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Cardinal blasts major lapses in Easter Sunday probe again
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Sajith fears bid by Ranil to reclaim Opposition Leader post
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Pathfinder Foundation extends Lankan olive branch to US
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Spotlight on state SPV to give more prime lands to China
The Government, headed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, seems to have its work cut out with the raging Covid-19 situation and ancillary issues in the country that resulted in the decision to extend the period of lockdown till next Monday (14). To add to these woes were the MV X-Press Pearl inferno and its sinking that has caused the pollution and destruction of the marine ecosystem.
However, amidst all this chaos, the Government was given yet another reminder on ensuring justice to the Easter Sunday attacks victims by Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith on Wednesday (2).
The Cardinal had accused the Government of not paying adequate attention to ensure justice to the Easter attacks victims. He had claimed that the Church would
continue to conduct a campaign to exert pressure on the Government to deliver justice for the victims.
According to the Cardinal, several claims and statements made by former Attorney General (AG) Dappula de Livera or claims that those connected to the Government had been involved in the attacks have not been sufficiently investigated.
“Furthermore, information was received that Jameel, the perpetrator who set off the last bomb, had met with an Army official by the name of Sonic. However, this matter was not even raised by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Easter Sunday bombings,” the Archbishop had told the media.
He had added that the whereabouts of Sarah Jasmine, the wife of one of the bombers, had also not been discovered or investigated.
RW’s return
While the Government is exerting itself to address all that is currently on its plate, the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), especially its Leader Sajith Premadasa, will now have his work cut out for him with the announcement that United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe will be entering Parliament this month.
Despite much talk in political circles the past few months about Wickremesinghe entering Parliament through the party’s National List slot, it was finally confirmed last week.
Wickremesinghe’s re-entry to Parliament has caused much anxiety to Premadasa, who seems to have lost the confidence and support of several coalition members, especially the minority parties. Also, some of the UNP defectors to the SJB during the last general elections have also since of late warmed up to Wickremesinghe, expressing their disappointment at Premadasa’s conduct as a party leader as well as Leader of the Opposition.
Premadasa, who is still recovering from Covid-19, had responded to the news by working the phones and trying to mend fences and build bridges among Opposition MPs to rally support against Wickremesinghe among his parliamentary group.
Wickremesinghe, who has spent most part of his political life planning and scheming, is likely to collect all these proverbial “eggs” into one basket that would help him push for the seat of Opposition Leader of Parliament.
Undoubtedly, Wickremesinghe can count on support from within the Government ranks to regain his role as Opposition Leader, given his close political links with the senior echelons of the ruling party. In fact, Prime Minister Rajapaksa went on the record stating that Wickremesinghe should be in Parliament and that he was one of the best opposition leaders in the House.
As recently as August, when the UNP was reeling from its historic drubbing at the parliamentary elections, having gone from being the main opposition party to garnering zero elected seats and barely a quarter of a million votes islandwide, the very idea of Wickremesinghe showing himself in Parliament seemed laughable. For the failed and historically unpopular UNP Leader to, just nine months later, expect to enter Parliament to a hero’s welcome speaks volumes of the degree to which Premadasa has catastrophically squandered his political goodwill amongst Opposition MPs both in his own party and other Opposition parties.
The Working Committee (WC) of the UNP last week decided that Wickremesinghe would be the UNP nominee for the party’s single slot in Parliament through the National List.
Wickremesinghe’s name was proposed to fill the vacant slot at the UNP WC meeting held last Monday (31 May). His name was proposed by Vajira Abeywardena and seconded by Ananda Kularatne.
The UNP suffered a humiliating loss at the last general election and failed to secure a single seat in Parliament.
However, the UNP managed to secure a National List seat based on the total votes it received at the polls in August last year.
The UNP delayed its nomination for the seat and went ahead with a process of restructuring the party. Several promises were made that a new party leader would be appointed to lead the party out of the doldrums by January of this year, but these promises met the same fate as those similar ones made in the preceding 20 years.
Meanwhile, five new members were appointed to the UNP WC. They are Dinouk Colombage, Kithsiri Manchanayake, Saman Ratnapriya, Shafeek Rajabdeen, and Ramaiah Yogarajan.
Proposal for new regulations
Wickremesinghe meanwhile last Sunday (30 May) made a special statement on the Covid-19 situation in the country and actions being taken.
He stated that all persons in the country must commit themselves to the eradication of Covid-19 by complying with health regulations until the vaccination drive is complete.
He also urged the President and the Cabinet to create a draft law to suppress Covid-19 by adhering to special health guidelines until the vaccination drive is complete.
“To date, we have not passed any legislation to control the pandemic. Other countries in the world are making the necessary laws and enforcing them,” he told the media.
According to Wickremesinghe, the Cabinet, headed by the President, should now prepare a draft with a set of common policies to control the pandemic.
“No one else should be allowed to co-ordinate this. Discuss this Cabinet-led draft with non-government party leaders and the Opposition in Parliament and seek their views. All Opposition parties should submit proposals and help. I think it is important to discuss this with those in the medical field and with experts, including business people. The country will be able to submit a draft agreement that will be agreed upon by all within a month, once all the discussions have taken place. Legislation to control the pandemic can be passed under this,” he stated.
Wickremesinghe also thanked the doctors, nurses, researchers, public health inspectors, junior staff as well as the grama niladharis, armed forces, and the Police who have dedicated themselves to the people of Sri Lanka since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
“Also, our country has not yet received the required number of vaccines. As soon as the Minister of Health announced that she would sign an agreement to obtain the vaccine last November, the Pfizer vaccine company submitted its proposals. But it did not work. Unfortunately, it was not until seven months later that the Government focused seriously on the vaccination programme. This is a great crime,” he noted.
He also stated that if the country also starts vaccinating children over 12 years of age, the number of vaccines required for Sri Lanka will increase from 30 million to 35 million.
“Countries that had a surplus of vaccines have decided to donate the surplus to the World Health Organisation’s COVAX surplus. The number of vaccines given to COVAX will be further reduced, as these countries will now give their doses to children over 12 years of age. With this current situation, it is predicted that the vaccination of all of our citizens will be completed by the end of next year. The second dose should be completed as well as the first dose,” Wickremesinghe added.
Joint mechanism for Covid
Meanwhile, a leading member of the SJB opined last week that the Government should come up with a mechanism similar to that of a national government, to pave the way for the Opposition to also be part of the existing Covid-19 eradication programme.
SJB Youth Wing Leader MP Mayantha Dissanayake told a press conference last week that the Government should at least seek the support of Opposition parties in Parliament in order to formulate a special mechanism to overcome the pandemic.
“Our Party Leader Sajith Premadasa has already stated that his party will support any constructive programme which the Government would come out with and therefore, this situation should be made use of,” Dissanayake had been quoted as saying.
He had observed that providing vaccines to 84,000 persons daily was not sufficient. “My opinion is that at least 100,000 Covid vaccines should be provided daily. Some countries have provided more than 100,000 vaccines daily,” he had added.
Port City gets rolling
Amidst facing issues from all fronts, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in a bid to expedite the Colombo Port City development programme, last week appointed members to the Port City Economic Commission.
The Commission is now being headed by President’s Counsel (PC) Gamini Marapana and includes Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle, Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrama, Saliya Wickramasuriya, Kushan Kodithuwakku, Jerad Ondachchi, and Rohan De Silva.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardane, the previous week, signed and validated the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill.
However, while Sri Lanka moved forward with the Colombo Port City project, India continued to step up its vigilance on Sri Lanka.
It is in this backdrop that the Indian media reported that the Tamil Nadu Police have been put on high alert after Sri Lanka passed the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill giving “complete control” of the Port City, coming up in the capital, to China.
The Hindu reported that acting on intelligence inputs, Director General of Police in the state of Tamil Nadu J.K. Tripathy had instructed senior police officers across Tamil Nadu to intensify vigil to thwart any attempt to stage protests in front of Sri Lankan or Chinese establishments in the State.
Meanwhile, the governing Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) stated that the Government was hopeful of bringing in several Fortune 500 companies through the Colombo Port City Project.
SLPP MP S.B. Dissanayake told the media that 91.7% of the development of the country was run by entrepreneurs.
“The country is having only 2% companies which have more than 100 employees. We need to bring at least 15 medium-scale investors into the country. Therefore, we need to convert the Port City area to an attractive place which will help the local and foreign businessmen,” he had said at the SLPP’s weekly media briefing last week.
According to Dissanayake, the Port City Commission members should take action to create an environment for local and foreign investors to get their work done in one location within one or two days.
“We should bring our country up in the ‘Ease of Doing Business Index’ which is now in 99th position, to get more attraction from international investors,” he had said.
Dhaka stands strong
While China continues to make inroads to Sri Lanka, mainly as its development partner, another member of the South Asian region has set an example to the Sri Lankan Government on the basics of a non-aligned foreign policy.
An Indian digital platform, The Federal, has stated that China’s growing influence in the subcontinent has always been a matter of worry for India, but the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister’s recent drubbing to the Chinese Ambassador in that country, speaks volumes of the deftness with which our eastern neighbour has handled political/diplomatic pressure from Beijing.
According to the news report, the recent provocation was provided by Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming a few days back, when he had suggested that if Dhaka joined the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue [QSD] grouping of countries – India, Australia, the US, and Japan), which China considers a regional threat, the Sino-Bangla bilateral relationship would suffer “substantial damage”.
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen had slammed Ambassador Jiming, reminding him that as a sovereign independent country, Bangladesh could take its own decisions on regional issues.
Having pledged to invest over $ 22 billion to help finance 27 major infrastructure, IT, and power sector projects in Bangladesh over the next few years, China feels it can call the tune in its ties with India’s eastern neighbour.
Dhaka, has reportedly bristled against his comments not so much for the content but for the manner in which it was delivered. For good measure, Momen has stated that the Chinese diplomat’s words were unnecessarily “aggressive and unfortunate” when there had been no proposal made to Bangladesh on joining the Quad.
Jiming, on sensing Dhaka’s hurt pride, has reportedly explained to the media the following day that “his command of English was less than ideal”.
The Chinese diplomat had tried to pacify Momen by saying that he might have misused certain words which had led to his conveying something he had not wanted to.
Doubts over Selendiva 
While Chinese influence in Sri Lanka continues to grow, Opposition legislators have expressed concern over the job description of a recently formed business entity by the Government – Selendiva Investments (Pvt.) Ltd.
The investment company is said to be aimed at promoting public-private partnerships (PPP) to convert underutilised state assets into profit-making ventures. One of the key questions posed about the lands allocated for development is whether its close proximity to the Colombo Port City had anything to do with the decision.
However, it was the Opposition party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), that first questioned the motives behind Selendiva.
Former Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) Chairman Sunil Handunnetti accused the Government of attempting to sell public assets.
He charged that the proposal approved by the Cabinet paves the way for these public assets to be given away.
Handunnetti had also recalled the establishment of the Maga Neguma entity under the Road Development Authority (RDA) in the past.
He had claimed that while the former Rajapaksa administration had set up several similar entities in the past, the law wasn’t enforced against them.
According to Handunnetti, although Selendiva is portrayed as a state-owned entity, the special purpose vehicle (a subsidiary company or venture that is formed to undertake a specific business purpose or activity) set up under it paves the way for properties to be sold.
A special purpose vehicle (SPV) has also been created under this company for investments.
Cabinet approval granted for this venture enables multiple properties in Colombo and its suburbs to be vested under the SPV entity that will fall under the company.
The properties classified as the Colombo Fort Heritage Square investment portfolio include the Grand Oriental Hotel and York Building, Gafoor Building, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Postal Department Head Office.
Meanwhile, the Cey-Nor Restaurant along D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha, the mega mixed development project of the Waters Edge Hotel, and the International Co-ordination Centre in Kankesanturai in Jaffna have been classified as the immovable property development investment portfolio.
Also, the Hilton Colombo and Grand Hyatt are to be vested under the SPV to be assigned to investors.
Meanwhile, the UNP has alleged that the sovereignty of Parliament has been threatened by the creation of Selendiva Investments (Pvt.) Ltd. and has called on the Government to publicly reveal details regarding the operations of the said company.
“At the time of Selendiva Investment’s inception in July 2020, it was tasked with the revival of three state institutions, namely the Grand Hyatt Colombo, Hotel Developers (owning company of Hilton Colombo), and Grand Oriental Hotel. However, according to media reports, Selendiva Investments will now be tasked with the ownership and diversification of a collection of state-owned lands and assets including land and buildings belonging to Foreign Ministry, the Air Force Headquarters, and the Bank of Ceylon. Many of these buildings date back to the 19th Century,” the UNP stated in a statement.
The UNP had questioned the Government as to whether the relevant legislation regarding Selendiva Investments had been presented to Parliament for approval.
“As the constitutionally empowered body to oversee public finance, it is the prerogative of the Parliament to approve the establishment of such an institution,” it had noted.
The UNP had also questioned the Government as to what guidelines have been enforced to govern the operations and appointments to this company.
Meanwhile, Selendiva Investments Ltd. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shamahil Mohideen was quoted last week in the media saying that the intention of the new company is to make underperforming and underutilised assets more profitable.
The Cabinet, meanwhile, last week approved the proposal to construct a new police headquarters complex in a land located in Attidiya Road, Dehiwala that belongs to the Sri Lanka Police.
The Government last week ran into another land-related issue when moves to acquire part of lands belonging to the D.S. Senanayake College in Colombo as well as of a temple in the vicinity for a development programme, came under fire by old boys, parents, and the public.
Old boys of D.S. Senanayake College in the Government came under fire for their inability to prevent the acquisition of part of the school land for a development programme.
However, following the public outcry, the Urban Development Authority (UDA) announced its decision to scrap the proposed development purposes.
UDA Director General Prasad Ranaweera told a press conference that the property was to be developed in a manner that helped the school.
According to him, a multi-storeyed vehicle parking facility was to be constructed on the property along with lodging facilities for the school’s principal and deputy principals.
“We had a good plan for this. School buses, vans, and cars would have been able to park here,” he had added.
Minister Udaya Gammanpila, who is also an old boy of the school, issued a clarification on the controversy.
He had stated that a multi-storey car park project had been proposed to be constructed on the property for the benefit of the school as well.
Gammanpila had further stated that he was unaware of the project and had raised the matter with President Rajapaksa following the cabinet meeting last Monday and the President had informed that the project was initiated on the understanding that the school was satisfied with the project.
Building relations
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka continues to engage in strengthening ties with foreign countries, especially the US.
It is in this backdrop that the US included Sri Lanka among the countries it was to share 25 million Covid-19 vaccines with.
The Sri Lankan Government had also approached the US Government to secure a much-needed consignment of Covid-19 vaccines, especially the shortfall of 600,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to administer the second doses to those who had received a first dose of the same.
Meanwhile, in a bid to further strengthen the ties between Sri Lanka and the US, the Pathfinder Foundation had last week submitted a report to President Rajapaksa with recommendations on how to improve relations between the Joe Biden administration in the US and Sri Lanka.
The Pathfinder Foundation in collaboration with the Washington-based Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) held a virtual meeting in January 2021 to pursue improved bilateral relations between the US and Sri Lanka. The dialogue was organised ahead of US President Biden’s swearing-in ceremony in January.
Discussions had broadly focused on economic relations while seeking a better understanding of the current US administration.
Following the dialogue, each team produced a report comprising vital areas of the relationship and made recommendations to further develop bilateral relations.
The report on the discussion was presented to President Rajapaksa by Pathfinder Foundation Chairman Bernard Goonathilaka last Wednesday (2).
The objective of the initiative was to provide the Joe Biden administration with a better understanding of the ground situation prevailing in Sri Lanka, challenges, opportunities, and priorities that may impact US-Sri Lanka bilateral relations.
The Sri Lankan delegation was headed by Goonetilleke and former Ambassador to the US. Other members had included Former Foreign Secretary, Ambassador, and Permanent Representative to the UN H.M.G.S. Palihakkara; Former Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and PRUN, New York Dr. Rohan Perera; Prof. Rohan Gunaratne of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; LIRNEasia Chairman and former Chairman of ICT Prof. Rohan Samarajiva; Former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and Distinguished Fellow – Pathfinder Foundation Dr. Indirajit Coomaraswamy; Former Chairman of the Independent Committee for Digitalisation of Television in Sri Lanka and senior journalist Waruna Karunatilake; and Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies Director Chathuka Senanayake.
Former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs under the Obama Administration and Ambassador to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Indonesia Robert O. Blake Jr. had headed the US delegation comprising former senior government officials, representatives of civil society, etc.
The US team had included Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia Alyssa Ayres; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, US India Business Council President, US Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President for South Asia, and former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Biswal; House Committee on Foreign Affairs Senior Professional Staff Member Sajit Gandhi; Centre for Naval Analysis Director – Strategy and Policy Analysis Nilanthi Samaranayake; Human Rights Watch Asia Advocacy Director John Sifton; US Institute of Peace Visiting Expert and Institute for Global Engagement Senior Fellow Knox Thames; and former Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia and ExxonMobil International Government Relations Advisor Alice Wells.
OMP under scrutiny
The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) was last week a talking point among human rights activists following the appointment of a former Police Chief, who has been accused of failing to carry out investigations and bring to book the culprits of several high-profile cases.
A former member of a UN expert panel on Sri Lanka, Yasmin Sooka, had reportedly stated that she will be writing to the UN Peacebuilding Fund and international donors urging them not to support Sri Lanka’s OMP.
On 20 May, the Parliamentary Council had ratified President Rajapaksa’s nominees to the OMP, former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jayantha Wickremaratne.
Sooka had stated that her decision to make the statements was due to Wickremaratne’s appointment.
She had alleged that the appointment of the former Police Chief, who was at the head of the Police during the period of the war, to the OMP, was part of the militarisation of the transitional justice mechanism established under the previous Government.
“It is hard to make this up – the man who was in charge of three police units named by the United Nations investigation as involved in mass enforced disappearances at the end of the war is now investigating the disappearances himself,” Sooka, who is now the Executive Director of the International Truth and Justice Project, has been quoted as saying.
“We will be writing to the UN Peacebuilding Fund and international donors asking them not to fund such a body that has become so compromised and also sending relevant United Nations entities and member states a confidential dossier on the problematic appointments,” she had added.