Presidential envoy in Male to secure Lankan’s release President Maithripala Sirisena has sent a special envoy to the Maldives to secure the release of a Sri Lankan accused of being a “sniper”. He was arrested and detained in 2015, The Sunday Morning learns. The President has sent Minister Faiszer Mustapha PC to meet the President-elect of the Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, and urge him to take steps to release the Sri Lankan. Lahiru Madhushanka was arrested on 24 October, 2015, and charged with plotting to assassinate President Abdulla Yameen. The Foreign Ministry had later requested the Maldivian authorities to accelerate his court proceedings. The Sunday Morning reported last week, quoting the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the Maldives Major General (Rtd.) A.B. Thoradeniya as saying that his case was expected to be resolved soon, as there is a change of government now in the Maldives. ---------------------------------------------------------- CEO to manage the UNP Sri Lanka’s grand ole party – the United National Party (UNP) – is to appoint a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), which had been a lifelong dream of Party Leader Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe. “Already, there is lot of infighting for these party positions. So if we create this new CEO position won’t it lead to more infighting?” queried an irked young parliamentarian recently at Sirikotha. “This will undoubtedly be another stumbling block to Sirikotha,” noted an MP from the South. Rumours are rife that Prasanna Shamal Senarath – the Opposition Leader of North Western Provincial Council (NWPC) and UNP Organiser for Dambadeniya – is to be appointed to this hot seat. “Leader will appoint Shamal once he returns from Norway. Their friendship goes a long way,” said another vociferous MP from Gampaha. “Shamal supported our Leader through thick and thin even when there was no one else to support him.” The term of the North Western Provincial Council end this Wednesday (10) and its current Opposition Leader Senarath, as the National Organiser of UNP’s Communication Brigade, worked shoulder to shoulder with Mangala, in no mean measure, to bring the United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) to power. When asked by The Sunday Morning, Senarath said that he was awaiting the arrival of the Party Leader to Sri Lanka to accept the reins of this new office, as the term of the NWPC lapses on the 10th. Wickremesinghe has personally requested Senarath to accept this position after he had stated his intention to not contest in any future elections. He was appointed UNP Organiser for Dambadeniya in May, 2015. Under the party reforms process spearheaded by Wickremesinghe, it is said that nearly 20 incompetent organisers of the party have been sacked, UNP sources say. ----------------------------------------------------------- British HC going green The abode of the Head of the Sri Lanka mission of the empire on which the sun never sets – the ‘Westminster House’ or the British High Commissioner’s residence in Colombo – is now powered by solar energy. “We are proud champions of renewable energy in Sri Lanka. The installation will provide solar energy of almost 300 KWH each day. The project was declared open by visiting Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field MP on 5 October, 2018,” said the mission. British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka James Dauris said: “We are delighted to be able to combine the latest in green technologies with the power of the Sri Lankan sunshine to generate our electricity needs here at Westminster House. We have also been cutting right down on our use of single-use plastics within the High Commission. We believe that every organisation can help reduce waste and ocean pollution in this way. Around the world the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is taking similar steps to reduce the environmental impact of our embassies and high commissions.” Launching the new power system, British Minister Mark Field MP noted that solar power would significantly reduce the High Commission’s carbon footprint. The High Commission estimates that the project will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 77 metric tonnes every year – that’s to say by as much as an average passenger vehicle driving around the Earth more than seven times! ----------------------------------------------------- Explanation sought from ASP The Sri Lankan Ambassador to Qatar A.S.P. Liyanage, who gifted his billion-rupee Peacock Mansion to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa after his defeat in 2015; has reportedly been asked to show cause for his conduct, after he rose to fame again for the wrong reasons, following a recent debacle in Qatar. The Sunday Morning learns that Ministry of External Affairs was unaware of his visit to the Doha Airport in his capacity as the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Qatar. The ministry is said to have called for an explanation as to why he had violated protocol and personally lifted the baggage of the Rajapaksa juniors when they arrived in Qatar to take part in a rugby match along with their club mates. The controversial diplomat was shown in photographs wheeling the bags of Rajapaksa’s sons Yoshitha Rajapaksa and Rohitha Rajapaksa, at the Qatar airport. Earlier www.themorning.lk reported that MP Namal Rajapaksa had dismissed these reports. In response to the photographs and news reports circulating on it, Namal Rajapaksa tweeted: “CH&FC was invited by the Doha Rugby Football Centre for a friendly match. The Sri Lankan Ambassador was at the airport to receive the team. My brothers are very capable of handling malicious personal attacks on nonsensical matters but keep CH&FC out from this (sic) delirious claims.” For his service rendered to the Rajapaksas, Liyanage was appointed the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Nigeria. He was a two-time Presidential candidate contesting from the Lanka Labour Party in 2010 and 2015, under the Kangaroo symbol, but ultimately he stepped down from the race in support of Rajapaksa. After Rajapaksa’s defeat in 2015, Liyanage gifted his one-acre property and million-rupee Peacock Mansion near Diyawanna Oya to Rajapaksa, stating that although he was not rich, he gifted it to the former President “as the war hero didn’t have a house in Colombo”. Following Rajapaksa’s fall from glory, Liyanage leaned towards President Maithripala Sirisena stating: ‘I respect Maithripala Sirisena” and the latter appointed him as the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Qatar on 10 March, 2017. Last August, Liyanage was back in the limelight, after Deputy Minister Buddhika Pathirana alleged that the Ambassador had illegally grabbed the Stafford Sri Lankan school in Doha and was running it for money instead of executing his diplomatic duties, calling him a disgrace to Sri Lanka. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SLPP to mobilise public against S’pore FTA Last Thursday, a delegation from the National Front of Professionals, led by the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), met Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) stalwarts Basil Rajapaksa, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Prof. Channa Jayasumana, and Dr. Nihal Jayathilake – who was one-time Secretary to Basil’s brainchild – the Economic Development Ministry. GMOA Spokesman Dr. Samantha Ananda said that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the controversial Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. “Very commendable. These topics should be discussed with the party which will set up the next government,” Basil Rajapaksa said in the midst of applauds. “We are not only against the content of the agreement but also the procedure in which it was entered into. This is a grave concern not only for professionals but all citizens of this country,” iterated the professionals. “We as the SLPP, appreciate the intervention by you. We have suffered so much because of Ranil’s agreements. We had to undergo so much pain to do away with the infamous 2002 Ranil-Prabha Cease Fire Agreement (CFA). As such, we are extremely cautious about agreements entered into by others. Let us work together by appointing a joint technical committee to decide a way forward. We must mobilise the people. Just as Japan prepared its populace to patronise local produce, we too must strategically face these challenges. Do not be afraid! We have ways and means!” said a relaxed Basil. --------------------------------------------------------------------- JVP’s new constitution to face plebiscite? During the German Unity Day celebrations that fell on Wednesday (3), Joint Opposition bigwig and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris, met his political counterpart Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the German Embassy premises. “Hello comrade! Rumour has it that the Speaker has received the ruling of the Supreme Court. Most probably the 20th Amendment to the Constitution will have to face a referendum!” “Yes we too prefer going for a referendum because in the event it is passed with a two-thirds special majority in Parliament, a future government which has a special majority can repeal the new Constitution. But if passed through a referendum, any future regime would be reluctant to abolish this. So let’s not block this in Parliament and let the people have their say,” affirmed Dissanayake. If passed through a referendum, the 20th Amendment or the new draft Constitution would become the third Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka. The First Republican Constitution was drafted by Sri Lanka’s most illustrious constitutional law expert and legal luminary Dr. Colvin R. de Silva and promulgated by the Sirimavo Bandaranaike-led United Front Government in 1972. The Second Republican Constitution was promulgated by the first Executive President of Sri Lanka – J. R. Jayawardene – in 1978. The infamous failed 2000 Draft Constitution, drafted by none other than Prof. G.L. Peiris and presented by then President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, intended to introduce a federal-leaning constitution replacing the unitary structure with a United Sri Lanka, but had to be withdrawn under severe pressure exerted by the general public and civil society. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Thalatha’s plaque vandalised Residents had complained to the Rakwana Police that a plaque at the Gabbela Bridge at Kahawatte unveiled by Justice and Prison Reforms Minister Thalatha Athukorala had allegedly been vandalised by Joint Opposition supporters on the same evening it was declared open. Minister Athukorala along with Deputy Minister of Science, Technology, Research, Skills Development and Vocational Training, and Kandyan Heritage Karunarathna Paranawithana had declared it open to the public on 29 September. But villagers say it was vandalised on the same night and that the plaque had been removed. Alleging that this act of vandalism was conducted by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) supporters, the villagers dashed coconuts calling the divine wrath of gods upon the vandals. The bridge was built over Rakwana River at a cost of Rs. 42.7 million by the Government. -------------------------------------------------------------- Vehicles before voters? Members of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) are up in arms as the Central Government has frozen plans to issue duty free permits for luxury vehicles issued to the councillors. The Sunday Morning learns that out of the nine PCs, only the NPC is being issued with vehicle permits with 34 out of the 38 members being eligible for permits. However, with the impending currency crisis, on 29 September, the Finance Ministry ordered that all vehicle permits for MPs and public servants be frozen forthwith for a period of six months. However, several NP councillors had expressed their disgust, stating that although the Ministry order purportedly stopped even MPs from buying vehicles from permits, not only have all the parliamentarians bought but have even sold them to third parties. Meanwhile, councillors from other PCs envious of the special treatment accorded to NPC had expressed joy that their Northern counterparts have been deprived of what they are yet to enjoy. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Cabinet Co-spokesman Minister Gayantha Karunathileke recently stated, during a Cabinet briefing, that 228 vehicles had been bought with permits available for MPs. Recently, a video went viral on social media, allegedly showing Pakistani PM Imran Khan commuting from his Bani Gala residence to the Prime Minister’s Office in a Suzuki Mehran. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) social media wing clarified through a Twitter message that the news was not true. A man — a resident of Nowshera who teaches English — was mistakenly identified as the Prime Minister. The video shows the man, somewhat resembling PM Khan from afar, driving a Suzuki Mehran in the federal capital. A few students can also be seen shouting in excitement upon seeing the “Prime Minister” who responds by waving at them. In another tweet posted on 7 August, PTI tweeted “No protocol, no road blockade, driving like an ordinary citizen of Pakistan :: PM elect @ImranKhanPTI along with his comrades passing through the roads of #Peshawar without causing any inconvenience to the Peshawar people”.