Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today said that every second the youth protested, the country was losing vital dollars and the government would take all possible measures to address the current issues since the other parties refused to accept the request for an all party government.

In his televised address to the nation, the Prime Minister said his government ended the war that plagued the country for 30 years , and he never intended to leave people suffering in queues to purchase gas and fuel . 
He said he is sensitive to the sufferings of the people and he, along with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would leave no stone unturned in the efforts to overcome the current difficulties.
Commenting on the slogan rejecting all the 225 MPs, he said history is full of examples to prove repercussions of assaulting parliamentary democracy . He urged the youth in the protests not to drag the country back to such a period of horrific violence.
He said there was a lot of blood shed during the 88/89 period due to the rejection of democracy at that time . 
“Around 60,000 young lives were lost as a result of the violence unleashed at that time,” he said .
He said, I see national flags fluttering in your hand . You have recieved that freedom due to the enormous sacrifices made by the three forces ,” the Prime Minister said. (Kelum Bandara)

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Even certain groups from the neighboring countries have begun intervening in the affairs of Sri Lanka today, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said over the weekend.

” A curse is upon Sri Lanka as a result of action taken by certain groups who had set people against each other to come into power, Some politicians used the Easter Sunday attacks to come into power. They failed to implement most of the recommendations made by the Presidential commission which proved the attacks on April 2019. They are hiding those who were really behind the Easter Sunday attacks. Therefore a curse is upon Sri Lanka,” the Cardinal Ranjith said.

” We even see efforts made by certain groups in neighbouring countries to intervene in Sri Lanka’ s affairs. However it is possible to pull this nation from the present crisis ,” he added. (Yohan Perera)

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The rebel Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs, which includes former Ministers Vasudeva Nanayakkara and Wimal Weerawansa, have decided not to support the no-confidence motion against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Nanayakkara told Daily Mirror that they had advised the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya not to go ahead with the no-confidence motion against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

He said that they feel a no-confidence on the President will not be appropriate at this time. Instead, Nanayakkara says they will push for a 21st Amendment to be presented to Parliament to curtail the powers of the President.

The former Minister said that they have already had talks with the President and the opposition and put forward a set of proposals.

He said the proposals include establishing a National Executive Council, seeking a debt moratorium, having a cabinet that does not draw any perks and submitting a 21st Amendment to Parliament.

Courtesy Adaderana

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa says although an invitation was extended to all parties to come forward in unity to address the current crisis situation, they have not stepped forward. 

This is not a time to prioritize party affiliations over the resurrection of the country’s economy, he said, delivering a special televised statement today on the country’s economic situation.

I understand the fatigue of the people who have been queuing for days in the fuel queues and empathize with the pain of our citizens queuing up for gas. I feel that pain,” the PM said.

We intimately understand the suffering of the people in the face of the skyrocketing price of goods.”

He stated that although the government has extended an invitation to all parties to come forward in unity to address the current situation, they have not stepped forward. 

This is not a time to prioritize party affiliations over the resurrection of the country’s economy. With this call being unanswered, we as the party commanding a majority have taken up this responsibility.” 

We will overcome these challenges,” he said.

Rajapaksa said that 30 years of a terrorist threat and the fear of death that existed among the people of this country was eradicated; not to further endanger the people and to relegate them to a fate of hardship and pain.

We built highways, modern roads and infrastructure – not so that you can stand in queues on those roads.” 

We built ports, not to suffocate supply chains and halt tankers carrying fuel because we’re unable to pay for It,” he emphasized.

Historically, we have spared no sacrifice to protect our people from every challenge. As in times past, we will make every effort to overcome this crisis,” he added.

He said the government’s responsibility is to uphold the sovereignty of the people. We will never take decisions that will undermine the democracy, the country’s governance structure or its Supremacy.”

We work with that purpose in mind. In politics we are accustomed to letting go,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the chant ‘No 225 in Parliament’ today echoes through the streets. That immediately translates to a rejection of this democratic system. While it may sound good, I urge you to understand its danger from a historical perspective.”

I urge our sons and daughters this evening to consider this carefully and protect our nation from once again slipping into a time as dark as that in our history, through these actions.”

He said the government is embarking on an enormous program to overcome the crisis which the country is facing today. Every second spent by the President and this government is used up exhausting avenues to rebuild our country, the PM said.

This government has historically imbued our farmers with the highest relief packages to aid their industry. However, today the farmers stand against us.”

Rajapaksa said that no matter how honorable the notion of organic fertilizer is, it is not the time for it to be implemented. As such, we will be reinstating the fertilizer subsidy to once again equip our farmers to optimize their craft.”

The country needs to urgently recover from this debilitating crisis which includes the unbearable cost of living and the requisite shortages, he stressed.

Even if it is not possible within the next two or three days, we have initiated action to address these crises with the highest urgency.”

Friends, every second you protest on the streets, our country loses opportunities to receive potential dollars,” the prime minister said. He said the reform that is being sought is currently secondary to the collective responsibility and the urgency that is required to stave off this crisis. 

 To facilitate this, we have extended an open invitation all those who have the courage to join us in serving our great nation. Remember that the country right now needs the patience of all of us to endure this hardship a little while currently.”

The PM further said: Dear daughter, dear son, we know that you all love your homeland passionately. I undertook many miles of protest walks in the past for the sake of the youth who were being oppressed from the violence that was prevalent. However, the infinite grains of sand that I trampled do not begin to compare with the humiliation and insults that my family and I have been levelled with. We can bear it. We can face it.”

My one humble plea is that you do not harass or insult those who serve in the police of the tri forces who have dutifully served our country.”

Remember that today you walk the streets without fear of oppression protesting, because those war heroes sacrificed their lives to save this country for you.”

Keep in mind that these very same war heroes came back to battle for you during the recent pandemic.”

My sons and daughters, I see how proudly you wave our national flag during your protests, and it fills my heart with joy. However, do not forget those who laid the foundation for that flag to be freely hoisted anywhere in our homeland.”

Today, despite the many challenges, there is one thing is not lacking -our courage, and determination to once again fight this crisis together. We will fight and we will overcome, as we have in times past.”

Read Full Speech Below: 

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s special statement on Sri Lanka’s economic crisis by Adaderana Online on Scribdhttps://www.scribd.com/embeds/569295497/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-tuUWDT9YQyzmV0stAnMa

Courtesy Adaderana

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India on Monday said it has attached assets worth INR 359 million of four Indians allegedly involved in drugs and arms smuggling as part of a plan to ‘revive’ the banned Sri Lankan terror group LTTE that was militarily defeated in 2009.

The accused are being probed by the federal agency in a case linked to the seizure of 300 kgs of heroin, arms and ammunition from a Sri Lankan boat that was intercepted by the Coast Guard in Indian waters on March 18 last year, Indian media reported.

Six plots, a dozen vehicles, cash and bank deposits of Suresh Raj A, Satkunam alias Sabeshan, Ramesh A and Soundararajan alias Sounder have been provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the agency said.

The ED case of money laundering against the accused is based on a National Investigation Agency (NIA) FIR registered after a Sri Lankan fishing boat named ‘Ravihansi’ was caught near the Minicoy Island, Lakshadweep, in March last year.

The boat was within the territorial waters of India” and on rummaging, the Coast Guard recovered about 300 kgs heroin, five assault rifles, and 1,000 rounds of 9 mm bullets, the ED said in a statement.

Probe found that the drugs and arms smuggled in the Sri Lankan boat were meant for Suresh Raj A, Satkunam and their associates and sale proceeds of the said drugs would be used for purchasing the next consignment of drugs and also for revival of proscribed terrorist organisation LTTE”, according to the agency.

The ED said Suresh Raj A and Satkunam have been involved in a similar crime earlier with the active support of Ramesh and Soundararajan,” it said.

Suresh Raj A. and Satkunam were convicted earlier in a narcotics case and a criminal case is also pending against Soundararajan, it said.

Source: PTI

Courtesy Adaderana

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) says that fuel will not be pumped into canisters, barrels and other portable containers at CEYPETCO filling stations on April 12, 13 and 14.

CPC Chairman Sumith Wijesinghe said that a decision was taken to suspend issuing fuel to cans and such as a preliminary step as there will be no scheduled power cuts in the country for three days. 

Accordingly, pumping fuel into canisters and barrels will be halted within the next three days starting from tomorrow, he told reporters in Colombo.

However, he said, they have devised a system to issue fuel in a manner that does not hinder the work of a large number of farmers engaged in agriculture during this period.  

He said that fuel required for vehicles used for agricultural purposes can be obtained from filling stations if certified by the Agricultural Research Officer or Grama Niladhari (GN) officer of the area.

The CPC chairman said recently a large number of people had obtained fuel in cans and barrels and that therefore a request was made to the IGP to intervene in this matter. 

Accordingly, it is reported that within yesterday alone, 10,000 liters of such unnecessarily and illegally hoarded fuel was seized by the police from several places, he revealed.

This is because ordinary people do not have the authority to store fuel privately in any way. Ceylon Petroleum Corporation’s fuel can be stored only at filling stations,” he stressed. 

Courtesy Adaderana

Several leading licensed commercial banks in Sri Lanka have today declared their selling rate of the US Dollar at Rs. 330.

Meanwhile the buying price of the dollar has been declared at Rs. 320.

Accordingly, the following selling rates of the USD had been listed by commercial banks:

Bank of Ceylon – Rs. 330.00

People’s Bank – Rs. 329.99

Sampath Bank – Rs. 330.00

Hatton National Bank – Rs. 330.00

National Development Bank – Rs. 320.00

DFCC Bank – Rs. 320.00

Amãna Bank – Rs. 330.00

Shenali D Waduge

Sri Lanka is facing a decisive period in its democratic history. It requires all to relook at how government & governance is structured & look for ways we can adopt a system beneficial to us.

PRESIDENT will be the Head of State & head of Parliament. There will be no Prime Minister.  Instead of MPs getting elected & given portfolios, the proposed new system will have Subject Ministries to which candidates can come forward to contest & be elected based on their knowledge & expertise. There is no party politics as candidates are voted only on their merit & not because of the political party they belong to. This proposal aspires to end divisive politics & concentrate on getting the best out of the ministries by people who are experts in that area for which the tax payers are remunerating.

ex: Ministry of Education & Teacher Training – anyone who is qualified in the field of education/teacher training can contest to be elected to this key ministry from which 1 out of the 9 members will be selected to Cabinet rank

PROPOSED MINISTRIES

1. MINISTRY OF DEFENSE & NATIONAL SECURITY & LAND-SEA-AIR SOVEREIGNTY
2. MINISTRY OF FINANCE
3. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
4. MINISTRY OF BUDDHASASANA & RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS, CULTURE & HERITAGE
5. MINISTRY OF EDUCATION & TEACHER TRAINING
6. MINISTRY OF HEALTH & INDIGENOUS MEDICINE
7. MINISTRY OF LAW & ORDER, PUBLIC SECURITY & JUSTICE
8. MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS & PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 
9. MINISTRY OF MASS MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS
10. MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION, 
11. MINISTRY OF ROAD,TRANSPORT,HIGHWAYS
12. MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS 
13. MINISTRY OF SHIPPING & PORT
14. MINISTRY OF SMALL INDUSTRIES, INDUSTRIES & COMMERCE & TRADE
15. MINISTRY OF POWER & ENERGY
16. MINISTRY OF SPORTS & YOUTH
17. MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT & FORESTS
18. MINISTRY OF SCIENCE, INFORMATION & TECHNOLOGY
19. MINISTRY OF TOURISM  
20. MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMING & IRRIGATION & WATER SUPPLY
21. MINISTRY OF HOUSING & PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
22. MINISTRY OF SKILLS/VOCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
23. MINISTRY OF RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT & INNOVATION
24. MINISTRY OF INVESTMENT POLICY & IMPLEMENTATION
25. MINISTRY OF OMBUDSMAN FOR PUBLIC COMPLAINTS & COMPLAINTS BY PUBLIC SERVANTS

QUALIFICATIONS TO CONTEST TO BE ELECTED TO EACH MINISTRY

• A list of qualifications & experience to be decided for anyone wishing to contest for each ministry.
• People will vote for 9 persons for each Ministry (Total Parliament 225)
• The head of each Ministry will become a member of the Cabinet headed by the President. (Cabinet will be 25 + 1) – decisions must have 2/3 majority
• There is no requirement to have a Prime Minister

The above new system is to depart from Party Politics which is

• End culture of divisive politics – Divisive politics is unproductive to the Nation
• An unnecessary expense for campaigning funds leading to corruptions as candidates have to depend on people’s funds for their campaign and after coming to power pay back in more ways than the funds given.
• People will elect candidates based on their abilities & qualifications.

The selection to these Ministries will be solely based on candidate’s expertise in a particular area so they are conversant & knowledgeable to take decisions on the subject. Candidates must be minimum 25 years of age. There is no age limit as it is left to the voters to decide who they choose. The minimum age is given as 25 generally enables a person to obtain a basic degree.

If candidate who has only O/L or only A/L applies but has a wealth of experience inspite of the lack of basic qualifications, it is up to the voters to decide their vote. The candidates will be campaigning based on why they should be elected to the Ministry & not because their political party has nominated them as previously. It is important that people realize that inspite of not have A/L or only O/L a person can gain knowledge & expertise in other ways & deserves a chance to apply his expert knowledge.

9 experts for each Ministry will be preparing the policy framework for Sri Lanka vis a vis their ministry.

They will function for 5 years. There is no restriction for the number of times a candidate can come forward for elections to a particular ministry – it is the democratic right of the candidate to contest & it is the democratic right of the voters to elect or reject him.

Thus, every election we will see only experts coming forward to contest & they will get elected & prepare policies & implement the best solution for Sri Lanka.

You are welcome to comment on the above new system taking to consideration that the current system where we choose 225 individuals nominated via their political parties are given portfolios which they are clueless about & as a result they are unable to take important decisions or have to rely on others to make their decisions.

It is best that we give prominence to the Ministry and elect persons qualified to be members of that Ministry.

When people do not think about their political party & divisive politics and concentrate on the subject ministry at hand & given that it is an area that is of special interest to them – we are likely to get better results for the benefit of all. This proposal is unlikely to please politicians and those who thrive on politicians but if we are looking at system change, we must look for a productive new way to take the country forward.

Shenali D Waduge

John Rozario Karnataka, India

The South Asian Island nation of Sri Lanka is currently going through an extreme economic crisis. Foreign exchange reserves have fallen so low that school examinations have been closed indefinitely due to a lack of imported paper. In addition to cooking gas, there has been a shortage of kerosene or petrol. Blackout has started due to a lack of electricity.

The situation is so dire that due to inflation, high unemployment, and shortages of almost all necessities, many Sri Lankans are fleeing their country in the hope of a better life abroad. Countless Sri Lankans are now being forced to do something other than their main occupation as not everyone can afford to leave the country. Or living an inhuman life. The suffering of the people of that country is coming up in the world media.

The country has never been in such a bad situation since independence in 1947. To cope with the situation, the Sri Lankan government has asked for a new loan of 1.5 billion US dollars from neighboring India. When Sri Lanka faced problems, Bangladesh provided 250 million in currency assistance for the first time. This was the first loan from Bangladesh for any country. They again asked for a loan from Bangladesh. Besides, they have been repaying loans of different countries through the exchange of goods.

Sri Lanka was quite capable of human resources and internal prosperity. Then why their situation? In this regard, economic analysts have brought forward various factors, from which different countries can learn lessons in their current and future plans.

Sri Lanka has undertaken several mega projects in their country for more than a century. These include seaports, airports, roads, and other projects that are currently considered unnecessary and redundant. Different governments of Sri Lanka have taken loans from different sources at home and abroad. As a result, their foreign exchange reserves gradually run out. According to the country’s economists, there has been little foreign direct investment in Sri Lanka in the last 15 years. Instead of foreign investment, various governments have focused on borrowing.

The country’s government has issued sovereign bonds since 2007 to raise money. This type of sovereign bond is sold when the expenditure is more than the income of a country. Such bonds are sold in the international capital market to raise money. That is what Sri Lanka has done. But he did not give much thought to how the money would be paid. At present, Sri Lanka has a debt of 12.5 billion for that bond alone. Besides, the government has also borrowed from domestic sources.

The once-self-sufficient country is also in dire straits due to tax cuts, reduced income from tourism remittances, and unplanned decisions in agriculture. Different countries including Bangladesh have to learn from this situation. The world economic situation has begun to change rapidly since the Russia-Ukraine war, at which time any country could fall into a new crisis. Although our foreign exchange reserves are in a good position so far, the situation in Sri Lanka can be kept in mind in future state plans. At the same time, we are hopeful that friendly Sri Lanka will soon be able to return to normalcy with the help of various countries and organizations around the world.

On the other hand, the economy of these 220 million countries (Pakistan) is in turmoil. Pakistan is in debt, amounting to 130 billion USD. At the same time, inflation seems to have picked up speed (12 percent). Over the past three years, Pakistan’s progress has stalled.

the recent political instability has created a crisis in Pakistan. The recent political unrest has shaken the business and industrial sectors. The country’s economy is already fragile due to the depreciation of the rupee, declining reserves, rising commodity prices, and revenue shortfalls.

Not only has the currency depreciated, but the wheel of Pakistan’s economy has slowed down over the past three years. The recent political unrest has shaken the business and industrial sectors. The instability in Pakistan’s politics is showing no signs of abating anytime soon. A few days before the fall of the government, it affected the economy. The Pakistani rupee is depreciating. The rupee depreciated against the dollar on Thursday, hitting a new record. 188 Pakistani rupees are available for one dollar. Never in the history of Pakistan has the rupee depreciated so much.

The biggest challenge for Imran Khan’s government was the economic crisis and he claimed that he would change the country’s economy. He won’t go to the IMF, reduce debt, and bring down inflation.

During his tenure, there has been an increase in the amount of debt, ranging from inflation, to a record fall in the value of the Pakistani currency, with the finance minister changing it three times. According to Prime Minister Imran Khan, despite the improvement in the economic situation, the Corona epidemic broke out and global inflation soared.

On the other hand, the small size of Bangladesh is currently a wonder of development. The implementation of big projects is now just a matter of time. City facilities have also been ensured in the villages. Visible flyovers on most of the roads in the capital. Metrorail will be launched in a few days. The long Padma bridge is not a dream now, it is real. Economists speculate that the GDP growth rate could rise to one percent for the bridge. This bridge has given new hope to the people of the south. The implementation of such a project with the government’s own funding was at one time unimaginable. The country is moving forward with a sound plan.

The present government in Bangladesh has shown great prudence and foresight in the progress of Bangladesh. For this reason, there is nothing to be afraid of seeing the situation of any country as a nightmare. For example, the mega project Padma Bridge and Metrorail utility and how much is already known to everyone. 100 economic zones are being formed. Investment is coming from different countries. Foreign exchange reserves are adequate (45 billion USD, January 2022), and remittances are satisfactory. It can be said that every economic foundation of Bangladesh is still in a strong position.

During the Sri Lankan corona, the tourism industry was almost destroyed by giving more importance to the health sector Unnecessary development projects have been done with loans, the return of which has not come the organic agriculture sector has come to a standstill and the tax on public welfare has been greatly reduced but the economy of Bangladesh was also active in Covid emphasis has been laid on revenue collection and the agricultural sector of Bangladesh is very strong

 According to him, Bangladesh is in a positive position in terms of foreign exchange reserves, remittances, and export earnings.

Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves now stand at more than 45 billion, despite rising import costs. With which we will be able to meet the import cost of six months. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, is less than two billion dollars. It is not possible to meet the cost of one week’s import. So, Bangladesh cannot be compared with Sri Lanka.

On the other hand, Bangladesh’s growth rate was way above Pakistan, even before the pandemic; in 2018-19 it was 7.8% compared to Pakistan’s 5.8%. Various international organizations, including the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, and the Economic Intelligence Unit, have identified Bangladesh’s economic development as a wonderful puzzle.”. while the current economy of Bangladesh is 410 billion, the size of Pakistan’s economy is about 260 billion.

Bangladesh has improved its quality of life, economic strength, prosperity, education, and research in every field. Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, Bangladesh’s growth has slowed down. But where the growth of all the developed countries of the world was negative in these years, the achievement of Bangladesh was also noticeable.

Successful statesman Sheikh Hasina has achieved full potential to move from a least developed country to a developing country. It has been possible because of People’s hard-working, strong leadership. Political stability, the flow of FDI, empowerment of women, unique poverty alleviation model, inclusivity of economy, etc. That is the story of South Asian countries: ‘Bangladesh’ is a ‘miracle story’ while Sri Lanka and Pakistan are disaster tales.

Malinda Seneviratne

There are calls, obviously from oppositional elements, for snap elections. There are of course constitutional provisions for holding parliamentary elections and those who make such demands cannot be ignorant about them. It’s therefore empty rhetoric. There are elections that have not been held, though, which not many seem to be concerned about. Yes, even the wide-eyed democracy advocates who lose their voices when their political masters/friends are in power, have been pretty silent about provincial council elections. The reconciliation-now-through-federalism (or some diluted form or else as it is but sugar-coated) haven’t whined either; maybe they’ve lost the taste for devolution or are eyeing some bigger prize.

Elections are very important elements of a democratic system. Minor elections such as those held to elect local government bodies are also important. If they happen to be held around the middle of a parliamentary or presidential term, the results can indicate approval levels of the particular party/individual. If ‘ratings’ are low, the signal is for course-correction. The calls for elections, however, are not about such things. It is about contesting the status quo of political power.  

It is certainly a valid demand because politicians are about about power and for those out of power who sense that the centre of gravity might be shifting or has shifted must necessarily try to exploit the situation. Par for the course for the political animal. Legit. Whether elections will alleviate all the problems currently faced by the people is another question altogether. That question will have to factor in how we got to where we all, all those responsible from, say, the turn of the century, global issues that impact etc., in addition to specific and broad policy decisions taken by the government. That would be tedious and even embarrassing. Who wants to work hard, though, and who would be willing to subject him/herself to the necessary undressing? No, the call for elections is good enough, selectivity in enumerating causes makes sense.

All that said, the dissatisfaction-signs are too large and too many to be ignored.  Whoever lit the fire or when the fire was first lit are not things that incumbents can whine about forever and certainly not at each and every moment when things go sour. Governments are elected to do better and to make sure that past mistakes aren’t repeated. They can talk about factors beyond control, but not everything can be attributed to these. In the very least, such developments should be anticipated and measures put in place to deal with them.

So let’s leave elections aside and talk about the electors and the elected (and of course those who aspire to high office). People get the governments they deserve is an oft-mentioned adage which is not entirely correct. It is not that people have stellar options to choose from. Ideology, the worth of proposals for making things better, track records and such haven’t really come into the frame when people voted. Too often it is about punishing those who didn’t deliver (which again is a phenomenon that allows those out of power, especially the stronger forces in the opposition, to be lazy — all they have to do is to bide their time until those in power find themselves in hot water, regardless of who heated it in the first place). As the song goes, the fire ‘was always burning since the world was turning,’ a cop-out explanation and alibi for incompetence and villainy if ever there was one!  

Don’t the citizens deserve better in terms of governments and programmes? The answer, obviously, is yes. On the other hand, should citizens bet on hope that the beneficiaries of the punishment exercise would deliver, regardless of what they have done or failed to do on occasions when they themselves were in power? Is the only consolation available the lament, ‘well, we had to choose from those who contest and therefore we really didn’t have much of a choice — differently coloured and named, they are all the same under the frills and frocks’?

The rhetorician always sounds good. After all, no one waves a torn flag. Branding is not about truth; it is about exaggerating the good, hiding the bad and detailing the comparative ills of the competition. Sincerity is not important. Well, sincerity in appearance has its uses but this does not mean there’s any integrity worth talking about.

The challenge, then, for the electors is formidable. They have a project which they’ve not really been serious enough about. Let’s call it ‘The Sincerity Project.’  That calls for a serious reconsideration of the world, the nation, community, household and self. Who did what and when is important but not to the point of fixation. The more important question is, ‘can I/we not do better that what we’ve done all these decades, come election time and between elections too?’

If we’ve been slothful in our political engagement or if we’ve seen such engagement as being limited to casting a vote, we have essentially failed as citizens. If we’ve not done what we can and have instead treated the state as an entity which exists to distribute goodies, we have been lazy and irresponsible. If all we’ve done by way of protesting perceived injustices or poor governance is joining a hoo-hoo-club or hurrah-club as add-on choir boys and girls, we really compromised righteousness credentials.

We can do better. If we want sincerity, if we demand it from others, then the necessary precondition is sincerity on our part. If we are in this for crumbs and the occasional moment of glory, a selfie-second with the victories (for example), then we certainly deserve the trials and tribulations that come our way.  

We can do better. We can make citizenship meaningful. Sincerity is a good place to start.

malindadocs@gmail.com.

Malinda Seneviratne

Someone robs a bank. Now, obviously, it is not always the case that those who carry out such heists do all the planning themselves. The brains prefer not to get their hands dirtied. Also, in case things go wrong, they would obviously want the out of ‘not being involved,’ which of course would be tough if they were caught with their hands in the kitty. It is the same with terrorists and terrorism. The leaders let others handle the doing and dying.

There’s a difference though. While all organisations, right and left, fundamentalist or otherwise, can be used, the very nature of terrorism, especially in operations involving suicide attacks, such manipulation by ‘outside forces’ is a tad difficult. However, it could be argued that to the extend that terrorism and terrorists have their financial backers there is some form of nudge involved. The USA, for example, does it all the time (think, ‘Afghanistan’ from at least since 1980). That said, it would be silly to claim that the financial backers set the agenda right down to the finest detail. Typically, such outfits are set up and/or funded and even armed and trained to tilt a political equation in a particular direction. It is the terrorist on the ground who picks targets, does the homework, designs strategy and executes.  

There’s only so much juice, then, that one can extract from that particular useful political orange called ‘brains.’ Those who love conspiracy theories can backtrack several decades or even the beginning of recorded history or even beyond. Prabhakaran was a construct of Sinhala Buddhist Chauvinism, it has been argued. He is also the issue of Tamil Chauvinism that predates Sinhala Buddhist equivalents by several decades, it can be argued. No, it was the British, did someone say? No, Raja Raja 1, the Chola brigand, sacker of cities and plunderer of wealth, right?  

So, can we argue that the attack on the Central Bank building or the Sri Maha Bodhi or the Dalada Maligawa or the assassination of Appapillai Amirthaligam was the handiwork of Anagarika Dharmapala or Arumugam Navalar? No. That’s how silly the conspiracy theories being floated about a ‘mahamolakaru’ (mastermind or ‘brains’) associated with the Easter Sunday attacks are.

That said, there can be accomplices, accessories after the fact of terrorism. Those who have aided and abetted or helped set things up. The negligent, it could be argued, belong to that group of individuals. Negligence on the part of those mandated to keep eyes open and take necessary action is a serious matter. The negligent in such cases are friends of the enemy, even though they may not have broken bread with the likes of Zahran Hashim.

Negligence is the word. It implies incompetence. Its colour is even more pronounced when the person in question is supposed to be an expert. So if the then president, Maithripala Sirisena (not an intelligence officer and not an investigator) and then Minister of Public Administration and Management and Law and Order Ranjith Maddumabandara (not an intelligence officer and not an investigator) were negligent (yes, they were both aware of the warnings), what could one say of the pin-up boy in charge of investigation during the Yahapalana years, Shani Abeysekera?

Shani ‘I am the Man’ Abeysekera (as per his FR affidavit) was the then government’s go-to guy. Remember that this was a period in which the military was sidelined by a political regime that believed anything or anyone associated with the Army was a threat to their version of peace, reconciliation and all such things. Intelligence was not just ignored, the relevant apparatuses were all but dismantled.

The intelligence agencies, crippled though they were, still did their job. They are mandated to report and report they did. They do not have investigative power nor such mandates. During those  years it was the CID that led. Others had to watch from the sidelines.

What happened? On the 19th of February, 2019 (just two months before the attack), the CID visited Zahran’s house in Kekunagolla, Kuliyapitiya. A statement was recorded. That’s it. Now if Shani’s CID was such a stellar outfit they would have known or at least found out that Sara Jasmine (wife of Hasthoon, the  Katuwapitiya Church suicide member) and Ferosa (wife of Azath,  Batticaloa Zion Church suicide member) were in that house at that very moment? They didn’t search. They just left.

In December 2021, a petition was submitted to the Secretary, Public Security, regarding the above. It was referred to the AG for advice and a case was filed in the Magistrate’s Court Kuliyapitiya. That’s the context for Shani’s FR application.

What is he claiming?  He’s essentially saying that he was misled by intelligence reports. He cites the investigation regarding the Vavunathivu attack and others, claiming in essence that intelligence agencies had offered red herrings. Well, if he’s such a star, he would have noticed the fact quickly and called on his political friends for punitive action against these miscreants. Anyway, chasing red herrings is no excuse to let the big fish get away, especially considering the resources at his disposal and the political backing he enjoyed. The CID, moreover, is not an adjunct of the DMI or SIS.

Shani led the investigations into 11 incidents related to extremist activity prior to Easter Sunday, but failed to identify suspects or take action that could have prevented the attacks. Even if, as he claims, he was led astray by the intelligence agencies, who may or may not have mentioned several possible groups involved in the Vavunathivu attack, in the first week of April 2019, the DMI specifically informed the CID that Zahran was responsible. That’s not mentioned in the FR. Why not, one wonders.

Anyway, there’s a simple fact that’s missing in Shani’s story. It’s called responsibility. Investigation is his business. If the CID’s work is done by intelligence agencies, then why should we have a CID? It’s police work. They need to investigate. They need to find evidence. They play a key role in law enforcement and public security. What we see here, then, is a cheap attempt to get others to share the blame. Well, you can’t have it both ways: you can’t in one instance say ‘I am the Man, all seeing, all powerful, competent beyond belief etc., etc.’ and then say ‘some idiots in the intelligence agencies played me for a sucker and I went along with them.’ You cannot be THE pin-up boy and when things go wrong say ‘I was just one among many on that stage; in fact I was in a corner and made to twiddle my thumbs.’

Back to brains. Shani was not responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks. He’s not the  mahamolakaru, if there was one anyway. He was obviously negligent. And now he’s essentially saying ‘I am incompetent, I didn’t know, I was led astray, don’t blame me.’ 

ෂම්මි උයනගේ පරිගණක මෘදුකාංග ඉංජිනේරු

ජාතික සංවිධානය යනු කුමක්ද? විජාතික පණ්ඩිතයන් නිතරම අසන ප්‍රශ්නයක්! වචනාර්ථයෙන් ගත්විට එයට යම් නිශ්චිත තේරුමක් පැවතියද එහි නියම අර්ථ දැක්වීම යම්කිසි පරාසයක් තුළ විහිදෙයි. අද කාලයේ සමහර ජාතික සංවිධාන වල සිටින පුද්ගලයන්ගේ කියුම් කෙරුම් අනුව නම් ජාතික සංවිධාන වල ස්වභාවය විග්‍රහ කර ගැනීම තරමක් අපහසු බවයි මාගේ හැඟීම. නම් වලින් සඳහන් කළ හැකි ජාතික සංවිධාන 120 ක් පමණ පැවතෙන බව පසුගියදා කැලණියේ ශ්‍රී ප්‍රඥානන්ද ධර්මායතනයේ දී පැවැති රැස්වීමකදී සඳහන් වුණි. එයින්ද 10-15 ක් පමණ කිසි යම් ක්‍රියාකාරී මට්ටමකින් පවතින බවද වැඩිදුරටත් සඳහන් වුනි. එජාප- ජවිපෙ වැනි පක්ෂ තම හුදු දේශපාලන වාසිය තකාම පමණක් පිහිටුවා ගෙන ඇති විජාතික “ජාතික සංවිධාන” මෙම ලිපියට පදනම් නොවේ.

මා මේ මාතෘකා කරන බොහොමයක් සංවිධාන බෞද්ධ දර්ශනය පෙරට දමා පිහිටුවා ගෙන ඇති තමුත් ඒවා කොතෙක් දුරට බෞද්ධ දර්ශනය මත පදනම් වී ඇද්දැයි ප්‍රශ්නාර්ථයකි. එම සංවිධානවල නම, සංකේත යනාදියේ හෝ ව්‍යවස්ථාවේ බෞද්ධ දර්ශනය අඩංගු වී තිබේ. එසේම අතීතයේ පැවති ප්‍රෞඩ, සිංහල ශිෂ්ටාචාරය පෙරමුණට දමා පිහිටුවා ගෙන ඇති සංවිධාන ද අපට දැක ගත හැක. ඒවායේ දුටුගැමුණු, කාවන්තිස්ස  වැනි ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨ සිංහල නරපතීන්ගේ අතීත ක්‍රියාකාරකම් සිය සංවිධානවල අනන්‍යතාවය නිරූපණය කිරීම සඳහා යොදාගෙන ඇත.

ඉහත කුමන ක්‍රම පැවතිය ද මා මේ කතා කරන්නේ සමස්තයක් වශයෙන් සිංහල බෞද්ධ” මත පදනම්වී පිහිටුවා ගෙන ඇති සංවිධාන සම්බන්ධවයි. එකයි එකයි එකතු කළ විට පිළිතුර දෙක වුව ද “සිංහල බෞද්ධ” යනු අවුරුදු ගණනක් විග්‍රහ කළ ද අවසන් නොවන මාතෘකාවකි. මේ සම්බන්ධව සිංහල බෞද්ධ ඊනියා උගතුන් අතර පවතින අපෝහක, විසංවාද, මතවාද, දෘෂ්ටීන්හි කෙළවරක් නැත. සිංහල නොවන බෞද්ධ සංවිධානත්, බෞද්ධ නොවන සිංහල සංවිධානත් මේ අතර නැතුවා නොවේ. ඒ ගැන කතා කිරීම මෙම ලිපියේ අරමුණ ද නොවේ.

පෙර රජ දවස මෙ සිරිලක සමෘද්ධිමත්ව පැවති බවට ඕනෑ තරම් ඓතිහාසික සාධක ඇත. අල්පේච්ඡ ජාතියක් වාසය කළ, බත බුලතින් සශ්‍රීකව පැවැති මේ මනරම් දිවයින අද වන විට කිසියම් ගැටළුකාරි තත්වයකට පත්ව ඇත. සශ්‍රීකත්වයත් කොහෙත්තම පෙනෙන්නට නැත. සියලු දේම පිටරටින් ආනයනය කරන තැනකට ජාතියක් වශයෙන් පත් වී ඇත. ස්වයංපෝෂිත තත්ත්වයකට කවදා කෙසේ පත්විය හැකිදැයි සිතා ගැනීමටත් අපහසුය. එසේ අඩුම තරමින් අප ආහාරපාන වලින් වත් අප ස්වයංපෝෂිතව සිටියා නම් මේ කෝවිඩ් අර්බුද සමයේ ඇති වී තිබෙන ඩොලර් අර්බුදය” මේ තරම් ඔඩු දුවන්නේ නැත.

පසුගිය දශක හත අටක කාලයක් පුරාම මේ රට දියුණු කිරීම සඳහා නොයෙකුත් ආණ්ඩු නොයෙකුත් උත්සාහ ගනිමින් පවතී. ආණ්ඩු යැයි පැවසූ විට දේශපාලඥයන් මෙන්ම රජයේ සේවකයන් ද අයිති වන බව කරුණාවෙන් සලකන්න. රට දියුණු කරන ක්‍රියාදාම වල දී රටේ ජනතාවගේ ආකල්පද ඉතාමත් ම වැදගත් සාධකයකි. ඒත් තවමත් සිදු වූ දියුණුවක් නම් පෙනෙන්නට නැත. ඒත් ආණ්ඩු පක්ෂයේ, විපක්ෂයේ සිටින දේශපාලනඥයෝ කවදාවත් එය පිළිගන්නේ නැත. ඔවුන් සැම විටම තමන් ආණ්ඩු පක්ෂයේ සිටින කාලයේ දී රට දියුණු කළ බව ද, දියුණු කරමින් සිටිනා බව ද කියති. එසේ නැත්නම් ඔවුන් ආණ්ඩු බලය ඉල්ලා සිටින්නේ රට දියුණු කිරීම සඳහාය. කෙසේ හෝ සියලුම ආණ්ඩු පසුගිය අවුරුදු ගණනාවක් පුරාම දේශපාලන බලය ඉල්ලා සිටින්නේ රට දියුණු කිරීමයි. තවමත් මේ රට දියුණු වී නැති බව එයින් ගම්‍ය වේ.

පසුගිය අවුරුදු 70 තුළ මේ රටේ පහළ වූ දේශපාලඥයන් හොර රහසේම රට දියුණු කර අවසන් වී ඇද්දැයි සමහරකුගේ කතා ඇසීමෙන් සැකයක් මතුවේ. කෙසේ හෝ බටහිර මිනුම් දඩු වන උද්ධමනය, ඒක පුද්ගල අදායම, බැංකු පොලී අනුපාත, විදේශ සංචිත, දළ දේශීය නිෂ්පාදිතය, විරැකියා අනුපාතය, කොටස් වෙළෙඳපොළ, දරිද්‍රතාවය, තාපාංකය, හිමාංකය, (වැරදුනා, අන්තිමට ලියපු දෙක අදාළ නැත.) අනුව බැලුවද තවම මේ රට දියුණු වී නැත. බටහිර මිනුම් දඬු වලින් කුමක් පැවසුවද රටේ සමස්ත ජනතාව බත බුලතින් සරුසාර ව සතුටින් සොම්නසින් කල් ගත කරනවා නම් මේ රට “දියුණු” වී ඇතැයි අපට සතුටු විය හැක.

මෙතැනදී අප කතා කරන ජාතික සංවිධාන වල වගකීම කුමක් විය යුතුද? ආණ්ඩුවට, රට දියුණුව කරා ගෙනයන අවංක උවමනාවක නැතිනම් ඒ සඳහා පවතින ආණ්ඩුවට බලපෑමක් ඇති කළ යුතු, ඒ වෙනුවෙන් රටේ ජනතාව පෙළ ගැස්විය යුතු, දැනුවත් කළ යුතු, වගකීම් කරට ගත් යුතු ජාතික සංවිධාන, එකම තැන පල් වෙවී සිටිනවා නම් අපි කුමක් කරමුද? ඒකත් හරියටම රටේ මහජනතාව විසින් රටේ ප්‍රශ්න විසඳීම සඳහා කෝටි ගණනාවක් වියදම් කොට ඡන්දයක් පවත්වා, ඡන්දයෙන් පත් කොට පාර්ලිමේන්තු යැවූ මන්ත්‍රී ඇමතිවරු, අනේ අපිට ඒක කළ නොහැකි බවද, කරන්න දෙන්නේ නැති බවද මහජනතාවටම පෙරලා ආඬපාලි කියන්නා සේය. බොහොමයක් ජාතික සංවිධාන ඊළඟ ඡන්දය එනතුරු නිදාගෙන සිටින අතර තවත් සංවිධාන ඊළඟ ඡන්දයේදී “තවත් විකල්පයක්” ඉදිරිපත් කිරීම සඳහා දත කට මදිමින් සිටී.

මා මේ කතා කරන සමහරක් ජාතික සංවිධාන වල නියෝජිතයෝ ස්වෙච්ඡාවෙන්ම තම කාලය හා ශ්‍රමය රටේ උන්නතිය උදෙසා වැය කරති. සිය පෞද්ගලික මුදල් ද ජාතික වැඩසටහන් සඳහා නොමසුරුව වියදම් කරන වෘත්තිකයන් ද බොහෝ විට හමු වී ඇත. සිය වටිනා කාලය, ශ්‍රමය මෙන්ම මුදල් ද වැය කරමින් යහපත් චේතනාවෙන් ඉදිරිපත් වන පුරවැසියන්ගේ කාර්‍යයන් අපතේ යැවීම සහ මහත් උනන්දුවකින් රට දියුණු කරන්න වෙහෙසෙන දේශපාලනඥයන්ගේ අමනෝඥ ක්‍රියාකාරකම් අතර කිසිදු වෙනසක් නැත. කොතරම් මහන්සි වුවද ප්‍රතිඵලයක් නැත. පංචේන්ද්‍රයන්ට ගෝචර වන ප්‍රගතියක් නැතුවා මෙන්ම ඉහත සඳහන් කළ බටහිර මිනුම් දඬු වලින් ද දියුණුවක් පෙන්නුම් නොකරයි නම් එය ගඟට ඉනි කැපුවා සේය.

සමහර සංවිධාන “අදෘශමාන ව්‍යාපෘති” කරේ තබාගෙන ඔබ මොබ හැසිරෙන අයුරු අපට නිරීක්ෂණය වී ඇත. වරක් මාගේ මිත්‍රයෙක් විමසා සිටියේ වියත්මග යනු ජාතික සංවිධානයක් ද යන්නයි. වියත්මග යනු ජාතික සංවිධානයක් නොව එය ඉඳුරාම ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ මහතා ජනාධිපති කරවීමේ ව්‍යාපාරයේ එක් ව්‍යාපෘතියකි. ව්‍යාපෘති සහ ජාතික සංවිධාන එකට පටලවා නොගත යුතු බවයි මාගේ අදහස. තම දේශපාලන ගමන ජයග්‍රහණය කරවීම සඳහා යම් යම් ව්‍යාපෘති ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමට ඕනෑම දේශපාලන පක්ෂයකට අයිතියක් ඇත. කෙසේ නමුත් මේ ලියුම්කරු මෙන්ම ඒ අවස්ථාවේදී ක්‍රියාත්මක වූ බොහොමයක් ජාතික සංවිධාන ගෝඨාභය මහතා ජනාධිපති කරවීමේ ව්‍යාපාරයේ උර නුර ගැටී ක්‍රියා කළේය. ජාතික ව්‍යාපාරයට තම ශක්තිය උරගා බැලීමටද එයින් ඉමහත් ඉඩ ප්‍රස්ථාවක් ලැබුණි.

අධ්‍යාපනය, සෞඛ්‍ය වැනි සේවා සපයන රාජ්‍ය ආයතන කෙසේ වෙතත්, මුදල් අයකරමින් පවත්වාගෙන යනු ලබන බොහෝ රාජ්‍ය ආයතන අද ක්‍රියාත්මක වන්නේ පාඩු ලබමිනි. හේතු විශාල ගණනක් සහිතව, අවුරුදු ගණනක් තිස්සේ පාඩු ලබමින් පවත්වාගෙන යනු ලබන ලංකා ගමනාගමන මණ්ඩලය එක උදාහරණයකි. අපේ නගරයේ ලංගම බස් ඩිපෝවට යාබද ඉඩමේ වාසය කරන පෞද්ගලික බස් රථ හිමියා දැනට අවුරුදු කිහිපයකට පෙර අලුත්ම බස් රථ දෙකක් තම මුදලින් මිලට ගන්නා ලදී. ඔහුගේ පෞද්ගලික භාවිතය සඳහා නවීන පන්නයේ මෝටර් රථයක් ද මිලදී ගෙන තිබුණි. අල්ලපු ඉඩමේ “ශ්‍රී ලංගම” 2020 සඳහා රුපියල් බිලියන 2.3 ක පාඩුවක් ලබා ඇති බව Ceylon Today සහ Daily News වාර්තා කර සිටී.

රට තුළ ක්‍රියාත්මකත්මක වන දේශපාලනය, රාජ්‍ය පාලනය, ආයතන පාලනය තුළ බොහෝ නොමනා, අවිධිමත් කටයුතු සිදුවෙමින් පවතී. නොඑසේ නම් රට තවමත් දියුණු වෙමින් පවතින රටක් වශයෙන් තිබිය නොහැක. ද්විත්ව  පුරවැසියන් කීප දෙනෙක් සිටිය ද ඉහත සඳහන් සියලුම ආයතන වල වැඩ කටයුතු සිදුකරන්නේ / මෙහෙයවන්නෙ ශ්‍රී ලංකික වැසියන්මය. ඔව්, සමහරවිට ඔවුන් ශ්‍රී ලාංකික වූවාට ඔලුව (මනස) ඇත්තේ වෙනත් රටක වෙන්න පුළුවනි. නොඑසේ නම් ඔවුන් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සිටිමින් වෙනත් රටවලට ආවඩමින් සිටිනවා විය හැක. සමහරුන්ගේ පවුල් පිටින්  විදේශීය රටවල ජීවත්වෙන අතර ඉහල තනතුරුවල සිටින, උගත් යැයි කියාගන්නා මෙම නිලධාරීන් ද ඇඟිලි ගනිමින් සිටින්නේ විශ්‍රාම ගිය පසු හැකි ඉක්මනින් විදේශිය වාසස්ථානය වෙත පියාඹා යාමටයි. වරක් මාහට හමුවූ පළාත් පළාත් පාලන ප්‍රධානියෙක් කියා සිටියේ පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ 225 දෙනා මාසෙකට හොරකම් කරන ප්‍රමාණය, ලක්ෂ 15 ක් පමණ වන රාජ්‍ය සේවකයන් විසින් එක දවසකට “විනාශ” කර දමන බවයි. මෙම විනාශය තුළ වංචාව, දූෂණය සහ අකාර්යක්ෂමතාවය නිසා සිදුවන සියලු දෑ අඩංගු ය.

එය ඇත්තක් නම් මෙයින් හැඟී යන්නේ පවතින සියලුම ක්‍රමවේද මුල් සිට අගටම වැරදි සහගත බවයි. දේශපාලන ක්ෂේත්‍රයේ කොතරම් විප්ලව සිදුකළද අවසන් ප්‍රතිඵලයේ එතරම් වෙනසක් නැති බව පෙනී යයි. දේශපාලනඥයා ඡන්දයෙන් අවුරුදු පහෙන් පහට හෝ ගෙදර යැවිය හැකි වුවද, රජයේ සේවකයන් විශ්‍රාම ගන්නා තුරුම තම “සුපුරුදු රාජ්කාරි” කටයුතුවල නිරත වෙති. ක්‍රමවේද සම්පූර්ණයෙන්ම වෙනස් කරනවා සේම සමාජ වගවීම, පුද්ගල සංවර්ධනය ඉලක්ක කර නොගන්නා වැඩපිළිවෙළක් එතරම් ඵලදායි වන්නේ නැත. මේ වෙනුවෙන් ජාතික සංවිධානවලට, රටේ ආගමික නායකයන්ට අති විශාල වැඩ කොටසක් සිදු කළ හැක. නීතිරීති සහ දඬුවම් පනවා වැරදි පාලනය කළ හැකි වුවද පුද්ගල සංවර්ධනය මගින් වැරදි සිදුවීම් අවම කිරීම දීර්ඝකාලීනව වාසි සහගත විසඳුමකි. කෙටි කාලීන ඉලක්ක ජයග්‍රහණය කර ගැනීම සඳහා නීතිරීති අවශ්‍ය වුවද ඇති කරන්නා වූ “වෙනස”, දීර්ඝකාලීනව පවත්වා ගැනීම සඳහා පුද්ගල සංවර්ධනය ඉතා වැදගත් වේ.

ශ්‍රී ලංකිකයන් “කුහක” ජාතියක් යැයි සමහර අය මා සමග පවසා ඇත. මම එය විශ්වාස නො කරමි. ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ  ජනගහනයෙන් 3% පමණ සිටින එවැනි කුහක පිරිස නියෝජනය කිරීමට සමහර දේශපාලන පක්ෂ පිහිටුවාගෙන ඇත. රටක් වශයෙන් කොතරම් භෞතිකව දියුණු වුවද ජනනතාවගේ අධ්‍යාත්මීය සංවර්ධනය නොසලකා හරිමින් කටයුතු කළ නොහැක. කොතරම් බෙදී වෙන්වී සිටිය ද අවශ්‍ය ඕනෑම අවස්ථාවක දී ශ්‍රී ලාංකික ජාතිය එකට එක්තු කළ හැකි බවට මෑත ඉතිහාසයේ ද නිදර්ශන ඇත. දෙමළ ත්‍රස්තවාදී ප්‍රශ්නයේදී සිංහල ජාතිය ඒ වෙනුවෙන් දැක්වූ  දායකත්වය වචනයෙන් විස්තර කළ නොහැක. ඔවුන් දැක්වූ අප්‍රහිත දායකත්වය, කැපවීම නොවන්න අදටත් දවසකට මළ සිරුරු 10-15 පමණ උතුරේ සිට දකුණට ගුවනින් පැමිනෙනු ඇත. පසුගිය ජනාධිපතිවරණයේ මෙන්ම මහ මැතිවරණයේදීද 69 ලක්ෂයක් පමණ වූ ජනතාව ඉතාමත්ම කෙටි කලකින් එකට එකතු වූයේ විනාසකාරී යහපාලන රජය පලවා හැරීම සඳහාය. මෙම ලියුම්කරුගේ ද අදහස ඒ අවස්ථාවේදී එම තීරණය ගත යුතුවම පැවති බවයි. එක් එක් අවස්ථාවේ දී සියලු ජාතික සංවිධාන එක පෙළට, එකාවන්ව ජාතිය සංවිධානය කිරීමෙහිලා දැක්වූ කැපවීම් මේ මොහොතේ සිහිපත් කළ යුතුය.

රාජ්‍යයේ වගකීම වන්නේ ප්‍රතිපත්ති සහ නීති සකස් කිරීමයි. එවැනි ප්‍රතිපත්ති සහ නීති සකස් කිරීම සඳහා සුදුසු පුද්ගලයන් රාජ්‍යය තුළ සිටිනවා දැයි ප්‍රශ්නාර්ථයකි. එසේ සිටිනවා නම් අවුරුදු 70 ක් තිස්සේම මේ රට දියුණු වෙමින් වෙමින් වෙමින් පවතින්නේ කෙසේදැයි යන්න උභතෝකෝටික ප්‍රශ්නයකි. යථාර්ථය කතා කරමු. මේ සඳහා ජාතික සංවිධානවල ක්‍රියාකාරී උගත් බුද්ධිමත් ජාතිකවාදීන්ට කළ හැකි වැඩ කොටස අති විශාලය. සමහර විට ඒ සඳහා ඔවුන්ට රාජ්‍ය අනුග්‍රහයක් හෝ අනුමැතියක් හිමි නොවේ. සමාහර අවස්ථාවල දී ජාතික සංවිධාන සමස්තයක් වශයෙන් ලබාගෙන ඇති ජයග්‍රහණ අපට සුළුවෙන් තැකිය නොහැක. රටට ජයග්‍රහණ ඇති කර දීම සඳහා මුල්වී කටයුතු කර පසුව තම පාඩුවේ සිටින ජාතිකවාදීන් අපට හමුවී ඇත. එසේම අප සමඟ සිටි තවත් සමහර ජාතිකවාදීන් මන්ත්‍රීවරුන් ඇමතිවරුන් වශයෙන් පත්වූවා පමණක් නොව රජයේ ආයතන වල නිලතල ලබා ගෙන කටයුතු කරන අවස්ථා ද ඇත. එහි කිසිම වැරද්දක් නැත. ජාතික සංවිධාන ඔවුන්ගෙන් බලාපොරොත්තු වූ කාර්ය, ඔවුන් ඒ අයුරින් ඉටු කරනවා දැයි සමාජයේ කුකුසක් පවතී. සමහර විට පවතින ක්‍රමය තුළ ඔවුන්ට ක්‍රියාත්මක වීම නොහැකි වන්නට පුළුවන. නමුත් පවතින ක්‍රම වෙනස් කරමින් හෝ රටට, ජාතියට, ආගමටට පිටුවහලක් වන ක්‍රියාදාමවල නිරත වීම අපි ඔවුන්ගෙන් බලාපොරොත්තු වූවෙමු.

යථාර්ථවාදී සමාජ සංවර්ධන ව්‍යාපාරයකට නොයා කාලෙන් කාලෙට එක එක ආණ්ඩු පත් කර ඔවුන්ගෙන් සංවර්ධනය සහ සෞභාග්‍යය බලාපොරොත්තු වීම හරියට අර මොකාගෙන් මොකද්ද එක වැටෙනවා බලාගෙන සිටිනවා වැනි වැඩකි. අද බොහොමයක් සංවිධාන සිදු කරනුයේ රජය ගන්නා තීන්දු තීරණ හෝ එම තීන්දු තීරණ නිසා ඇති වන සමාජීය ගැටලු මුල්කරගෙන මාධ්‍ය සාකච්ඡා පැවැත්වීම පමණි. එක ප්‍රශ්නයක් අවසන් වූ පසු තවත් ප්‍රශ්නයක් අල්ලා ගනී. පවතින ඕනෑම ආණ්ඩුවක් ඔවුන්ට එසේ අල්ලා ගැනීමට අඩුම තරමින් මාසෙකට ප්‍රශ්න 1-2 ක් හිතාමතාම දෝ මන්දා සකස් කර දෙන බව ද පෙනේ. මෙසේ මාධ්‍ය සාකච්ඡා පැවැත්වීම අනවශ්‍යයිි යන්න අදහස් නොකරන අතර එවැනි මාධ්‍ය සාකච්ඡාවක් වත් නොමැතිවුව හොත් ඇත්තටම පවතින තත්වය සම්බන්ධව රටේ ජනතාවට  සත්‍ය තොරතුරු ලබා ගැනීමට ක්‍රමයක් නොමැති විය හැක. 

කුණුවී යල්පැනගිය පද්ධති වෙනස් කළ යුතුව ඇත. පද්ධතිය වෙනස් නොකර, කුණුවී යල්පැන ගොස් ඇති පද්ධතියෙන් එළියට එන කුණු කෑලි පසුපස ගමන් කිරීමෙන් ඵලයක් නොමැත. කුණුවී යල්පැනගිය ඇති පද්ධතිවලින් කොහොමත් එළියට එන්නේ කුණු කෑලි මය. ජාතික සංවිධාන ඔය පිළිබඳව නොදන්නවා නොවේ. නමුත් සමස්ත පද්ධතියමය වෙනස් කිරීමේ මහා කාර්යය සඳහා ඔවුන් ස්වයංව සංවිධානය වන බවක් තවම පෙනෙන්නට නැත. සමහරු දියසෙන් කුමාරයා වඩින තුරු බලා සිටිති. දියසෙන් කුමාරයාගේ අප්පච්චිලා, බාප්පොච්චිලා කාලයෙන් කාලයට කරළියට පැමිණියහ. තවම දියසෙන් කුමාරයා පැමිණියේ නැත.

ජාතිකත්වයට මුල්තැන දෙමින් රට ගොඩ නැඟීම සඳහා අවංකවම කැපවීම්ක් ඇති සංවිධාන ඇත්තේ ඉතා අතළොස්සකි. තනිවම සටන් කරමින් බොහෝ මහන්සි වී වැඩ කරන තනි  පුද්ගලයන් කීප දෙනෙක් ද අපට හමු වී ඇත. බොහොමයක්ම සංවිධාන සතිපතාම මාර්ග ගත සාකච්ඡා පවත්වමින්, පුවත්පත් නිවේදන නිකුත් කරමින්, මාධ්‍ය සාකච්ඡා පවත්වමින් එදිනෙදා රටේ සිදුවන සිද්ධීන් පිළිබඳව තම දේශපාලන විග්‍රහයන් ඉදිරිපත් කරති.  බොහෝමයක් සංවිධාන එමගින් අදහස් කරන්නේ තමන් සජීවීව පවතින බව ශ්‍රී ලාංකික පුරවැසියන්ට දැනුම් දීමයි. අවස්ථාවක් පැමිණෙනතුරු සජීවීව අල්ලාගෙන සිටීමේ කලාවක්ද ලොව පවතී. කෙසේ නමුත් ඡන්දය පැවැත්වෙන දින නියම කළ පසු උඩින් පහත් වෙන සෙන්සර් පප්පලා, හමුදාපතිවරුන් යන ආදී ජෝකර් වරුන්ට වඩා එය වැදගත් වේ.

බොහෝ සංවිධාන වල සමාජ මාධ්‍ය කණ්ඩායම්, ගිණුම් ක්‍රියාත්මක වන්නේ හරියට යූ.එන්.පී  ජේ.වී.පී දේශපාලනය පක්ෂ වල සමාජ මාධ්‍ය කණ්ඩායම් ලෙසයි. යූඑන්පී ජේවීපී දේශපාලන  කුලී හේවායන් විසින් නිර්මාණය කර දෙනු ලබන ආණ්ඩු විරෝධී පෝස්ටු තමන්ගේ කණ්ඩායම් තුළ තරගයට මෙන් හුවමාරු කර ගනිති. සාමාන්‍යයෙන් එවැනි එක් පෝස්ටුවක් එක් අයෙකුට හතර පස් වතාවක් පමණ ලැබෙන බව අපගේ මූලික අධ්‍යයන වලින් හෙලිවී ඇත. ආණ්ඩු විරෝධී කුමන්ත්‍රණකරුවන්ගේ ව්‍යායමය එක අතකින් සාර්ථකය. ඔවුන්ට ඇත්තේ පොස්ටු සකස්කර දීම පමණි. හුවමාරු කිරීම් සහ ප්‍රචාරණය කිරීම නොමිලේම අප විසින් ඉටු කරදෙනු ලැබේ. කිසිම සෙවිල්ලක් බැලිල්ලක් නැතුව තමන්ට ලැබෙන පෝස්ටු ශෙයා කිරීම බොහෝ සංවිධාන වල ඇඩ්මින් වරුන්ගේ දෛනික රාජකාරියයි. මෙසේ ආතක් පාතක් නැතුව තමන්ට ලැබෙන පෝස්ටු ශෙයා කර නින්දට යන ඔවුන් උදේට නැගිට, “ඉන්න හිතෙන රටක්” සෙවීම හාස්‍යජනකය.

ඵලදායී ප්‍රතිඵලයක් ලබා ගැනීම සඳහා සියලු ජාතික සංවිධාන එකට එක්තු විය යුතුම යැයි අදහස් කරන්නේ නැත. කෙසේ නමුත් බොහොමයක් සංවිධානවල අරමුණු සහ ප්‍රතිපත්ති එක හා සමාන බැවින් අවශ්‍යම අවස්ථාවන් වලදී  ඒවාට එකතු වීමේ බැරිකමක් නැත. කොහොම නමුත් සමගිය බලය වේ” යයි ප්‍රසිද්ධ කියමනක් ඇත. දේශපාලනයට ඕවා අදාල නැති වෙන්නත් පුළුවන්. නමුත් ජාතික සංවිධාන වැඩ කරන්නේ ජාතික පරමාර්ථයන් සිත්හි  දරාගෙනයි. සමහරක් ජාතික සංවිධාන වල සිටින ඔලමොට්ටල නායකයින්, වෙනත් අය, තම සංවිධානයේ සාමාජිකයන් සමඟ කතා කිරීම පවා  නුරුස්සයි. ඔවුන්ට අනෙකුත් ජාතික සංවිධාන වල නායකයන් පෙනෙන්නේ නයාට අඳුකොළ මෙනි.

එසේම බොහොමයක් ජාතික සංවිධාන සිය කටයුතු සිදු කරන්නේ කොළඹ නගරය කේන්ද්‍ර කොට කොට ගෙනයි.  වැඩිම වුවහොත් ඔවුන් සිය සංවිධානවල කටයුතු ගම්පහ සහ කළුතර ප්‍රදේශ දක්වා ව්‍යාප්ත කරනු ලබති. ආරම්භක අවස්ථාවේදී කෙසේ හෝ කොළඹ නගරයේ විශේෂිත සම්මන්ත්‍රණ ශාලාවක “සමුළුවක්” පැවැත්වීම බොහෝමයක් ජාතික සංවිධානවල පළමු සහ එකම “ජාතික” ක්‍රියාකාරකම වේ. ඔවුන් තුළ පවතින කෙටිකාලීන අරමුණු නියාවෙන් සමස්තයටම ජයග්‍රහණ ලබා දීම සඳහා දියත් කළ යුතු පුළුල් වැඩපිළිවෙලක් පිළිබඳව අන්‍යෝන්‍ය වශයෙන් පැවතිය යුතු කතිකාව ඉතාමත් පහළ මට්ටමක පවතී.

ෂම්මි උයනගේ

පරිගණක මෘදුකාංග ඉංජිනේරු

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KAMALIKA PIERIS

J.R.Jayewardene came from an elite family. He was the eldest of twelve children of Justice Eugene Wilfred Jayewardene KC, a prominent lawyer and Agnes Helen Don Philip Wijewardena daughter of Tudugalage Muhandiram Don Philip Wijewardena, a wealthy merchant. He was looked after by a Scottish nurse when a child. When he entered politics, he converted from Christianity (Anglican) to Buddhism and adopted the national dress as his formal attire.

JR started his political career by getting elected to the Colombo Municipal Council from the New Bazaar Ward in 1940. In 1943 he became a State Councilor.  State Council was replaced by Parliament and JR was a Member of Parliament, almost continuously from 1947- 1978. During this period he   represented the electorates of   Colombo West, Colombo South and Kelaniya.

JR was Minister of Finance in first Cabinet of 1947 and Minister of Agriculture and Food in the 1953 Cabinet. Philip Gunawardene, who took over from JR in 1956 as Minister of Agriculture was highly critical of JR’s role in agriculture.  Philip said that JR had in 1953 and 1954   got rid of very valuable state farms.  If JR had waited for a year or two, most of these farms would have shown a return, said Philip. Some of the farms were for research, not to make a profit.

The secret participation of both Dudley Senanayake and JR in the 1962 coup is no longer a secret, announced critics. JR had prior knowledge of the 1962 coup. For decades people had suspected this .It was confirmed in JR’s biography, written by K.M. de Siva and H Wriggins, (1988). It recorded advice that JR gave to a key conspirator, Sydney de Soyza. JR was in the Opposition at the time.  Mrs. Bandaranaike also decided to keep it a secret when she came to know about it.  (Island 4.3.09 p 9).

After sitting in Parliament for decades, JR hit the jackpot in the 1970s. JR led the UNP to a landslide victory in 1977 General Election. The UNP won a staggering five-sixths of the seats in one of the most lopsided victories ever recorded, said analysts.  JR became Prime Minister.

JR had a venerable bearing, standing straight with aristocratic dignity and sombre composure and looking the part as few of his predecessors had done said KM de Silva.  He was a good listener and would summarize an idea given to him, and put the argument even more persuasively. He was a warm and witty leader and a great person to work for, said KM de Silva.

He was well informed about the people he wanted to enlist for his work. He had files on all his MPs. If he had confidence in a minister he let them get on with the work as with Ronnie de Mel, Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake, said KM de Silva. 

Despite the 1977 victory JR was never sure that he was all that popular, said KM de Silva.  JR had a public reputation as a hard man, a tough disciplinarian, no nonsense person. He had a long memory and did not appreciate being crossed.  Those who opposed him were promptly eased out. There were few dissenting views, there was acquiescence, concluded KM de Silva.

 His opponents considered him underhand and devious. JR despite pretensions to statesmanship, finally emerged as just another political schemer, less trustworthy, more cunning, said a critic.

JR did not stay Prime Minister for long. He amended the constitution and became Sri Lanka‘s first President. He was President of Sri Lanka from 1978-1989. Analysts observed that JR   became President without facing a Presidential Election. However, he contested the Presidential election of 1982. JR wanted the presidential election staggered  and done by Electoral College, and, Chandrananda de Silva, Elections Commissioner said No, it must be held on one day.

.JR won 52.91% of the vote, winning 137 of the 160 polling divisions.  His rival the SLFP candidate, Hector Kobbekaduwa won 39.07%, winning 15 electoral divisions. But it was not a total win. Kobbekaduwa got more votes than JR in too many electorates, observed analysts. 

As President, JR successfully  initiated and complete two projects, Accelerated Mahaweli project and the Parliament building at Diyawanna Oya, in Kotte. These are his only successes.

JR is still remembered for the Referendum he initiated in 1982. The next General Election was due in 1983. Instead, Jayewardene decided to extend the life of the existing Parliament by conducting a Referendum in December 1982. 

JR first obtained undated letters of resignation from his MPs and Ministers. Ranil Wickremasinghe had distributed   the letters, which the MPs signed and    returned. JR then forwarded to the Supreme Court a Bill that said that the existing Parliament shall continue until August 4, 1989. This would extend the life of Parliament for a further six years.

He said the Bill was urgent in the national interest” and required the Court’s decision within three days. The seven- Judge Bench returned a divided verdict of four to three. JR then submitted the Bill to Parliament to be debated and voted on in a single day. The day before it came to Parliament the leftist paper Atththa was sealed.

This Bill became The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. This Amendment   was then submitted for approval   of the public at a Referendum. The public were asked to decide via this referendum to extend term of office of government without holding a general election in 1983.

The ballot paper had Lamp for ‘yes’ and Clay pot for ‘no’. The Lamp won, the government obtained 54.7% of votes polled which was just 38% of the registered vote. The General election was postponed and UNP government continued for another 6 years. 

This Referendum, was a novel experience, said Walter E. Fernando. A state of emergency was declared for the duration of the Referendum. The Referendum was not conducted correctly. UNP resorted to mass scale rigging and open violation of election laws, making it a farce, said Keerawella. There were rampant malpractices, said G.H.Peiries.

The 1982 referendum had the worst abuses in Sri Lanka’s electoral history, Nimal Punchihewa  said. This referendum is considered the first genuine mass rigging exercise in the country’s electoral history, said Nihal Jayawickrema. There was organized violence to cover organized mass impersonation, said Colvin R de Silva.

The violence, intimidation and fraud were such that in Attanagalla, where   Bandaranaike family members were always returned with overwhelming majorities, and where two months earlier the SLFP presidential candidate had won 55%, this time the government won 67% of the votes polled.

Wiswa Warnapala  called it a massive electoral fraud. The 1982 referendum  was one of the most fraudulent elections in Sri Lanka , said Wiswa .He wrote a book Recent politics in Sri Lanka (Navrang 1983) where  the fraudulent aspects were exposed.  This had angered JR who wanted to ban the book.

JR’s UNP, having been returned with a 5/6 majority in 1977, had established a regime of lawlessness, said Vinod Moonesinghe. Armed gangs of thugs roamed the country for weeks after the election, chasing left supporters from their homes, before turning on the minorities.

At the 1982 presidential election and the referendum, the UNP made a mockery of the electoral process. UNP thugs seized polling booths, stuffed ballots and intimidated and impersonated voters, including Hector Kobbekaduwa and Pieter Keuneman, concluded Vinod.

This lawlessness continued .On 8th June 1983 a three-judge bench comprising B.S.C. Ratwatte, Percy Colin-Thome and J.F.A. Soza delivered a judgment in a case where Mrs. Vivienne Goonewardene, and her husband Leslie had complained of wrongful arrest and degrading treatment by the Kollupitiya Police while they were protesting about the referendum.

Court found the police officer concerned guilty and fined him. Government paid the fine  and  gave a double promotion to the officer. That was not all. A large crowd arrived in vehicles with banners and staged noisy protests outside the residences of the three judges who delivered the judgment. These two events received much prominence in the newspapers.

 JR was unperturbed. He said that the country needed a ruler who feared neither judiciary, legislature nor the party and he had the power to do anything for six more years. ( Continued)

By A. Abdul Aziz.

(Given below is an excerpt of the Friday Sermon delivered by Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Supreme Head of the world-wide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Islam, on 8^th April, 2022, at ‘Masjid Mubarak’, Islamabad, Tilford, U.K. gave a discourse on Striving in the Way of God, During Ramadan and Beyond & Launch of 313 Companions Website.

Ahmadiyya Head (Khalifa) His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah strengthen his hands) after reciting Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, recited the following verse of the Holy Qur’an:

‘And when My servants ask thee about Me, say: I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So they should hearken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right way.”’ (The Holy Qur’an, 2:187)

His Holiness (may Allah strengthen his hands said that by the grace of Allah, we are passing through the month of Ramadan. It is a month for the acceptance of prayer, as God has announced that with His mercy, prayers will be especially accepted during this month. One strives to attain God’s pleasure during this month and to attain His blessings, hence we even abstain from food and drink. As the Holy Prophet, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, God informed him that the gates of heaven are flung open and the gates of hell shut, and Satan is shackled during this month. Hence, during this month, we can truly attain the nearness of God and it would be our own misfortune if we didn’t take advantage of this opportunity.

Who is Satan Shackled for During Ramadan?

His Holiness (may Allah strengthen his hands) said that certainly during this month, there are those who still commit vices. Therefore, when it is stated that Satan is shackled during this month it is a manner of God admonishing us that if we abstain from even that which is permissible for us (i.e. food and drink etc.) for His sake, then God has shackled Satan for such people and has taken them under His protection. As the Promised Messiah and Imam-al-Mahdi Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim in Islam, peace be on him, states, when we lessen our physical nourishment, it gives us the opportunity to increase in our spiritual nourishment. Otherwise, merely staying hungry for the entire day holds no meaning of its own if it is not accompanied by efforts to increase in spirituality.

His Holiness (may Allah strengthen his hands) said that we must understand this principle and lead our lives in the same manner, as is the purpose of Ramadan. His Holiness (may Allah strengthen his hands) said that the verse which he recited is from among the verses stating the importance and obligation of Ramadan. Those being spoken of in this verse are those who are servants of the Gracious God” who wish to be freed from the clutches of Satan and come under the protection of God. Thus, God said that when such people are in a state of anxiety and fear wondering where and how they can find God, tell them that God will answer when they call unto Him. It is for such people that Satan has been shackled in Ramadan, but these efforts should not be limited to this month, rather they should become an enduring part of people’s lives throughout the year. When people fulfil the rights of God and His creation and strive to fulfil the commandments of God and attain His pleasure, then they will find that God answers their calls unto Him.

His Holiness (may Allah strengthen his hands) said that fortunate are those who take advantage of Ramadan and the opportunity it affords for the acceptance of prayer. We should pray to become true servants of God, to fulfil His commandments and to complete our faith. We are fortunate to have accepted the Imam of the Age and the true servant of the Holy Prophet^(sa), the Promised Messiah, peace be on him. He taught us the ways of becoming closer to God and the ways in which to pray.

Prayer – The True Means to Success

His Holiness (may Allah strengthen his hands) quoted the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, who said that the true means for attaining success is prayer. The Promised Messiah, peace be on him, also said that before praying, one must utilise the faculties granted to them by God and strive their utmost, and then pray to God. This is what is meant by ‘Guide us on the right path’. Some people say that if one prays then there is no need for any apparent means or effort, whereas prayer is essentially a means for procuring more means. We should pray to be among those who are sincerely devoted to God in their actions and belief. They should strive to be those whose actions draw the pleasure of God and those whose faith is completely unwavering. They believe that God can turn dust to gold and can turn the wicked into spiritual people who tread upon His path.

Ahmadiyya Khalifa (may Allah strengthen his hands) said that God has stated this principle in the Holy Qur’an when He says:

‘And as for those who strive in Our path — We will surely guide them in Our ways. And verily Allah is with those who do good.’ (The Holy Qur’an, 29:70)

This month of Ramadan is certainly an opportunity to undertake this Jihad and strive towards Allah and become those who are close to Allah the Almighty, those whose prayers He answers, who adhere to His commandments, those who have complete belief in His attributes, those who are truly guided and those whose Satan is forever shackled. Achieving this certainly requires striving in the way of Allah.

Fulfil the Requirements to Attaining the Nearness of God

His Holiness (may Allah strengthen his hands) quoted the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, who said that one cannot attain God’s pleasure and nearness through laziness and slackness, rather true effort is required. His Holiness (may Allah strengthen his hands) said that many people write to him saying that they prayed but their objective was not attained. They must analyse to see whether they have truly undertaken the required struggle in prayer. Then they must also analyse the manner in which they pray because God says those who truly strive in His path, who strive to attain His nearness with sincerity and strive to fulfil His commandments, then He surely answers their prayers.

Our Striving Must Not Remain Constrained to the Month of Ramadan

His Holiness (may Allah strengthen his hands) said that in a Hadith it is stated that if we walk towards God, He will run towards us. This is the grace and mercy of God, however we must truly strive in his cause. It should not be that we vow to offer prayers and do good deeds during the month of Ramadan, but then forget about all of these things for the rest of the year. If God sees that a person is praying and making efforts only during the month of Ramadan, then He can deal with us however He pleases. Certainly he can still answer our prayers so that we experience His grace and mercy in order to keep us motivated to keep striving in His way. God desires to take us into His mercy. His happiness for us is greater than a mother’s happiness for her child. Hence, before lamenting that our prayers have not been answered, we must analyse ourselves and our efforts.

His Holiness Ahmadiyya Khalifa (may Allah strengthen his hands) said that we should never allow our efforts or Jihad in the cause of attaining Allah’s pleasure, fulfilling His commandments and becoming His true servants to subside. In fact Ramadan should be a milestone in this Jihad.

His Holiness (may Allah strengthen his hands) said that as the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, explains, if one does not strive to tread upon the path of God, then they will fall into Satan’s lap and become perverse. Thus, not only are there glad tidings in the above-mentioned verses, but there is also a warning to remain safe from the grasp of Satan.

Efforts Must be Accompanied by Prayer

His Holiness Ahmadiyya Head (may Allah strengthen his hands) also explained in light of the Promised Messiah’s, peace be on him writings that certainly it is within human nature for there to be various stages in our lives. There are ups and downs. However after the down times, a righteous person fervently turns to God in repentance and seeking forgiveness out of embarrassment and then becomes resolute in striving upon God’s path. Thus, doing so requires steadfastness and a firm resolve. As we make these efforts and pray, we should repeat the prayer ‘Guide us on the right path’ as this prayer is vital for one to become rightly guided.

His Holiness Ahmadiyya Supreme Head (may Allah strengthen his hands) explained that even in worldly terms, people must strive to attain what they desire from the world. When they strive and struggle, God bestows His blessings and they are able to attain their objectives. The same applies in the spiritual realm. If one can strive for the world, why then can they not strive to attain God’s nearness and pleasure. If they strive and struggle for this, then God will certainly bestow His blessings in their efforts so that they can achieve their purpose. It cannot be that one merely asks and automatically receives, rather there is a level of effort required. This is a basic principle which applies to all things.

His Holiness (may Allah strengthen his hands) said that when a person turns to God, God will turn to them. They must however strive their utmost. Then, when they have truly tried their best, they will certainly see the light of God. One should not become disheartened, as is the case in trying to attain anything. The doors of attaining the nearness and pleasures of God are open, but require effort to get through.

His Holiness Ahmadiyya Head (Khalifa)  (may Allah strengthen his hands) said that we cannot expect God to be bound to accept anything and everything we desire. Even in worldly terms if we consider any one of our relationships we find that this cannot be the case. Why then should we apply the same restriction to God? Hence we must believe in God, which means fulfilling the rights owed to Him and His creation; then we can find acceptance in the sight of God. If we don’t constantly nurture plants, they will become lifeless. So too is the case with our faith.

Strive in Every Way Possible to Attain God’s Pleasure

His Holiness (may Allah strengthen his hands) said that in striving towards God, we must ensure that our belief is not tainted with associating partners with God in any way. Similarly, if we look to the examples of the Companions (Allah be pleased with all of them) did they attain their stature only through prayer? No; in fact they were ready to lay down their lives for God and present any sacrifice in His cause. Hence, we cannot expect to attain any sort of rank in the sight of God without first striving and struggling in His way. We must strive not only with our words, but in every way possible to attain the pleasure and nearness of God. Some consider prayer to be an ordinary matter, whereas it is much more. Mere words cannot be considered prayer, rather true prayer requires bringing about a sort of death by the level of efforts made.

His Holiness (may Allah strengthen his hands) said that upon reaching a certain level in connection with God, one does not even have to pointedly ask for his worldly needs to be fulfilled, as God takes that person into His protection and fulfils those needs Himself. Attaining this level however requires a great deal of effort.

His Holiness Ahmadiyya Khalifa (may Allah strengthen his hands) prayed that may we be able to fulfil these things and make Ramadan an opportunity for us to establish a firm relationship with Him, fulfilling His commandments, having complete belief in Him and enable us to see examples of the acceptance of prayer. May this extend even beyond Ramadan. May we become true servants of God; may we never stray from the path of God and always be the recipients of His love. May we do justice to the favour which God has bestowed upon us by accepting the Promised Messiah, peace be on him. May Allah enable us to pray in a manner that can render our prayers accepted.

His Holiness Ahmadiyya Supreme Head Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah strengthen his hands) again made an appeal for prayers in light of the current world situation. He prayed that may Allah save the world from destruction and enable people to recognise their Creator.

Launch of 313 Companions Website

His Holiness Ahmadiyya Khalifa (may Allah strengthen his hands) informed that he would launch a new website and mobile application created by MTA International which comprises His Holiness’  sermons on the 313 Companions who took part in the Battle of Badr. The website includes introductions of the Companions, questions and answers, maps, explanations of difficult Arabic terms and there will be new information uploaded every week. The website is www.313companions.org.  His Holiness (may Allah strengthen his hands) prayed that may this website prove to be beneficial.

(Source: www.alislam.org

Orpheus Perera

I am trying to restructure my points about the current situation in Sri Lanka. Intelligent people will never believe the story that one family robbed all the wealth of a country. It is the fault of the politicians for not educating the people of the real world.

People worked hard during the colonial period and when they got freedom, they thought of having easy lives. Sri Lanaka did not have to fight for independence. People of India rallied behind Mahatma Gandhi  in 1920 to fight against the British, mainly by refusing to buy imported goods including apples. As a result India is far ahead of Sri Lanka today(Not that individual familie are living comfortable lives). They still work hard long hours eating Roti and “Parippu” every day.

Sri Lankans who have migrated to America return and show off their riches. They never tell the Sri Lankans how hard they have to work in the richest country in the world. Doctors and nurses have to work 12 hours per day adding up to 60 hours per week. That is why they are well paid.

Seven years ago I got a chance to visit the USA. I show the glory and the riches. But I also show how hard they have to work. We went to see Niagara falls in a tour bus. There was a bucket near the door of the bus with a label saying “Please tip Generously”. I tipped $5 even if I did not have much money to spare.  Then we went on a harbour cruise in Hudson Bay in New York. The Skipper of the boat, explained about the history of all the buildings in New York. He pointed to an apartment building and said “The rent of a one bedroom up there is $2000 per month. My annual salary is only $27,000, I cannot dream of living even a day in those apartments.

We manage to survive, thanks to generous tourists like you. Please donate generously so that my-self and my staff can share the money. When the boat returned to the pier  and we walked down the ramp, the skipper and a few of the staff were standing there with a bucket half full of dollar notes and on behalf of the three of us I dropped $10 into the bucket, because I felt sorry for the poor people in the richest country.

The other day Dr. Harsha De Silva, in an interview with News-1st TV mentioned about the GDP of Bangladesh and Vietnam which are much higher than Sri Lanka. He never mentioned how hard the people of those two countries work,  for a small wage.

In Bangladesh, 100 thousands of children under 14 of age work 64 hours per week for mere US$2 per day to support their families. They rarely see their parents. They live in the factory premises, without schooling. Few of them attend evening classes run by good sumereturns. No child hood for them and this issue was brought up in UNICEF. But they stopped talking about it, taking into consideration the poor parents(Or maybe American Fashion Industrialists want to make profit selling made in Bangladesh garments cheaply).

So are people in Vietnam who work hard for a few Dollars, sometimes 50 hours per week.

None of these countries have FREE HIGHER EDUCATION which Sri Lankans enjoyed for the last 70m years. On the other hand in Sri Lanka the majority laze around and look for easy money. Businessmen in Import industry bribed factory managers to sabotage and cut down production and finally sell or shut down the industries owned by the state or even some small local businesses.

In 1953 Mr. Dudley Senanayake increased the price of rice from 50 cents to 1 rupee. He did that because the government could not afford to give rice at 50 cts. People started a “Harthal ” breaking down telephone lines and attacking public property. Dudley had to go and hide in a Ship. All politicians kept on promising things “Free”. In 1966 the UNP government gave a Free ration of rice. Still they  lost the election in 1970 to  SLFP and Dr. NM Perera coalition, who promised to bring Rice from the moon and give 2 rations per person.

Mrs. Bandartanike tried to make the country self-sufficient and build up the national wealth by cutting down imports drastically(which India did in 1948). It became hard because the west was unhappy for shutting the western multinationals out.

In 1950’s JR had this idea of making Colombo a vibrant place (like Singapore now). It was called the Colombo plan. He was not given a chance then. But in 1980 JR with the full backing of people like Upali Gunawardane carried out this plan. It became a flop and made things worse(in building a more stable economy). Country looked like it was being developed(very fast). Roads were filled with imported cars and they had to build new roads and motorways.

All my life in Sri Lanka I used to travel by CTB buses or walk up to 2 or 3 miles. I can remember one day in 2000 I walked from 6th lane Nawala Rd to come to Koswaththa. It was so hard to walk with too many vehicles on the road and with the black fumes they emitted.

One guy, I knew stopped the car and gave me a left and he said his driver was laughing at me for walking???.

Markets were filled with all foreign goods. Locals brought them with the help of their poor family members who went to the middle east and worked hard.

Politicians wanted power and they kept on not educating them about the welfare of how people work in other countries. These are my observations in a nut cell. You can always find information from the internet(not the Face Book).

Easy road has come to an end. ඔබට පුතේ මගක් නැතේ, මේ මග මිස යමන් පුතේ(හෙළ ගැඹුරුය් ඉහල බලන් යමන් පුතේ)

Orpheus Perera

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Colombo, April 9 (NewsWire) –

Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe assumed duties as the 17th Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) today.

According to the CBSL, Dr. Weerasinghe is a career central banker, with extensive experience in Monetary and Exchange Rate Policy. Dr. Weerasinghe was promoted as Deputy Governor on 27 September 2011 while he was serving as an Alternate Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund and assumed office as Deputy Governor of the CBSL on 01 September 2012. Dr. Weerasinghe holds a Ph.D. and Master’s Degree in Economics from the Australian National University and a B.Sc. Degree from the University of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka.

As Deputy Governor, Dr. Weerasinghe has served as the Chairman of the Monetary Policy Committee and the Foreign Reserve Management Committee of the CBSL and has overseen the Departments of Economic Research, Statistics, International Operations, Domestic Operations, Macroprudential Surveillance, Exchange Control, Currency, and Communications.

Prior to being released to the International Monetary Fund as the Alternate Executive Director for India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, from January 2010 to August 2012, Dr. Weerasinghe served as Assistant Governor from August 2009 to September 2012 as well as the Chief Economist and Director of Economic Research from January 2007 to August 2009.

Dr. Weerasinghe also served as Visiting Lecturer for the Master’s Degree Course in Economics at the University of Colombo, Visiting Research Economist at the SEACEN Centre, Malaysia, and Visiting Research Fellow at the Australian National University. He is also an Advisory Board Member of the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University.

He has represented several Cabinet Sub-Committees on economic matters and was a member of the Committee appointed to review the Power Purchase Agreements, the Financial Sector Monitoring Committee of the Ministry of Finance & Planning, the Steering Committee on Market Program for Private Sector Development, and the Petroleum Refinery Project Coordinating Committee. He was also a Director of the Board of Management of the Sustainable Energy Authority and the Board of Investment. He was responsible for negotiating Financial Services in bilateral trade and services agreements with China and Singapore. He has published several research papers in international and local journals, including the CBSL Staff Studies.

Dr. Weerasinghe retired from the Central Bank as the Senior Deputy Governor in January 2021 and worked as an Independent Consultant for economic and financial matters for multilateral agencies and Global Investment firms. 

Courtesy Livemint.com

It (economic crisis) never happened in our time…when our government was here there were no queues of the people to buy the basic necessities, Sri Lanka’s ex PM said

Former Prime minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesingheon Sunday blamed the incumbent government of plunging the country into a deep economic and political crisis. Wickremesingheon also pointed out, the government is “incompetent in dealing with the financial challenges”. He further praised India for its maximum support during the crisis period. He also stated that no Chinese investment under this government has come to the country.

“It (economic crisis) never happened in our time…when our government was here there were no queues of the people to buy the basic necessities. There should have not been any reason for the people to come on the streets. But it’s all happening because of the incompetence of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government in the country,” former PM Wickremesinghe told ANI.RECOMMENDED FOR YOUView All

He added, “The dire economic situation has led to the political crisis, and what is happening is a disaster to the country. For two years, this government ignored all the signs of the looming economic issues. I remember when I left the office in 2019 we had a surplus budget and there was enough money to pay (for our imports).”

For not approaching the IMF during the economic crisis, Wickremesinghe slammed the incumbent government for not making timely interventions. “I don’t think that the government has enough resources left in the reserves and now they seek to borrow from the leading export companies to pay the bills. The line of credit for fuel extended by India will last till the second week of May,” he said. adding that Sri Lanka will be in serious trouble afterwards.

He said that India has helped Sri Lanka to the maximum. “We will have to see the outcome of the support of India while New Delhi is still helping in non-financial ways,” said Wickremesinghe.

Wickremesinghe charged that the government was not looking after the economy while suggestions were made for going to the IMF in 2020 and 2021. “The government did not go to the IMF on the advice of the central bank and the treasury and the people are now paying the price,” he told ANI.

Bibhudatta Pradhan and Eric Martin, Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) — The International Monetary Fund said it will hold discussions with senior Sri Lankan policymakers in the coming days and weeks” about a possible support program to help the island nation overcome an economic crisis that’s spiraled into political turmoil and daily street protests. 

We received a request for an IMF-supported program from the authorities, and have started technical-level engagement with teams at the ministry of finance and the central bank,” Masahiro Nozaki, the IMF’s mission chief for Sri Lanka, said in a statement. We commit to assisting Sri Lanka consistent with our policies.”

The South Asian island has appointed an advisory panel to provide guidance on how the nation deals with its current crisis and engages with outside lenders, including the IMF. Sri Lanka is facing a balance of payments crisis, struggling to pay for imports and service debt as its foreign exchange holdings dwindle. 

The IMF is very concerned about the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka and hardships suffered by the people, especially the poor and vulnerable,” Nozaki said in the statement. We are monitoring the political and economic developments very closely,” he said.

Newly appointed central bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said on Friday that Sri Lanka would seek virtual talks with the IMF before officials visit Washington for the lender’s spring meetings later this month. Authorities have also called for proposals for a financial adviser and legal consultant to help with recasting the nation’s debt, which stands at $8.6 billion for this year, including a $1 billion sovereign bond payment in July.

Sri Lanka is seeking about $3 billion in bridge financing in the next six months to pay for fuel, medicine and other essentials, to help it manage the crisis, Finance Minister Ali Sabry told Reuters in an interview Saturday.  

The nation’s central bank on Friday raised borrowing costs by an unprecedented 700 basis points to cool inflation that’s the fastest in Asia, preserve dollars needed to import food and fuel and lend support to the local currency that has dropped more than 57% since being devalued.

Resignation Demands

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, left with a minority in parliament, has been struggling to form an interim government after his cabinet resigned last week. On Sunday night, he will meet with the over 40 lawmakers who left his ruling coalition to discuss their proposals for an interim government, local media reported, citing a senior member of parliament. 

The proposals put forward include limiting his executive powers as president and appointing a national executive council comprising of leaders from all the political parties in parliament to make policy decisions and appoint a new prime minister. 

The talks come as thousands of people converged in Colombo’s business district over the weekend, waving flags and holding placards demanding that Rajapaksa, a former military officer, submits his resignation. Rajapaksa has yet to address the country over the economic and political turmoil since his cabinet resigned. 

Several protesters waited near the president’s office and said they would not leave until he quits, according to videos posted on social media and news reports. The demonstrations are expected to continue well into Sunday in Colombo and across several smaller cities and towns.

By Yeshi Seli Express News Service Courtesy The New Indian Express

NEW DELHI: Amid the severe economic crisis, extreme shortage of essentials, and street protests, the Sri Lankan Parliament is likely to reconvene between April 19 to 22 in a bid to bring about a no-confidence motion against President Gotabaya Rajapaksha.

“We have called a meeting with all opposition leaders and will take a day a final decision soon,’’ said Sri Lankan opposition leader, Sajith Premadasa.

Meanwhile, India has sent a consignment of food and vegetables to Sri Lanka today, in its bid to continue assisting the Island nation.

“I think India has helped the most, even in non-financial ways so we are thankful. No Chinese investments have been done yet, the only discussions going on with China are regarding the repayment of loans,’’ said former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Wickremesinghe said during their rule there was a surplus on the primary budget and money to pay debts. The present government is responsible for the economic crisis.

India has already supplied over 270,000 MT of fuels to Sri Lanka till now and granted $2.5 billion line of credit. Sri Lanka needs an additional $3 billion in funds to keep it afloat.

ALSO READ | Learn from the decline of Sri Lanka

Meanwhile, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had assured Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksha (who visited India twice in recent months) that India would stand with Sri Lanka as it occupies a central role in New Delhi’s `neighbourhood first policy.’

Sri Lanka is also facing a foreign exchange shortage which has limited its imports of essentials and they are now dependent on assistance from neighbours like India.

In February the country was left with only $2.31 billion in its reserves but faces debt payments of $4 billion in 2022 – this includes a $1 billion International Sovereign Bond (ISB) maturing in July. ISB makes up the largest share of  Sri Lanka’s $12.55 billion foreign debt.

IMF is expected to initiate a loan to Sri Lanka during the course of this week.

Meanwhile, there is a trickle of refugees too coming into India. Around 40 refugees have already come to Tamil Nadu. In addition, there are over 1 lakh Sri Lankan Tamils who live in India.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

All paediatricians and neonatologists in the country are in dilemma due to the absence of Endotracheal (ETT) Tubes for the ventilation of new-born babies, infants and children, Castle Street Teaching Hospital Consultant Neonatologist Dr. L.P.C. Saman Kumara said.

He said it will be very soon all hospitals will run out of all their stocks of ETTs, and the hospitals have come to the situation where they are re-using the endotracheal tubes for ventilating new born babies, which is totally unacceptable.

Due to the economic and political crisis in the country, medical supplies have run out in the hospital network, the doctor said. 

Therefore, the hospital doctors are forced to change their norms of using re-usable ventilator circuits in the country. 

“With the current perilous  situation in the country, Dr. Kumara sends an appeal to the people living overseas to find a way to send some Neonatal ETTs which are in 4mm, 3.5mm, 3mm, 2.5mm, and 2mm in sizes. But we mostly need size 3 mm and 3.5 mm, “he said.

We need a national requirement of 3,500 Neonatal ETTs in sizes 3 mm and 3.5 mm, as well as 500 in size 4 mm, on an annual basis. 2,500 from 2.5mm and 500 from 2mm, the doctor added. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The Director General of Health Services Dr Asela Gunawardena has appointed an official coordinator to maintain uninterrupted healthcare services and facilitate medicinal and equipment donations to Sri Lanka.

Accordingly, Director Medical Technology Services at Health Ministry Dr. Anver Hamdani has been appointed as the coordinating officer on behalf of Ministry of Health to coordinate, facilitate and liaise with relevant stakeholders.

The relevant official is expected to coordinate within relevant ministries and the private sector organizations, donor agencies, provincial and regional health authorities and professional colleges to maintain uninterrupted service provision during the present challenging period.

Dr Hamdani can be reached via 077 1214131 (Official), Fax 011 2669491 and moh.covid.coordinator@gmail.com

The step has been taken in the wake of the looming shortage of drugs in the country which has compelled some hospitals to suspend certain surgeries. (Sheain Fernandopulle)

Appointed members of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank President’s Counsel Sanjeewa Jayawardena and Dr. Ranee Jayamaha have agreed to continue to serve in their positions.

New Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe stated this in a statement issued today (April 10).

As the newly incumbent Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), I am delighted that Mr. Sanjeeva Jayawardena, President’s Counsel and Dr. (Mrs.) Ranee Jayamaha, appointed members of the Monetary Board, have acceded to continue to serve on the Monetary Board.”

He also stated that Sanjeewa Jayawardena, PC and Dr. Jayamaha have always acted very independently, impartially, professionally and diligently, and have very positively contributed to all endeavours of the CBSL, while serving as members of the Monetary Board in the past.

As I have the fullest faith and confidence in their complete professionalism, I look forward to receiving their continuing contribution and valuable guidance to the Nation, the Monetary Board and to me, as the Governor,” Dr. Weerasinghe said further in his statement.

Sarath Wijesinghe President’s Counsel, former Ambassador to UAE and Israel, President Ambassador’s Forum and, a former General Secretary to Bar Association of Sri Lanka- Currently in the United Kingdom

New Procedure with small claim courts

It is indeed to the credit to then Minister of Justice and the committee appointed to draft laws headed by an Appeal Court Judge and the learned and efficient committee members that they have prepared the draft to be forwarded to the Law Commission and the Legal Draftsman Department for final touches in such a short space of time. Law commissions in other countries are pioneers on law reforms and changes. In Sri Lanka it is rarely heard of. Small claim courts with less complexities are prevalent in many commonwealth countries and in USA serving the community is speedy resolution of cases with the shortest possible time helping laws delays and easy access to justice.  The    new procedure scheduled to be introduced to Sri Lanka in order to solve the main issues on laws delays – a long overdue problem faced by the Sri Lankan litigants entangled with issues on laws delays and complications of the legal system in resolving the cases that has arisen in day to day life. This process will be successful in finding easy solutions for litigants to resolve money claims easily and speedily. ‘Laws delays is justice delayed’ which is a violation of human rights and breach of  civic duty by the governance , contrary to the contract entered into between the governance and the citizen. In addition to preventing laws delays, efficient legal system will transform the governance to be a more efficient and a safe mode for the citizen to handle and manage litigation, easily with or without the assistance of lawyers with the small claim courts. Therefore it is the duty of the governance in power to pave the way for expeditious disposition of the cases speedily and with the minimum expenditure preferably subject to legal aid which is currently practiced in the United Kingdom well providing legal aid to the needy litigants who are entitle to be based on merits and income tests conducted by the Legal Aid Commission which requires reforms to provide legal aid to the needy in Sri Lanka who are entitled to, but sadly denied! This system of small claims courts, prevails and successfully in operation in many parts of the world such as Australia, Canada, England and Wales, Hong Kong, Israel, New Zeeland, Philippine, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa and USA mostly in countries prating adversarial  systems of legal system. What prompted the then Minister of Justice to forward the proposal to the Cabinet is to prevent laws delays and speedy disposition of some cases with less complications which is praiseworthy. The carefully picked group who has researched and proposed on the backlog of cases accumulated unresolved as follows at an alarming rate, is an excellent move but it is a good idea to reduce the membership of the committee to the minimum for quick and more productive outcome.  Members appear to be of good standing and they may help the process from periphery sphere to meet at the end of the deliberations during fine tuning. It is a good idea for the committee to communicate with the ASSLUK the Sri Lankan Lawyers in UK who are a powerful and dedicated Lawyers group with top experienced professionals in practice in process ever prepared to help Sri Lanka and the professionals in this process in order to harness their knowledge and experiences in the exercise. ‘Doing Business’ rate in  Sri Lanka is on the 64^th position which is a drawback and discouragement of the proposed investors, including the Port City that has pumped Sri Lanka the highest ever Foreign Direct investment – a main turning point and a game changer on the economy in Sri Lanka to be on the upward trend. Figures shown as cases stagnating are frightening as follows, 8000,000 cases pending generally,, 535000 in Magistrates Courts, 3486 in Supreme Court, 4817 in Court of Appeal 5880 in Civil appellate court, 16811 in High Court Criminal, 167945 in District Courts, 17513 in ‘’Quati Courts’’, 200,000 referred to mediation boards which is worrying and acts as a bottle neck on the system of court administration which has a direct effect on the economy.

Judicator Act to be amended

After the cabinet approval the judicator act 2 of 1978 to be amended to accommodate the new process and it is a good idea to follow the procedure adopted in the United Kingdom for us to grasp the finer points of the functioning of the system which is available online to be operated by the litigants with less expenditure, complications and quicker. It is a good idea to strengthen the mediation board functioning with no legal representation in settlements which is functioning with 40% success and making the preliminary attempt at the mediation boards before seeking the Small Claim Court is ideal to implement. Though the Small Claim Courts are mainly meant for recovery expanding the area in the SCC jurisdiction may ease the congestion giving the litigants access to justice more conveniently and the drafters may leave room for future expansions if necessary. Small time businessmen, and villagers are finding difficulties due to the cost of litigation and non-availability of legal aid due to financial constraints easing the process will reduce the crime rate as many crimes and serious disputes are based on small claims become more serious disputes.

Please refer to ‘’Laws delays lawyer’s delays or system delays 3/1/2021’’ (article Ceylon Observer Sarath Wijesinghe)

Who are responsible for laws delays? Is it lawyers, judges, or the system is a frequently asked questions with no proper answers. Definitely some lawyers are a part of the issue to a certain extent for not being professional and honest in dealings which is a gross mistake in their own interest. If the legal system is fast and expeditious lawyers too will be benefited with the litigants, as then only the litigant will have a trust on the system now has dwindled to the extend to take law unto their hands. Lawyers should be well disciplined as in the United Kingdom and the complaints against them should be dealt with properly and promptly like in the UK. Judges must be trained properly and given opportunity to enhance the knowledge with modern developments on case law and practice which is doubtful to be in practice to the best of the expected standards. Judges should be giver research assistance as in UK and many counters and they must be encouraged and assisted in improving It literacy on them. Dwindling and  deteriorate the standards is due to the fault of all including the governance and litigants and it is in the hands of all to get together on reforms for their own benefits as this is a problem faced by many countries in the world. Judges, lawyers, Law College, and AG’s department consists of lawyers who understand the ‘legal language’ and sense and it is with the joint efforts of all that we can bring about changes to the legal system which is a dire necessity today to maintain law and order, economic stability, and a smooth system of governance which is unfortunately lacking today. Laws delays is common to many parts of the world looking for solutions. We are not the worst. In India 22 million cases are pending. Famous ‘’Vinode’s’’ case of 1994 took 20 years with 36 witnesses with no results with the not found and promoted. 94 year old mother died in awaiting for justice. India spends 2% for the justice Ministry in 2016 have 13 judges for one million. This is only an example that we are not alone in the needs of justice, and a joint efforts are needed with the Ministry of Justice, legal apparatus, and the citizen to work together for solution to give benefits to the needy suffering citizens. If the system is intact and update the delay will be minimized ; for example the reports from various institutions and the communication system is to be organized and updated such as the submission of the fiscals reports and the communication of documents by post instead of fax and email as in the UK is more appropriate. It is good news Supreme Court is gradually adopting the new communication techniques in some instances which are on the right directions. All in all the compartments must run smoothly for a smooth functioning of the system in operation. We invite you to browse the net and read the above article for further details. Laws delays is a world scenario with many systems looking for solutions and a matter that has been discussed by many in various forums. ‘’William Gladstone’’ four times Prime Minister in the UK (1868/1874/1880/1885/1886) said the famous quotation used again and again that ‘’Justice Delayed is Justice denied’’ which Sri Lankans Indian and citizens in many part of the world experiencing with little or no solution. Small claims courts if set up will help to bring about some relief to bring the backlog down to a certain extent by taking the pressure from District courts which is going to be bit above the proposed courts with simplified procedure in making applications online and implementation with less complications, which will assist the business community pressurized due to the complexity of the system and denial of access due to the expensive commitments, in litigation. Legal aid is a complicated system with the merits and income tests which is a need to the needy citizen freely available in the United Kingdom, and it is questionable whether the legal Aid commission in Sri Lanka is living up to the expected standards, and we wish the Bar Association and Legal Aid Chairman will read this article.  Access to Justice, legal aid, and denial of justice to the poor and not so educated is a serious matter that has to be considered by the legal profession and the judiciary, in the delivery of justice. Lenard Woolf’s book on BADDAGAGMA gives a sad and important story on the poor man ‘’Sinudu’’ in ‘’Walasmulla’’ area the miscarriage of justice meted by him due to the way the village headman conducted inquiry and the translator of the court house misinterpreted the case resulting denial of justice to ‘’Sinudu’’ imprisoning and losing the only wealth and possessions left for him and his disabled daughter. Similar things have happened and thereafter and there is no grantee that it is not happening today. Therefore we with the Hon Minister will read this article and make overall changes in the legal system including legal aid, and creating atmosphere to access to justice to all along with the proposed changes on small claims courts.

Mediation and small claims

Mediation is a concept historically proven successful and currently with a success rate of 40% in effect. In fact this is to be regularized without the intervention of the politicos appointed by the Ministry of justice as the Justices of Peace appointed on political connections at times with people of bad repute and criminal faiths, to indicate the erroneous system in practice. Given the opportunity by appointing honest and dedicated members not poisoned on political ideologies and practices the prospective litigants will settle matters out of courts leaving the complicated cases for litigation on straight tries in small claims and district courts as practices in India and many Asian countries successfully. Mediation boards can be extended to settlements on consumer affairs to prevent the consumer in exploitation and provide the consumer settling disputes with the help of the regulator consumer affairs authority.

‘’Dhammapada’’, UN, EU, on justice and laws delays in relation to the concept of small claims court

‘’By passing arbitrary judgements does a man become wise? Wise man is one who investigates both sides for right and wrong’’ is an extract of Dhammapada a handbook on Buddhism on conflicts and judgments of judges in litigation. It is a requirement for the governance to appoint impartial fearless independent and learned judges giving them freedom to hear cases freely with no influence and hindrance to them in any way at any stage. Obviously good judges should be appointed giving all the facilities in the new court structure, as stated and provided by the UN and EU in their public documents and the Constitution of Sri Lanka the supreme law of the nation. The new court system established will be next to District courts online and as a medium to settle issues easier with simpler procedure with or without the assistance of lawyers to make the process simple. The directions of the European Commission one court is bound to be efficient as required by the European Commission on efficiency (CEPE), and ECHR and ICCPR international covenant on civil and political rights where 168 countries have ratified that excessive delay declaring that delay in litigation is an offence under Article 6, and that delays are hateful. On the other hand the Sri Lankan Constitution provides safeguards for the independence of the judiciary under Articles 4 (c), 12(1), 13(5). Are our judges are learned, properly trained, and persons with judicial temperament are matters that superior court judges, and the citizen are capable of commenting without getting into difficulties.

Good Attempt it is – Someone should ‘Bell the Cat’

Definitely it is a good attempt and more avenues are to be thought of to ease the congestion on laws delays, to help the citizen and also to raise standard of the country in the doing business standard/world status from 64 to above upwards, which is a need to promote our business and to attract the investors. It may help ease the problem only to a slight extent as the real remedy is somewhere else. Main bottleneck to smooth and speedy resolution of cases is the complexity of the legal system inherited as a pickle of the type of legal system including, Roman Dutch law, English Law with age old acts and legislature such as Penal Code, Civil Procedure Code and many more going up to 1800s imported and used as a part of the legal system with personal laws on different communities connected to case laws worldwide used as precedents by jurists, judges and lawyers. There is a political slogan one country one law by those who does not understand the actual situation behind. But in the business and commercial fields mainly the English law takes the precedence which is advantages in international business. Legal system has to be taught and overhauled by restructuring the court system by drastic changes to the Judicature act in reshaping the court structure. Judicature act was amended hap hazily with no proper vision or a long plan of action. Judges are to be trained to keep pace with the modern trends. In the West Judges use laptops when in Sri Lanka they still seek the services of the stenographers which is a dying inefficient breed. Emails, what’s app, and modern techniques are used in Sri Lanka which is a good trend but still there are court housed without even basic needs. It is a sorry state but true to state some lawyers are not living up to the expected sundered on studying the brief and update on the knowledge as in other countries.

Port City is meant for a different business community dealt with by the regulations by the Commission itself with by laws, and also subjected to the normal legal structure generally based on law on commerce and trade. As the amount dealt with is small this changes may have to direct effect on the port city dealings. But when time to come this may have a beneficial influence as it mainly deals with tread end business.

Way out for delivery of affordable and proper justice/legal system

It is definitely a timely and brave move by the Minister’s initiative on the matter, and we expect it will have desired results, and we are of the view that this will lead to many changes from time to time based on the outcome of the results. It is a good idea to learn from the mistakes made by the originators, for us to learn at their expenses, by swimming in the day light when they swam in the dark in the learning process. Legal aid will have to play a pivot role in formulation the applicability to the common man for the process to be handy and affordable with less intervention with the lawyers, who will be in advisory capacity for a fee. Many other propositions are lined up based on the success of the SCC, such as Consumer Courts, Less complicated arbitration tribunals on a lower level to that of the arbitrations set up formulated under the Port City structure. This may be extended to other areas such as family, and property as it is an area that needs serious attention, as once the process is in action it is easy to adopt it and extend to other areas in the process of simplifying the law and to make law access to the citizen. While legal aid commission playing a pivot role, the concept of CAB citizen advice bureaux, and Law Centres could be introduced as SCC which are novel but productive to the system gaining the experience in UK for us. Citizen Advice bureaux and law centres are managed by the local authorities and social organization which are funding as an important appendages of the system in the delivery of legal system to the citizen. In any event the success of SCC depends on how the legal profession, judiciary, BASL and the community understands the concept and make use of for their benefits and the nation as a whole in managing it in the right directions. Author can be contacted on sarath28dw@gmai.com or Sarath 281@outlook.com. (Whats app 0094777880166 active in UK)

Courtesy Hiru News

The Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe stated that One of the ways to overcome the current crisis situation is to allow the Central Bank to function independently.

He was speaking at a special media briefing on ‘Economic Crisis Emergency’ held last night (08).

He also stated that it does not want unnecessary political interference in any way to curb inflation.

The Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe stated the following during the discussion.

“I want to make decisions without any political influence. The Central Bank hopes for the blessings of the government, the opposition and the people for the future economic progress of the country. Recovering a collapsing economy cannot be done all at once, it will have to go on like this for a while. In two weeks we will send a good message to the international market that we are coming out of this crisis…. ”

He also spoke about the International Monetary Fund and the technical assistance that Sri Lanka hopes to receive from it.

”Debt restructuring and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund will begin. Everyone now understands that procrastination and irresponsibility can no longer be the norm in this country. The only reason I accepted this responsibility is because people are suffering, not because of any political party decision. Political stability and social stability are needed to recover quickly. “

Weerasinghe said he would hold an online discussion with the IMF on the 11th, adding that the resignation of Ali Sabry’s, the finance minister, had not been accepted by the President.

The Governor of the Central Bank also expressed his views as follows.

” Any central bank must print money. But if you print large amounts there is a problem. Unnecessarily reducing taxes has exacerbated  the crisis. Raising interest rates is one of the main steps we will take. Do not expect inflation to ease tomorrow, inflation for the next three months has already been decided. Inflation could cross 25% in the next month or two. There is no need to restructure domestic debt.”

He also said that foreign exchange could not be brought in through gazettes and legislation, adding that he was requesting the expatriate Sri Lankans to send as much money as possible through the banking system.

The Governor of the Central Bank further stated that the Sri Lankan economy has now become a vehicle that is going downhill uncontrollably.

Finally, the Governor of the Central Bank made a special reminder to the people on the streets stating that people should exert pressure on politicians to help solve the country’s economic crisis. 

Meanwhile, the conversation also focused on the foreign exchange deficit and the dollar crisis.

Duminda Hulangamuwa, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka stated that he believed that the country could be without power by June if this is not resolved now.

Courtesy Hiru News

Sri Lanka’s central bank doubled its key interest rates on Friday, raising each by an unprecedented 700 basis points to tame inflation that has soared due to crippling shortages of basic goods driven by a devastating economic crisis.

“The rate hike will give a strong signal to investors and markets that we are coming out of this as soon as possible,” governor P. Nandalal Weerasinghe said at a post-policy decision briefing.

Weerasinghe said that he wanted to run the central bank independently without any external influence and that he had been given the authority to do so by the president and has been asked to expedite measures to get the country out of the current crisis.

“I want to be very clear that my message is not one of blind positivity. Things are challenging and we need to take decisive action. Things will get worse before they get better, but we need to apply the breaks to this vehicle before it crashes,” he added.

The new Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe stated that the release of foreign currency for any import should be considered on a case by case basis as a matter of priority including the imports of vehicles.

He was speaking at a media briefing at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka yesterday (08).

He said that in allocating money for such imports would be after the overall impact on the majority of the population is taken into consideration.

Courtesy Hiru News

Finance Minister Ali Sabry says he and a delegation including the Central Bank Governor and the Finance Minister Secretary along a team of technical experts will leave for Washington on the 18th to hold talks with the International Monetary Fund.

The Minister said that the selection of financial and legal consultants for the government’s international debt restructuring program is expected to be completed within the next 21 days.

Ali Sabry said that fuel prices and taxes would be increased in the next six months and that reforms related to loss-making state enterprises would be expected to be implemented.

The Minister of Finance said that although these decisions were not popular, they should be made reluctantly to overcome the current economic crisis.

Ali Sabry revealed that another $ 500 million loan facility is expected from India to obtain fuel.

In addition, another $ 1.5 billion loan facility and a $ 1 billion loan from China are expected, the Finance Minister said.

It was revealed that another $ 3 billion in foreign aid is needed to purchase essential food, fuel and medicine.

The Minister of Finance Ali Sabry stated that the main objective was to restore the supply of fuel, gas and medicines.

Courtesy Hiru News

Sri Lanka will need about $3 billion in external assistance in the next six months to help restore supplies of essential items including fuel and medicine, according to finance minister as reported by Reuters on Saturday.

The nation has been hard hit by prolonged power cuts and shortages which have drawn protesters out on to the streets.

“It’s a Herculean task,” Finance Minister Ali Sabry said in his first interview since taking office this week, referring to finding $3 billion in bridge financing as the country readies for negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this month.

The country will look to restructure international sovereign bonds and seek a moratorium on payments, and is confident it can negotiate with bondholders over a $1 billion payment due in July.

“The entire effort is not to go for a hard default,” Sabry said. “We understand the consequences of a hard default.”

Analysts estimated that Sri Lanka’s gross debt servicing would amount to $7 billion this year, with a current account deficit of around $3 billion.

The country has $12.55 billion in outstanding international sovereign bonds, central bank data showed, and foreign reserves of $1.93 billion at the end of March.

“The first priority is to see that we get back to the normal supply channel in terms of fuel, gas, drugs… and thereby electricity so that the people’s uprising can be addressed,” Sabry said.

“We respect your right to protest, but no violence, because it is counterproductive,” Sabry said.

“Our tourism, which was beautifully coming back in February with 140,000 tourists coming in, has been severely affected ever since the demonstrations.”

On Sunday thousands of protesters gathered near the president’s office in Colombo, making it one of the biggest shows of public outrage in recent days. The protesters included Muslims who sat in the middle of a blockaded road to break their Ramadan fast”.

Sabry said he will lead a delegation of Sri Lankan officials to Washington to start talks with the IMF on April 18 and that financial and legal advisers would be selected within 21 days to help the government restructure its international debt.

“Once we go to them, first thing is there is a sense of confidence in the entire international monetary community that we are serious,” he said. “We are transparent, we are willing to engage.”

On Friday, a new central bank governor raised interest rates by an unprecedented 700 basis points in a bid to tame rocketing inflation and stabilise the economy.

Sri Lankan authorities will also reach out to rating agencies, Sabry said, as the country looks to regain access to international financial markets after being locked out due to multiple ratings downgrades since 2020.

Sabry said the government will raise taxes and fuel prices within six months and seek to reform loss-making state-owned enterprises.

These measures were among key recommendations in an IMF review of Sri Lanka’s economy released in early March.

“These are very unpopular measures, but these are things we need to do for the country to come out of this,” Sabry said. “The choice is do you do that or do you go down the drain permanently?”

Sri Lanka will also seek another $500 million credit line from India for fuel, which would suffice for about five weeks, Sabry said.

The government would also look for support from the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and bilateral partners including China, the United States, Britain and countries in the Middle East.

“We know where we are, and the only thing is to fight back,” Sabry said, “We have no choice.”

Discussions are ongoing with China on a $1.5 billion credit line, a syndicated loan of up to $1 billion and a request from Sri Lanka’s president in January to restructure some debt.

“Hopefully we will be able to get some relief which would help …until larger infusions come in,” Sabry said.

In recent weeks, as the economic crisis deepened, Sri Lanka has leaned heavily on assistance from India.

Source/compiled: Foreign News Reports

Courtesy Adaderana

The Sri Lanka government, through the Finance Ministry, has published Request for Proposals (RfPs) from interested parties or agencies for the appointment of financial advisors and legal consultants for managing its external debt sustainability.

The scope of work of financial advisors includes evaluation of the debt stock in the background of maintaining sound macroeconomic fundamentals, advising the government on the strategies in consultation with relevant stakeholders, evaluating the current fiscal position of the government and highlighting key areas to be focused on in negotiations.

They will also be designing a mechanism and processes to achieve the said economic and policy objectives in pursuing the said debt management and reform.

Among other things, they are also tasked with designing a mechanism to engage with IMF to best achieve the required discal targets of the government.

Meanwhile, the scope of work of legal consultants will advise the government on the strategies to be taken in managing its debt and facilitating the execution of such strategies in consulting with relevant stakeholders.

Reviewing legal and regulatory issues on debt management while underlining the key areas to be focused on in negotiations, preparing relevant documents to give effect to the debt management strategies, negotiating and representing the government’s interests in meeting with creditors, recommending strategies to engage with the official development agencies in relation to possible development assistance during the process of discussing and reaching consensus with private creditors and bilateral official creditors on possible reprofiling of the public debt are among tasks assigned to legal consultants.

The Finance Ministry said two or more bidders are allowed to submit a joint bid. The ministry may consider appointing more than one bidder to carry out the transactions.

In the event more than one bidder is appointed by the Finance Ministry, all such appointed bidders will be expected to cooperate and work together, the statement read further.

Courtesy Adaderana

The Legal Officers’ Association of the Attorney General’s Department has condemned what it called the unprofessional and unethical” conduct of a group of attorneys-at-law who recently staged a protest.

A large group of lawyers staged a protest in front of the Attorney General’s Department on April 05, taking issue with the Attorney General’s move to withdraw certain lawsuits and the soaring prices of commodities that have gravely affected the day-to-day lives of the general public.

In a statement issued on Friday (April 08), the association said it is gravely concerned by the conduct of these lawyers.

It categorically denied the baseless and unfounded allegations” made in respect of the Attorney General and the department.

The Association reiterates its grave concern regarding the unprofessional and unethical conduct of the group of Attorneys-at-Law and of the statements published through electronic, print and social media, without any basis and without recourse to proper procedure, to clarify any matters that were of concern.”

The legal officers at the AG’s Department further expressed their solidarity with the Attorney General. The Membership will meet any challenge, as members of the Official Bar, who have always acted in accordance with the law and the Constitution without any fear of favour in discharging their official duties.

JAMILA HUSAIN Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Ajith Nivard Cabraal, former Central Bank Governor who resigned from his post earlier this week, said he will not leave Sri Lanka and will instead answer all allegations leveled at him by various parties. 

Following rumors that Cabraal had left the country soon after he resigned as the CBSL Governor, Cabraal told Daily Mirror that, unlike certain other Governors, he will not leave.

“Further as everyone in this country knows, I have always dealt with malicious and hateful allegations in a calm, dignified and professional manner, and I will do that in this instance as well,” Cabraal said. 

The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s court this week issued an order preventing Cabraal from leaving the country until April 18.

The Additional Magistrate also issued notices ordering the former Central Bank Governor to appear in court on April 18.