<ul><li>BY Buddhika Samaraweera</li></ul> The main Parliamentary Opposition Party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) stated that it is their position that the debate between the two economic committees of the SJB and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People's Power (NPP) also of the Parliamentary Opposition should be held before the debate between the two Party Leaders.The NPP recently invited the SJB to suggest three or four dates leading up to 20 May for the debate between their Leader, Opposition Parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and SJB and Opposition Leader, Sajith Premadasa.Since the SJB is yet to suggest the days as requested by the NPP, The Daily Morning queried SJB Parliamentarian, Nalin Bandara Jayamaha – who was appointed by the Party to coordinate the debate – regarding the latest situation with regard to the matter. In response, he said that it is their stance that the debate between the two Parties' economic committees should be held first.&nbsp;“We invited them to sit with us and have a discussion so that we can decide a date, but they didn’t come. What we say is that the economic committees' debate should be held first, and then the debate between the Leaders.” When queried as to whether they would wait for the NPP to attend a discussion with them to decide the date/s for the debates, he said: “Yes. What we tell them is that let's meet and decide dates for both the debates. We can then get an intermediary party and hold the debates.”Earlier, in a formal communication to the SJB, the NPP had proposed four dates — Tuesday (7), yesterday (9), 13 May or 14 May — for the debate, but the SJB declined, arguing that they had not been consulted by the NPP before those dates were decided. It was then that the NPP publicly invited the SJB to suggest three or four days up to 20 May to have the debate, but, the SJB is yet to respond to their proposal. The NPP earlier said that in the event the SJB does not suggest a date for the debate between Premadasa and Dissanayake, they (NPP) would then move forward with the economic committees' debate.&nbsp;&nbsp;

SJB wants econ comm. debate pre-Sajith-AKD

<ul><li>Inde. experts’ team to be appointed to supplement 2 ongoing probes</li><li>DG denies loss as RDA yet to take over from contractor&nbsp;</li></ul> The Road Development Authority (RDA) is to appoint a separate investigation team of independent experts to probe into the collapse of a concrete beam on the Kadawatha to Mirigama section of the Central Expressway, while taking measures to check the quality of the overall construction.A section of the Central Expressway, which had been partially constructed, collapsed last week. The collapsed beam, measuring about 35 metres, has raised concerns over similar constructions along the route, with two more beams reportedly in precarious conditions.Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (9), RDA Director General (DG) Priyantha Sooriyabandara said that the proposed investigation team of independent experts is to be appointed in addition to the two investigations that have already been launched by the RDA. Sooriyabandara noted that this decision was taken in view of the insufficiency of the adequate findings from the initial investigations. He also stated that the RDA has directed investigation teams to check the quality of the overall construction as well.&nbsp;However, when questioned as to whether any action would be taken against the contractor, he stated that it is still premature to initiate actions against them in a context where the investigations are yet to be concluded. He said that the decision in this regard would be taken after studying the expected reports of the ongoing probes. Sooriyabandara particularly noted that the Government has not incurred any loss due to this incident, as claimed by certain parties since the RDA is yet to take over the Expressway from the contractor. But, he said that it has no impact on the Government’s authority to make interventions into the matter.While a report is awaited, it was reported that Scene of Crime officers from the Police have visited the site to investigate. Though sabotage has been suspected, specific causes remain undisclosed.

RDA to check Central Expressway construction quality   

<ul><li>Committee appointed consisting teachers, principals, civil society, political party reps., journos, professionals</li><li>Comm. to study potential candidates &amp; recommend most suitable person</li></ul> A group of Tamil political parties has appointed a committee to decide on a common Tamil candidate for the upcoming Presidential Election, according to the Thamil Makkal Thesiya Kuttani (TMTK) Leader and Opposition Parliamentarian, C.V. Wigneswaran.It was recently reported that Tamil political parties are going to field a common Presidential candidate, and that they are engaging in discussions on the matter.When queried regarding developments of the programme, Wigneswaran told The Daily Morning that the relevant parties met a few days ago, where they decided to appoint a committee to select a suitable individual to be fielded as the Presidential candidate.&nbsp;“This committee was formed comprising teachers, principals, civil society members, party representatives, journalists, and other professionals. The committee's task is to study potential candidates and recommend the most suitable person to represent the Tamil community in the Presidential Election”. When a potential candidate is decided, he said that the committee would reach out to them, engage in discussions and make a final decision on the matter.On an earlier occasion, Wigneswaran said that the TMTK would endorse fielding a common candidate representing Tamil political parties, charging that the Tamil community had been let down every time that they supported Presidential candidates fielded by majority based political parties. Emphasising that fielding a Tamil candidate is necessary for them to bring out the Tamil community's issues, he said that the said candidate should be a person who can speak in Sinhala, so that they can tell the Sinhala masses what their issues are.The frequent issues faced by the Tamil community include the lack of infrastructure facilities, the occupation of their lands by the military forces and State Departments, and the non-implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in full. Tamil community-based politicians have been charging that the majority community based politicians, including the Heads of State, are not interested in resolving such issues.&nbsp;

Prez Poll: Tamil parties to decide common candidate  

The Election Commission (EC) said that it will call for the nominations to hold the Presidential Election within the specified timeframe in terms of the provisions of the Constitution and the Presidential Elections Act, No. 15 of 1981.&nbsp;Issuing an announcement yesterday (9), the EC also said that by virtue of the powers vested in the EC to fix the date for the said Election, it will hold the Presidential Election between 17 September and 16 October of this year.

Prez Poll between 17 Sept.-16 Oct.  

Following the allegations levelled by Opposition Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekara regarding the Government’s move to divest the jet fuel supply, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) defended the move, claiming that it would modernise and make the industry more competitive.MP Jayasekara, speaking in the Parliament on Wednesday (8), alleged that the CPC has granted permits to two Companies – Cannel Private Limited and Fits Aviation Pvt. Ltd. – to supply jet fuel for aircraft, which will have a negative impact on the CPC's monopoly on the same and the country’s foreign exchange. He further alleged that a company owned by a Government MP who is likely to be a potential Presidential candidate of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, has been given land at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake to establish a jet fuel storage facility in addition to the two aforementioned Companies.Against this backdrop, when contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday (9), the Chairperson of the CPC and the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited, Saliya Wickramasuriya, said that the decision to grant permission for the Companies to enter the industry was taken to make the market competitive as it would be helpful to boost the jet fuel supply in the country.&nbsp;“About two years ago, the Ministry of Power and Energy took a decision to permit companies to supply jet fuel. No company anywhere in the world has a monopoly to supply jet fuel. In every country, there is one preferred supplier, while several other companies are also supplying jet fuel to airlines. If the CPC has the monopoly, we can dominate the price, which is not a good practice. But, when the competition grows, the fuel cost goes down. If the fuel cost decreases, the supply will increase. That is good for both of us – the suppliers, and the airlines,” he added.However, several attempts made to contact Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva and the Ports, Shipping and Aviation Ministry’s Secretary, K.D.S. Ruwanchandra, to inquire about the alleged allocation of a plot of land proved futile.&nbsp;

CPC defends jet fuel divestiture 

<ul><li>Police &amp; NDDCB join forces to rehab 50 each in 256 centres for 14 days, Police to follow-up post-rehab&nbsp;</li></ul>The Department of Police and the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) have teamed up to launch the 'Suwasara Kedella', a programme they claim to be the largest drug addiction rehabilitation initiative ever undertaken, which aims to rehabilitate 12,800 drug addicts simultaneously.Speaking during the programme to launch the first few rehabilitation centres under the programme, the Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon said that there are only 30 rehabilitation centres in the country at present, including 25 maintained by volunteer organisations and five by the Government.&nbsp;“Only 4,750 persons are rehabilitated at these 30 centres per year, but the number of drug addicts in the country is estimated to be over 500,000. It is to address this gap that the Police and the NDDCB launch this rehabilitation programme, and it is the largest drug addiction rehabilitation programme ever implemented in the country.”&nbsp;Under the programme, he said that a total of 256 rehabilitation centres including 58 in the Western Province, 34 in the Central Province, 18 in the Sabaragamuwa Province, 22 in the Uva Province, 32 in the Southern Province, 15 in the Eastern Province, 21 in the Northern Province, 27 in the North-Central Province, and 29 in the North-Western Province would be established during the next few weeks. He added that each such centre would rehabilitate 50 individuals at once, for a total of 14 days, and that their behaviour would be followed up by the Police, even after the rehabilitation process.&nbsp;Speaking further, Tennakoon said that the ongoing ‘Yukthiya’ (Justice) operation aimed at eliminating organised crime and the drug menace in the country has led to a significant reduction in the availability of drugs.&nbsp;He commented on the mission's success in breaking the drug supply chain, saying: “We've seen a rapid decline in drug availability as a result of our efforts to disrupt the supply chain. It has resulted in hundreds of thousands of suspects being arrested and millions worth of drugs being seized.”&nbsp;Alongside these efforts, he said that a demand reduction operation is also needed, and attributed the ‘Suwasara Kedella’ to be one such programme.The drug menace in Sri Lanka has surged considerably in recent years, particularly due to technology-based drug selling activities. While the Police has launched several operations to apprehend drug dealers and users, the effectiveness of such efforts has been questioned by many. It was against that backdrop that the ‘Yukthiya’ operation was launched, during which thousands of suspects were arrested by the Police and the Special Task Force.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Suwasara Kedella to rehab 12,800 drug addicts 

<ul><li>Claims no other prog./plan rivals efficacy of current one or offers viable alternative</li><li>No Govt. revenue growth to address salary revisions, reconsideration next yr. is ‘realistic possibility’</li><li>New Econ. Comm. &amp; new consolidated law for investments within May, int’l trade institute due&nbsp;</li></ul> President and Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies Ranil Wickremesinghe&nbsp;said that since there exists no alternative path to reconstructing our economy and since no other programme or plan rivals the efficacy of the one currently in place nor offers a viable alternative, this underscores the critical need for a unified agreement and consensus on our economic reform programme.&nbsp;Achieving this consensus extends beyond the representatives within the House of the Parliament as it necessitates a unified consensus which is not solely the responsibility of the public representatives in the Parliament, but also falls upon religious leaders, trade unions, professionals, the business community, non-governmental organisations, various opinion leaders, individuals with social influence, and every citizen, he added.President Wickremesinghe made these remarks while delivering a special statement in the Parliament yesterday (9).“We anticipate economic growth of at least 3% this year,” he further added.&nbsp;Regarding debt restructuring, he noted that the second phase focused on restructuring loans obtained through official agreements with foreign countries, where the next step involves signing a memorandum of understanding with the creditor countries to finalise the process.&nbsp;“The Government is presently in discussions regarding the draft with the Official Creditors Committee. Additionally, negotiations are underway with China's Export-Import Bank. The third phase identified for restructuring is commercial debt. The consulting Firms Lazard and Clifford Chance, representing the Government, are currently engaged in negotiations with the Creditors' Committee. Negotiations are progressing positively, with both parties considering the proposals. We aim to conclude these discussions by the middle of this year. The overarching objective of debt restructuring is to decrease our total debt to 95% of the gross domestic product by 2032, maintain the Government's gross financial requirement at 13% annually, and limit external debt servicing to 4.5% annually,” he went on to say.On granting relief for economically disadvantaged groups including kidney patients, the elderly and individuals with disabilities, in 2024, a total of Rs. 205 billion will be spent for these relief programmes, he noted. “The Government intends to continue supporting those in need in the future.”&nbsp;Despite receiving numerous requests for salary revisions, there is currently no Government revenue growth allocated to address this in 2024, the President noted, adding: “Based on the trajectory of economic growth in 2024 and the corresponding increase in Government revenue, the reconsideration of public sector salaries next year (2025) is a realistic possibility.”“We have not yet begun repaying our foreign debt. At the conclusion of the debt restructuring process, we will be required to settle these debts. To do so, it is essential to increase Government revenue. Also, it requires building up our foreign exchange reserves. We must avoid further contributing to uncertainty by continually taking on foreign loans.“We must pay more attention to exports. Additionally, we must focus on transitioning towards a green economy while safeguarding the environment. New technical dimensions, including information technology (IT), must be incorporated into economic tasks. Establishing a social-market economic foundation and ensuring the equitable distribution of benefits from economic reforms across all parts, are crucial. Our economy cannot sustainably support loss making State enterprises that weigh heavily on the people. The Government has presented an alternative procedure to address this issue.&nbsp;“If private sector intervention can effectively manage Government enterprises, those entities burdening the people with taxes and losses should be re-evaluated. A significant portion of the country's land is presently under Government control, lacking proper utilisation and burdening the public. Therefore, we have initiated steps to establish a commercial export oriented agricultural economy, with active involvement from local private entities focused on commercial exports, to address the said issue. Also, maximising the utilisation of existing agricultural land to its fullest potential is paramount. Accordingly, an initiative for agricultural modernisation has been initiated to enhance agricultural productivity.&nbsp;“Empowering farmers through modern technology is one of the key objectives of this process. Currently, this initiative has been implemented in 26 Divisional Secretariat (DS) Divisions. Plans are underway to extend its reach to an additional 75 DS Divisions in the coming months. The economic crisis has forced many small and medium scale enterprises to halt operations. A programme has been formulated to restore these businesses to their former vitality. Tourism has emerged as a rapidly growing sector in our economy. In comparison to the first four months of last year (2023), there has been a remarkable growth of over 75% in tourist arrivals during the corresponding period in 2024. To date, nearly 800,000 tourists have visited Sri Lanka this year. Both the government and the private sector are actively engaged in implementing a comprehensive programme aimed at enhancing the infrastructure necessary for the tourism industry. Enhancing our foreign investment sector is pivotal for long term economic growth.&nbsp;“The establishment of formal laws and a modern institutional framework is imperative to attract foreign investments. To this end, we anticipate the establishment of a new Economic Commission through the amalgamation of various existing outdated institutions. Furthermore, a new consolidated law has been drafted to supersede outdated legislation pertaining to investments. It is anticipated that the requisite procedures will be undertaken within this month (May). Numerous sectors necessitate modernisation to facilitate rapid economic growth and these include education, healthcare, transportation, vocational training, urban development, defence, IT, foreign relations, supply chains, export industries and the workforce. An approach has been adopted to enact reforms aimed at fostering holistic growth across the power sector. We anticipate sustaining our foreign relations network grounded in economic activities. Initial groundwork for establishing an international trade institute within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been completed, with a new law also prepared for this purpose. In the past two years, over 30 new laws and amendments have been enacted in this Parliament with the objective of economic reforms. Additionally, several similar laws are anticipated to be presented to this House in the near future.&nbsp;“Notably, the Economic Transformation Bill, the Public Finance Bill and the Public Debt Management Bill are among the prominent Legislations slated for submission. The Economic Transformation Bill encompasses provisions for the establishment of key entities such as the Sri Lanka Economic Commission, the Investment Infrastructure Corporation, the International Trade Institute, the National Productivity Commission and the Sri Lanka Economic and Trade Institute. The Economic Transformation Bill incorporates a range of measures intended to guide the Government's actions over the long term. Irrespective of which Government assumes power in the future, it is imperative that the provisions outlined in the Act are upheld to prevent the economy from descending into turmoil once more. It is noteworthy that the Opposition has provided crucial support for the economic reforms that we have undertaken thus far.”

Spl. P’ment statement: Prez says no alternative path to reconstruct economy 

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) of the Parliamentary Opposition claimed that the remarks made by its Executive Committee member, former Parliamentarian K.D. Lalkantha, at the recent May Day rally, which led to controversy, have been misinterpreted by certain parties, including Opposition politicians.Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (9), NPP Executive Committee member Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa claimed that the speech made by Lalkantha has been misinterpreted by Opposition politicians after listening to a part of the speech. He also said that Lalkantha has implied the idea of empowering people by decentralising the power given to them but that the idea of decentralising the institutionalised judicial power to the people, cannot be done according to the Constitution. He also noted that Lalkantha wanted to convey the idea of empowering people by engaging them in certain activities, such as ‘dispute resolution', claiming that similar programmes can be seen in many other countries.During the last May Day rally, Lalkantha had claimed that a future NPP Government will decentralise judicial powers to its cadres at the village level. On Wednesday (8), a tense situation arose in the Parliament with both the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and the main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), raising questions in this regard. NPP MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya was questioned whether this was the opinion of their organisation. In the Parliament, the State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe, stating that Lalkantha had pledged to decentralise judicial power with his Party cadres at the village level, criticised the NPP over its attempts to sabotage the country’s Judiciary. Meanwhile, playing an audio clip of the speech, SJB MP Harshana Rajakaruna also raised the same issue. Responding to the allegations made by MPs, Dr. Amarasuriya said that Lalkantha never mentioned that judicial powers would be devolved to NPP cadres at the village level. “Lalkantha only ensured access to justice for all people,” she said.Several attempts made to contact the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, President's Counsel Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe proved futile.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Lalkantha’s ‘judicial’ remarks misinterpreted: JVP-NPP

<ul><li>Emphasises eradicating poverty and unemployment, among addressing other issues&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul> In the upcoming post-electoral landscape of Sri Lanka, the Mawbima Janatha Party (MJP) will give priority to building an&nbsp;entrepreneurial State, thereby eradicating unemployment and poverty.Addressing a press briefing in Colombo yesterday (9), attorney, entrepreneur and MJP Leader Dilith Jayaweera noted that in the Party’s quest to eradicate poverty, attention will also be paid to ridding the people of welfare schemes which he opined had pushed the people further into poverty in the long run. Adding that the&nbsp;people should be motivated to join economic revival, he noted that the discourse on pushing the country forward would be impossible among people with negative mindsets.Meanwhile, the Party’s Senior Leader Dr. Hemakumara Nanayakkara said that it is crucial to create a country where the people can live happily without resorting to leaving the country. As part of the efforts aimed at achieving economic stability, he noted, it is necessary to ensure food security. He pointed out agricultural development, modernisation, and increasing productivity as essential toward this end. In addition, Dr. Nanayakkara said that the Party will pay attention to improving industries and education.Moreover, during the press briefing, Party members further said that although the aspirations of political parties that promised the people a better country but failed to do so are no longer valid, the people’s aspirations are still valid.PHOTO ESHAN DASANAYAKA

SJB wants econ comm. debate pre-Sajith-AKD

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RDA to check Central Expresswa ...

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Prez Poll between 17 Sept.-16 Oct.

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CPC defends jet fuel divestiture

CPC defends jet fuel divestitu ...

Suwasara Kedella to rehab 12,800 drug addicts

Suwasara Kedella to rehab 12,8 ...

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Spl. P’ment statement: Prez sa ...

Lalkantha’s ‘judicial’ remarks misinterpreted: JVP-NPP

Lalkantha’s ‘judicial’ remarks ...

MJP focuses on building ‘entrepreneurial State’

MJP focuses on building ‘entre ...

RDA to check Central Expressway construction quality

RDA to check Central Expresswa ...

Prez Poll: Tamil parties to decide common candidate

Prez Poll: Tamil parties to de ...

Prez Poll between 17 Sept.-16 Oct.

Prez Poll between 17 Sept.-16 ...

CPC defends jet fuel divestiture

CPC defends jet fuel divestitu ...

Suwasara Kedella to rehab 12,800 drug addicts

Suwasara Kedella to rehab 12,8 ...

Spl. P’ment statement: Prez says no alternative path to reconstruct ec ...

Spl. P’ment statement: Prez sa ...

Lalkantha’s ‘judicial’ remarks misinterpreted: JVP-NPP

Lalkantha’s ‘judicial’ remarks ...

MJP focuses on building ‘entrepreneurial State’

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