය දිලුම් අමුණුගම, ජාතික ආරක්ෂාව පිළිබඳ ජනාධිපති ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ උපදේශක සහ ජනාධිපති කාර්ය මණ්ඩල ප්‍රධානි සාගල රත්නායක ,ජනාධිපති ලේකම් සමන් ඒකනායක, මුදල් අමාත්‍යංශයේ ලේකම් ආචාර්ය මහින්ද සිරිවර්ධන, ජනමාධ්‍ය අමාත්‍යංශයේ ලේකම් අනූෂ පැල්පිට, මහ බැංකු අධිපති ආචාර්ය නන්දලාල් වීරසිංහ, ජනාධිපති මාධ්‍ය අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජනරාල් ධනුෂ්ක රාමනායක , රජයේ ප්‍රවෘත්ති අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජනරාල් දිනිත් චින්තක කරුණාරත්න මහත්වරු හා ජනමාධ්‍ය ආයතන ප්‍රධානීන් ඇතුළු පිරිසක් මෙම අවස්ථාවට එක්ව සිටියහ.

– ජනාධිපති මාධ්‍ය ඒකකය

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya says that 121 million US dollars out of 333 million US dollars, the first tranche that was extended to Sri Lanka by the IMF, was used to pay the installment of the Indian credit line.

He said the relevant installment of 121 million US dollars was paid yesterday.  

” Usually the loans given by the International Monetary Fund are credited to the Central Bank account.  But this time, the relevant loan amount has been credited to the account by the Treasury Deputy Secretary. Therefore it can be used for debt stabilization,” he said.

On March 20, the IMF Board approved a 48-month extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of SDR 2.286 billion (about US$3 billion) to support Sri Lanka’s economic policies and reforms.(Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya)

Courtesy Adaderana

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout will help bring Sri Lanka’s depleted foreign exchange reserve to pre-crisis levels in four years, said the country’s central bank governor.

On Tuesday, the IMF extended a long-awaited US$3 billion (S$4 billion) loan to the island nation, which has been reeling since 2021 from its worst economic crisis since independence.

The bailout comes with a structured four-year programme that requires Sri Lanka to achieve debt sustainability, shore up more foreign exchange to create a healthy reserve, and improve state revenue by raising taxes and slashing utility subsidies.

Sri Lanka owes around US$51 billion to external lenders, the repayment of which was suspended when its government declared bankruptcy in July 2022.

During the programme period of four years, we are committed to bringing foreign exchange reserves back to levels we had before the crisis, which is about US$8 billion to US$9 billion – this is not comfortable, but it will be sufficient,” Central Bank of Sri Lanka governor Nandalal Weerasinghe told The Straits Times on Thursday.

The most Sri Lanka has ever had in reserve is US$10 billion, he said. 

Among the sources of US dollars will be concessional loans of up to US$7 billion from the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and other financial institutions, private investments, and export earnings, the governor added.

We will also engage in good faith with our foreign creditors through a debt-restructuring process to reduce our annual debt service payments, which is now a significant US$6 billion per year,” said Mr Weerasinghe. 

The import-dependent country’s reserves had dipped dangerously to US$500 million in 2021, but improved to US$2.2 billion in February 2023 after Sri Lanka stopped interest payouts and some countries such as India extended fuel on credit. 

Blaming previous governments for borrowing excessively from the global markets at commercial interest rates to finance fiscal deficit, Mr Weerasinghe said Sri Lanka would have access to borrow from the international market only after the four-year programme.

I would advise the government that even if we have access to the commercial market, our borrowings will have to be much more carefully evaluated, and properly invested in areas that can generate enough foreign exchange to service the debt,” he added. 

From 2010 to 2021, the share of such commercial borrowings – called sovereign bonds – in Sri Lanka’s external debt tripled, from 12 per cent to 36 per cent.

In 2021, they accounted for 70 per cent of the government’s annual interest payments.

Mr Weerasinghe took over the central bank in April 2022 from his much-criticised predecessor, Mr Ajith Nivard Cabraal.

Mr Cabraal was known to be close to former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, and had served as his economic adviser when the latter was prime minister.

Mr Cabraal had opposed an IMF bailout in favour of a domestic solution to the economic crisis.

But as dollar reserves dipped, the island could not afford to import food, medicine, fertiliser and fuel, triggering grave shortages. 

Struggling Sri Lankans launched massive protests across the nation in April 2022, forcing then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, to resign.

The Parliament then appointed Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe as president and he is now leading the economic recovery.

Source: Strait Times
-Agencies

Courtesy Adaderana

The Supreme Court is due to deliver the verdict on the petitions filed against the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill confidentially to the Speaker of the Parliament.

The second hearing of the Bill took place today (24 March), before a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, during which the presentation of the petitioner’s arguments concluded.

Presenting his argument in court, Additional Solicitor General Viraj Dayaratne highlighted that through the Bill in question, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) will be allowed to implement its monetary policy more independently, improving its accountability and also permitting the CBSL Governor to act on his own accord, without being influenced by any external parties.

The petitioners countered, however, that the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill would allow for the Central Bank to deviate from the powers of the Executive, thereby posing an issue.

The Additional Solicitor General argued, however, that this was not the case, and even under the proposed Bill, the CBSL will still be answerable to the Parliament.

Following the conclusion of the hearing, the court ordered both parties to file their written submissions, if any, by Monday (27 March).

CBSL Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe was also present at today’s hearings, for which the court expressed its gratitude.

A total of seven petitions have been filed against the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill, by a group of persons including Udaya Gammanpila, Athuraliye Rathana Thero and Lt Col (Retd.) Anil Amarasekera.

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka will hold a virtual presentation next week to update its commercial creditors and investors following the receipt of IMF Executive Board approval for the bailout package.

The investor and creditor presentation will commence at 8.30 a.m. on March 30, chaired by Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe and Finance Ministry’s Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on March 20 green-lighted a 48-month extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program of SDR 2.286 billion (approximately USD 3 billion) for Sri Lanka.

The EFF program will allow Sri Lanka to access financing of up to USD 7 billion from the IMF, International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and multilateral organizations.

After receiving the IMF’s board approval, Sri Lanka immediately received an initial disbursement of USD 333 million (amounting to SDR 254 million) from the EFF arrangement. The first tranche of the IMF bailout package is expected to catalyze new external financing including from the ADB and the World Bank.

The planned presentation will outline the EFF-supported program’s objectives, as well as the next steps with regard to engagement with creditors, the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization & National Policies explained in a press release.

The ministry reiterated that Sri Lanka is fully committed to successfully completing its IMF program, adding that the government has embarked on an ambitious reform agenda” to ensure fiscal consolidation, boost tax revenues, rebuild its foreign reserves, improve economic governance, and strengthen the Central Bank’s independence.

Sri Lanka will continue to engage with all its creditors in good faith with full transparency and looks forward to constructive discussions for a swift resolution of the public debt situation, the statement read further.

Speaking in this regard, Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana said: The IMF Executive Board approval is an important milestone towards Sri Lanka’s debt sustainability and economic recovery, unlocking up to $7 billion in funding from the IMF and other IFIs. These funds will help address Sri Lanka’s macroeconomic challenges, reconstitute financial buffers, and restart the country’s economic growth engines. Moving onto the next phase, we remain committed to progressing engagement with all our creditors to achieve an efficient, transparent, and equitable implementation of the debt treatment required to restore debt sustainability.”

Meanwhile, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said: The IMF program is crucial to stabilise our economy and we are strongly committed to successfully complete the IMF program by implementing ambitious reforms. We can already see positive signs of recovery; the headline inflation rate has eased for five consecutive months and our foreign currency reserves have increased to $2.2 billion in February 2023. We are on the right path, but we still have a long way to go. I am confident that we will successfully complete the IMF program and restore Sri Lanka’s economy.”

Hiru News

Courtesy Hiru News

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that due to the public sector engaging in business activities, the money that was available for the construction of 100 projects similar to the Mahaweli during the past decades, has been destroyed.

He noted that in the future, the public sector will stop engaging in business and open it to the private sector to create a free and productive economy.

President Wickremesinghe mentioned this at the 71st commemoration ceremony of the late Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake at Independence Square yesterday.

Recalling that D.S. Senanayake’s vision was to create a free economy, the President said that business should be done by the private sector and that the country could be developed with the tax revenue obtained from them.

However, due to the nationalization in 1956, the Government started engaging in business and that is why the tax revenue was inadequate for the development of the country, the President pointed out.

He stated that the country has distanced itself from D.S. Senanayake’s vision, but following his vision, Singapore has become a developed country today and said that despite our politicians dreaming of making Sri Lanka a Singapore, the destruction caused to Sri Lanka in the last 75 years due to the decisions of certain political movements is immense.

Therefore, the President further mentioned that Senanayake’s legacy should be carried forward to build a strong and powerful Sri Lanka.

By Raj Gonsalkorale

The IMF agreement is much more than the USD 3 billion that accompanies it. In the overall scheme of the country’s foreign debt (now estimated at around USD 48 Billion) and overall debt at 115% of GDP, with no funds for foreign debt repayments and no foreign exchange to purchase essentials, the USD 3 Billion is relatively miniscule in the face of the mammoth task before the country. In this context, it is the four-year plan that accompanies this agreement that matters. This plan may drive the country more towards the Western world led by the USA, and even more hardship as contended by some. This contention is however based on a hypothesis and without an appreciation of the political, social, and economic circumstances in other country’s that obtained similar bail out packages, and who reportedly were driven further into an economic and social abyss as a consequence of IMF bail outs.

The question to be asked is whether Sri Lanka has any other choice other than this assistance package from the IMF, and if there is, what that choice is. Criticising the overall thrust of this plan is like refusing to hold on to a tube thrown at an individual struggling in mid sea saying one needs to know more about the tube before grabbing it.

Sri Lankans are divided in their opinion whether to regard the IMF agreement as a lifeline or a cunning plan. They hover between the two phrases Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” and Beware of Greeks bearing gifts”.

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth is an admonishment to be grateful when receiving a present and not to find fault with that present. A horse’s teeth change as it ages, and looking in its mouth is a good way to judge the health and value of a horse. To question the value of a gift is an insult. The oldest example of this proverb in English dates back to the mid-1500s, where the equine in question is called a given horse. However, St. Jerome sent a Letter to the Ephesians in the year 400, with the admonishment Noli equi dentes inspicere donati” which translates as Never inspect the teeth of a given horse”. It is astonishing to consider how old this proverb truly is. https://grammarist.com/usage/dont-look-a-gift-horse-in-the-mouth/

The adage “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts is heard often and is normally used to refer to an act of charity that masks a hidden destructive or hostile agenda. But it’s not widely known that the phrase originates with a story from Greek mythology–specifically the story of the Trojan War, in which the Greeks, led by Agamemnon, sought to rescue Helen, who had been taken to Troy after falling in love with Paris. This tale forms the core of Homer’s famous epic poem, The Illiad (https://www.thoughtco.com/beware-of-greeks-bearing-gifts-origin-121368 

Sri Lankans are good at looking for scapegoats. They are a nation of experts who think they know everything and are good at talking about these but not doing as much to put their opinions into action.  All Opposition parties have been guilty of this, as the current Opposition is. People have consistently voted for political parties and elected them to power by not looking beyond their noses. Although no doubt said figuratively, a leader once said on a political platform to loud cheers from a mammoth audience that if need be, I will bring rice even from the Moon”. Short term agendas rather than longer term policies have been the determinants since independence. Family and personality politics have dominated the political landscape. Allegations of corruption are rife although no politician or a high-ranking official has been indicted on corruption charges. Billions of dollars of ill-gotten money said to be stashed away in other countries are still stashed away, if indeed such funds are there. No serious effort has been made to uncover these although there are international agencies including a UN body (The Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR), a partnership between the World Bank Group and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime that supports international efforts to end safe havens for corrupt funds. StAR works with developing countries and financial centers to prevent the laundering of the proceeds of corruption and to facilitate more systematic and timely return of stolen assets- see https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/corruption/StAR.html)

Many excel in hindsight analysis and criticism, but few learn lessons from mistakes. This writer and many others are no exceptions. We have all collectively led the country to where it is now. It is time to learn from mistakes and move on and look towards the future and stop scapegoat hunting.

The IMF bailout plan is not a gift. So, there is no horse nor a Greek to consider here. It is an economic strategy and an economic plan for a bankrupt country drowning in a debt vortex created by itself. It has been the only lifeline thrown at the country.

What can and should be done by political parties, organisations and individuals is to support this plan, but, if it is to be opposed, to come up with an alternate plan that would assure the country’s creditors that their loans will be repaid, how the country would generate enough foreign income to do so, how the country would generate enough foreign currency to purchase essentials like oil, coal, medicines etc, how the country would meet its domestic expenditure with domestic income and borrow only for development projects that will yield a return on investment. These critics must also spell out what they will do to stop the massive haemorrhaging that is going on subsidising entities like Sri Lankan Airlines, the Petroleum Corporation, the electricity board among others. They must either put up or shut up. What is desperately needed now is not political point scoring to continue duping the voters with no alternate plans but short-term political hyperbole.

If indeed some countries who received similar IMF packages met with the an unfortunate fate as alleged, it is more than likely that they themselves were the cause of it. Sri Lanka too could face a similar fate if the stakeholders in the country do not own this plan and work together to make it a success. As suspected by some, if the IMF is playing a game as in Homer’s famous epic poem, The Illiad, the country needs an Odysseus to overcome such a challenge. While not suggesting or imputing that the IMF has any kind of a cunning plan, the challenge for Sri Lanka would be to demonstrate their ability to manage its economy well and do so with the assistance of all other development agencies and via bi lateral agreements but within the terms and conditions of the IMF agreement it has signed.

The IMF agreement is a four year agreement and neither the current President nor the government has four more years in office unless they are re-elected. It is imperative that a party or parties in Opposition who could well form a government at the next general election, and a future President, if the current President either does not stand for election or is defeated, works with the IMF over the next four years. An abrogation of this agreement will be the ultimate death sentence for the country. If the Opposition has contentious issues in the agreement, they should highlight these now, and work with the government to address them collectively with the IMF now, and not later. If they are opposing the agreement, they should submit an alternate plan to save the country from its current disastrous situation. Failure to demonstrate their concern for the country by not teaming with the government on this specific issue or not presenting an alternate plan to save the country from its economic abyss may even test Democracy itself and possibly the sovereignty of the country as well.

MALINDA SENEVIRATN​E



If the head of any organisation is a crook, it amounts to a licence for theft down the line, all the way to the bottom. If there’s a crook at any level of an organisation, it implies that the head of that institution is either a crook or is incompetent. 

Organization, here, could mean all kinds of collectives, for example teams, schools, state institutions, companies, clubs, societies, ministries, councils, judicial apparatuses and even countries.  Hold on to this thought for a while.  



We are talking here about the energy sector. We are talking about petroleum. About crude oil. Refined petroleum fuels and products. Refineries.. Supply side issues. Demand side issues. Margins. Contracts. Hidden costs that are eventually reflected in the Consumer Price Index. Domestic fuel-need security or rather insecurity. Dollar costs. Tender procedures. Foot dragging. Tripartite agreements sat upon. We are talking of the Ministry of Power and Energy. The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). The Bank of Ceylon (BoC). Relevant officials. Tier One traders who produce oil, have their own wells and extracting and refining equipment and run their own trading operations. Tier Two traders are, well, just traders.



First, let’s consider how the CPC does and does not do business. The CPC has always shown a preference to purchase from relatively small-time, second-tier players who in reality procure from the top-tier and markup in an ungodly manner. Whether or not there are hidden costs, pocket-lining etc. included in the markup, the high-ups in the Ministry of Power and Energy and the CPC would know. Suffice to say, this is typical. Of course such deals would include politicians, officials and of course such second-tier suppliers. In cahoots. Who picks up the bill though? The consumer!



The mismanagement and corruption (yes!) is perhaps best evidenced by the options that the CPC does not consider, despite cogent proposals with terms far more favourable not just to the CPC but the country economy, the industries and the general public as a whole.  



Let’s consider an alternative scenario. Suppose there is a top Middle-Eastern oil producing company that is owned by that particular government, with trading offices in the UK, Singapore and Dubai.  Suppose this company proposes to supply the entire crude oil requirement of the Sapugaskanda Refinery with a, say, six month credit period, and pledges to off-take all refined products leftover after providing for domestic demand. It would not only sort out the country’s energy issues and provide domestic fuel-need security but also turn Sri Lanka into a regional petroleum, oils and fuel export hub. At zero-dollar cost to the nation.



Consider capacities. As of now the full rated capacity of the Refinery is 55,000 barrels per day. Historically, the facility processes just 22-25,000 barrels per day due to technical, maintenance, procurement, and other management” issues. The reason is well known.  The output of heavy refined products like the various grades of furnace oils and marine fuels even from high grade light crude oil is around 50-60% and Sri Lanka just doesn’t have sufficient domestic capacity to absorb anything more above a 22-25,000 barrels per day refining operation. Now, considering that a top tier player who is a producer, refiner and trader can off-take anything and everything produced, the Refinery can operate close to capacity without having to worry about shipping out the excess products once domestic demand is satisfied. Sri Lanka would get at least the processing margin and, if the banking system is stable, it is not inconceivable that the entire transaction be channeled through it. It would obviously make the banking system dollar-rich and infuse much needed dollars into the float

.

Such an arrangement would earn Sri Lanka between 10-20% of its GDP in dollars and remove the cost of crude oil procurement altogether. Now suppose this top-tier player has a market capitalisation approximate to 2 trillion US dollars which is greater than the sum of the next three players, and doesn’t demand upfront payment? Does it even make sense to play with relatively two-bit traders? If it does, does it not mean that either there’s corruption or absolute incompetence?

Just for context, consider that countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia prefer such arrangements, i.e. agreements with the top player who is reliable, reputed and don’t have to impose markups simply because oil need not be purchased. As is, even India, which has its own oil reserves, does good business with this company which operates as co-owner of refining facilities.



Let’s talk numbers. Let’s for simplicity assume a barrel of crude oil costs 100 US dollars. Considering yield margins of 30-35% on refined products, a barrel of crude refined will produce 130-135 dollars of refined products. That would amount to at minimum a processing margin yield of 7-10 dollars per barrel of refined products. If the banking system is stable, the balance 20-25 (or 23-27) dollars can be routed through it. That’s 153 million dollars at the margin and 655 million dollars at the yield margin.



Now what if another refinery is added using the free space at Sapugaskanda, as has been proposed? It would mean 110,000 barrels of additional capacity. Per day.  What if someone proposes that this asset, worth around 1.2 billion US dollars will be built by a top-tier player but will be fully owned by Sri Lanka?



Consider also that the Ministry of Energy has solicited an expression of interest to set up a refining complex in BoI controlled land in Hambantota. Apparently 400 acres with the possibility of adding another 190 acres. Of course this doesn’t necessarily translate into a capacity to refine 650,000 barrels per day overnight considering technical requirements which, one assumes, the experts of the CPC, BoI and the Ministry are aware of. While it does pose the issue of creating unnecessary inbred competition (with Sapugaskanda), if a technically sound and experienced partner who does not fear the market is involved, it does make sense. As long as the CPC moves out of what appears to be a lining-pockets culture of dealing with suppliers.



There’s more on that. An example would make things clear. In July 2022 a tender was called for the supply of JetA1 fuel. Although it could have been supplied at 10 USD per barrel, the suggested price was 13.95. It was eventually awarded at 21.95 dollars per barrel after delaying the awardee’s ability to supply at 13.95. That’s for 40,000 metric tonnes per month, roughly 250,000 barrels. That’s some 35 million dollars lost a year. Why was this done, does Kanchana Wijesekera know? Can the MD of CPC provide an answer? Do they believe that Sri Lanka can be turned into a jet aviation fuel hub? At that price? Is it not true that the CPC came up with bizarre technical objections which the industry would guffaw at in order to ensure that the supplier quoting the higher price would be awarded the tender? Was there pocket-lining?



In June 2022, when Sri Lanka was unable to pay in dollar upfront and wanted credit for the supply of crude oil, one supplier was ready to give six months credit. However, the mechanism that exists requires a tripartite Non Resident Rupee Account agreement between the CPC, the supplier and the Bank of Ceylon. The BoC is required to do the dollar conversion and send the money to the supplier. In this instance, the BoC signed two NRRA agreements with two parties offering less favourable terms. The BoC not only refused to sign the NRRA with the supplier offering the best terms, but refused to communicate with this party which, mind you, is a BoC account holder, as to what their specific grievance was. Who at the BoC is responsible for this? Is he or she in cahoots with some CPC and Ministry officials? The Minister could investigate.



As mentioned there is a possibility of an arrangement where the CPC does not have to pay any money upfront. In fact no money would be required. There would be investment in a new refinery at no cost to CPC or Sri Lanka, no NRRA accounts, no markups, no corruption. The supplier takes on the conversion risks, provides the crude oil and off-takes the excess refined products. Sri Lanka gets dollars into the banking system and the CPC gets both Rupee and Dollar profits from the Sapugaskada Refinery. No energy security issues. The CPC can supply to the CEB without interruption. And yet, Sri Lanka refuses to buy into this. Add to refining capacity by setting up refineries in Hambantota and it’s all simple arithmetic. Is the CPC incapable of doing simple addition and subtraction? Is Kanchana arithmetically challenged?  



There seems to be hanky-panky in all this. Where, is the question. Somewhere down the line? If so, the buck floats up to the Minister and the Government, Head of State included, and on it is written the following words: ‘incompetent and/or corrupt’, noting that incompetence at this level amounts to corruption as per Carlson M.M. etal  (2018): corruption signifies a failure to conform to some standard, the inducement to wrong by improper and unlawful means, or a departure from what is pure or correct.”

Inefficient. Losses. Wrong Decisions. Corruption. These are words associated with entities such as the CPC and CEB. They are used to prop proposals for privatisation. Does not follow. Houses need to be and can be put into order. There’s nothing to stop state-entities playing according to market rules and making profits. Except corrupt officials.  The CPC still can turn things around. Kanchana Wijesekera can step in if he wants to. Sri Lanka does not need to depend on the alleged largesse of the IMF. Good business sense and integrity. That’s what is needed. Does the CPC have these qualities? Does the Minister?

And now, scroll back to the first paragraph of this essay:

 ‘If the head of any organisation is a crook, it amounts to a licence for theft down the line, all the way to the bottom. If there’s a crook at any level of an organisation, it implies that the head of that institution is either a crook or is incompetent.’

Senaka Weeraratna

Dasis Manchanayake scored both a stunning century and half-century and then stunned the entire country by leading his team to a splendid victory over their rivals, which will remain etched in the memory of all those who were privileged to watch this unforgettable 144^th Royal Thomian encounter.

However, there is another story equally interesting lurking in Dasis background. The story of his closely-knit family.

His father Tissa, a gentle unassuming man was educated at the Veyangoda Central School. So too were his four brothers in a family of eight children. Veyangoda Central College” also known as Bandaranayake Central College, Veyangoda, is a National school in Sri Lanka.

Dasis loving mother Ms. Nilmini Manchanayake has written an endearing article published in this year’s beautiful Royal Thomian souvenir (Royal College) under the caption ‘ The experiences of Cricket Captain’s Mother’.

Dasis Kaveeja Manchanayake was born on October 08, 2003.

His mother Nilmini says Seeing this chubby and pretty boy for the first time was one of the happiest moments of my life. Later, when I was passing by Royal College and seeing the little boys dressed in blue shorts there, I was always telling my husband that we should try and get our son admitted to Royal College. It was one of my dreams then and I became so happy when I could fulfill my first dream for my son”. 

She further says that when his father, an ardent cricket lover was watching international cricket matches on Television, Dasis used to join his father and many a time had tried to imitate world-class cricketers. His father Tissa had used to encourage the little boy to play cricket even before he started schooling.  

At the age of eight Dasis was selected for training at the Royal College Cricket Academy. There he progressed by leaps and bounds. Dasis was first selected to play in the 2020^th Big Match at the age of fifteen and a half years and he validated the trust and confidence of the Selectors by displaying his remarkable hidden talent with a match-saving 53 runs not out which was the highest score for his side.

His father Tissa was the man behind the scene of Dasis remarkable success in cricket. After years of sustained support to his son Dasis via a veritable balancing exercise of both work and play, Tissa had to finally give up his job in a leading Bank i.e., retiring prematurely, to enable him to devote full time to help his son to make progress in cricket.

The Manchanayake Family

The family comprises unassuming humble folk. They belong to the category of folk that generally uses public transport for travel, speak in the vernacular languages, read mainly indigenous i.e., Sinhala, language newspapers, interact humbly with others, and more importantly, are rooted in patriotism and undivided loyalty to their country.

Here are some interesting details supplied by one of Dasis close relatives i.e., an uncle.

Tissa Manchanayake had four brothers and three sisters altogether eight (8) in the family. His father (grandfather of Dasis) the late Subasinghe Manchanayake was a teacher who ended his career as the Principal of Magalegoda Maha Vidyalaya in Veyangoda.

Tissa is a Mechanical Engineer. A graduate of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Katubedda Campus. He has worked on Mahaweli development projects, the Airport and finally ended as the Area Manager (Transport) Peoples Bank in Mirigama (Watumulla).

Dasis mother is a housewife. Dasis sister is a student at the University of Moratuwa ( Katubedda)

There were no silver spoons in their mouths. Despite a lack of privilege at birth and upbringing they have broken through the glass ceiling and invisible barriers and made entry into the big picture. Dasis will take them higher as Sachin Tendulkar did in India. He is the ‘Pin Putha’. A gift from the heavens.  Dasis sensational achievements at the Royal Thomian constitute the stuff of dreams.

There were others in the team who gave a helping hand, especially fresher Ramiru Perera who together with Dasis broke the Royal Thomian 5^th wicket partnership record with aplomb. A graceful 229-run partnership. Ramiru scored 128 runs in the first innings and an unbeaten 46 runs in the second innings falling four runs short of emulating Dasis who scored a century (137) and half-century (57), the first Captain to do so. Ramiru is a smart 15-year-old lad with a world to conquer in the future.  

Dasis bats like Arjuna Ranatunga. An attacking left-handed batsman who can put to flight any savage bowling attack on his day. Remember Sanath Jayasuriya, Pathum Nissanka, and a host of others with origins outside the metropolis in the last 30 years or so who have taken Sri Lanka to unbelievable heights in World Cricket.

Dasis is in that mould. He has spoken with the bat and the ball and captured our hearts. The World salutes true heroes, not artificial ones. Sri Lanka needs heroes desperately – for every generation. Role Models inspire others within and outside the playing field. Cricket needs not only the Braun but also the Brains i.e., ‘Cricket thinkers’, even beyond the boundary line. This is the new vision that must guide the SLC.

Credit

Now the last question.

Who should be allocated credit for this massive turnaround in the fortunes of ordinary folk now trying their luck in cricket?

The answer is not blowing in the wind. 

Free Education introduced by the Minister of Education C.W.W. Kannangara in the pre-independence era and the 1956 Bandaranaike Revolution of the Common Man were the turning points. 

‘ The Panas Haye Daruwo’ (children of 1956) using the sobriquet coined by the writer Nalin de Silva, is now turning tables in almost every aspect of life in Sri Lanka. 

Cricket is uniting people in a way unimaginable decades ago, irrespective of their social backgrounds. Cricket has brought even the most politically irreconcilable parties together.

We should be happy about these changes.

Senaka Weeraratna