• President tipped to travel out of country, resignation likely to be announced afterwards
• PM summons party leaders’ meeting, but Speaker asked to chair after protests
• Main Opposition SJB and NPP boycott RW’s meeting, attend Speaker’s meeting
• President asks PM to inform him of the decisions reached at party leaders’ meet
• 47 SLPP MPs led by Dullas Alahapperuma issue letter asking President to resign
• Religious and party leaders ask PM to resign; RW agrees to step down
• Opposition parties join to form common minimum programme for all-party govt.
• Economic and political sub committees appointed to expedite common programme
• Former SL envoy in Russia travelled to Moscow on Friday, Premajayantha visit uncertain
• Confusion over arrival of officials from Russian energy company, probe by Russian mission
• Conflict in Govt. exposed by Dhammika’s hit at PM asking Finance Minister to resign

12.50 p.m., Saturday, 9 July 2022, marked a milestone in Sri Lankan history, when hundreds of thousands of people from all parts of the country broke down barriers set up around the President’s House in Colombo, braving multiple tear gas attacks and baton charges to enter the heavily-guarded official abode of the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Before the fall of the mighty President’s House was the fall of the Presidential Secretariat. The President’s House in Fort was where President Gotabaya Rajapaksa found refuge after the public surrounded his house in Mirihana in April this year. The clarion call of the people, who have been engaged in a continuous struggle, has been for President Rajapaksa to resign along with his Government and pave the way for an interim all-party government to steer the country through the crisis and bring some form of normalcy until elections can be held. The writing is now clearly on the wall for President Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and the Government as the worsening crisis and the failure of the authorities to provide a proper recovery plan resulted in Sri Lankans from around the country converging on Colombo in their thousands to demand the resignation of the President, his Prime Minister, and the Government. Despite the fuel crisis grinding the country to a near halt, attempts by the President in his capacity as Defence Minister to impose a ‘Police curfew,’ and alleged moves to reduce mobile phone communications to only voice calls, the public took to the streets yesterday (9) saying ‘enough is enough’. The mass protests by the public, lawyers, and Opposition party leaders over the imposition of a Police curfew in several areas in the Western Province on Friday (8) resulted in the Government having to lift the ‘purported’ curfew within 12 hours. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), Opposition politicians Sajith Premadasa, M.A. Sumanthiran, Maithripala Sirisena, and many others immediately issued statements condemning the ‘illegal’ curfew and calling on the public to take to the streets and carry out their protests regardless. The BASL and HRCSL claimed that the imposition of Police curfew arbitrarily by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) was illegal. The BASL demanded that the IGP immediately withdraw his ‘illegal order’ to declare Police curfew within several parts of the Western Province and warned that the failure to withdraw the purported curfew order would have severe consequences for the country.  The BASL maintained that the Police Ordinance did not have a provision for the imposition of such a curfew and observed that such a curfew was blatantly illegal and a violation of the fundamental rights of the people of the country, who were protesting against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his Government over their failure to protect the people’s basic rights. The BASL also stated that it wished to ask the IGP under what authority he had declared such a curfew.  “The order violates the basic human rights of the people by unlawfully restricting their right to movement. If there is a breach of peace in any Police area, by this mechanism the Police officer in charge in that area may curtail the movement,” the HRCSL said in a statement. The public in the outstations made their way to the bus and train stations in their areas despite the curfew and demanded that they be taken to Colombo. The bus and train strikes that were ongoing at the time were immediately halted, with announcements that operations would be back to normal soon after the curfew was lifted. The determination of the masses who braved many obstacles, including a fuel crisis that has nearly crippled the country’s transport sector, was indicative that the people’s power would prevail over the thousands of security personnel, including tri forces personnel, who were summoned to Colombo by their Commander-in-Chief, President Rajapaksa. President Rajapaksa has undoubtedly become a historic figure in the country and last week he marked yet another milestone by becoming the first head of state to be jeered at in the Parliament Chamber. Opposition MPs chanted “Gota go home,” while holding placards after Rajapaksa sat in the Chamber to listen to Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s special statement. The protest resulted in the Speaker adjourning Parliament for 10 minutes and the President evacuating the Chamber amidst the chants. PM calls party leaders Given the unprecedented mobilisation of the public, President Rajapaksa, it is learnt, decided it was time to step down from office. However, according to sources close to Rajapaksa, he will step down only when he travels out of the country. Footage of people hurriedly loading luggage into a Sri Lanka Navy vessel – the SLNS Gajabahu – as well as a VVIP vehicle convoy speeding into the Katunayake Airport were telecast on electronic media and circulated on social media as well. Soon after the people gained control of the Presidential Secretariat and the President’s House, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe called for a party leaders’ meeting. The President, it is learnt, had also spoken to Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and asked that he be informed of the decisions reached at the party leaders’ meeting. The Prime Minister had also informed Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to convene an emergency session of Parliament. The Speaker was requested to convene Parliament on Monday (11) or Tuesday (12). Prior to the Prime Minister’s message to the party leaders, Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader Sajith Premadasa was admitted to a private hospital in Colombo over a sudden ailment. Several party leaders, including those of the SJB and National People’s Power (NPP), announced that they would not attend the party leaders’ meeting called by the Prime Minister. However, the SJB said it would participate in the meeting convened by the Speaker. The Premier also decided that the party leaders’ meeting would be held online via Zoom at 4 p.m. due to security concerns. The security detail assigned to Wickremesinghe had warned that party leaders congregating at one point with the Prime Minister was not advisable due to the prevailing situation in the country. Following initial discussions with several party leaders last evening, a party leaders’ meeting was scheduled, organised by the Speaker, to decide on the next steps amid the crisis situation.  Meanwhile, a group of 47 ruling party parliamentarians, led by former Minister Dullas Alahapperuma, sent a letter to the President calling for his resignation. The decision to send the letter to President Rajapaksa was reached during a meeting of the parliamentary group on Friday evening. The MPs discussed that the only solution to the political crisis was for the President to step down before the country was pushed into a bloodbath. A similar agreement was reached during the party leaders’ meeting called by the Speaker yesterday evening, where all party leaders requested the President to step down. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Leader MP Rauff Hakeem stated that the majority of party leaders had also decided to call for Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s resignation. Former President Maithripala Sirisena had also called for the resignations of both the President and the Prime Minister. The party leaders had also proposed Speaker Abeywardena be appointed as acting president during the interim period until Parliament decides on an interim president, as well as form an all-party interim government. Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said that Prime Minister Wickremesinghe had not agreed with the party leaders’ proposal to resign, leading to the party leaders expressing their displeasure over Wickremesinghe’s conduct.  It is learnt that the party leaders had discussed several options after the President’s resignation. While it was a unanimous decision that Rajapaksa should resign from the Presidency, many party leaders pointed out that it would not be sufficient to calm the protesters. They noted that the Prime Minister would also have to resign. The next discussion was on how the interim president and prime minister would be appointed. The option of appointing the Speaker as interim president until Parliament decides on a temporary president was viewed as a mechanism that would further divide Parliament. It was then decided that an interim government should be put in place. The Prime Minister’s media announced soon after the party leaders’ meeting that Wickremesinghe had agreed to the party leaders’ proposal and was ready to resign from office. Accordingly, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe is to resign from the post of Prime Minister once the interim government is ready to take over the administration, since a government has to be in place to carry out negotiations with the IMF and discuss with multilateral donors. Calls for PM’s resignation A group of religious leaders who have continuously been part of the ‘Aragalaya’ movement, yesterday (9) called on Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to also resign, claiming that he had no moral or ethical right to hold the office of prime minister or president when Rajapaksa resigned. Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini told a media conference convened by religious leaders from all faiths that Wickremesinghe did not have the mandate of the people to hold the office of prime minister and therefore could not be appointed acting president. The religious leaders called for the appointment of an all-party interim government that could win the confidence of the people and help get the country on track in the interim. They also called on the BASL to provide the necessary guidance on the next course of action to be taken in line with the Constitution. RW’s roadmap Prime Minister Wickremesinghe on Tuesday (5) made a special statement in Parliament on the discussions held with the IMF staff as well as the Government’s roadmap for economic recovery. He outlined the debt the country had to pay over the next five years – $ 3.4 billion between June and December this year, $ 5.8 billion in 2023, $ 4.9 billion in 2024, $ 6.2 billion in 2025, $ 4 billion in 2026, and $ 4.3 billion in 2027. The total debt burden of the Government at the end of 2021 had amounted to Rs. 17.5 trillion and by March 2022 it had increased to Rs. 21.6 trillion. “By the end of this year, inflation will rise to 60%. This is mainly due to the increase in the prices of goods in the world and the fall in the value of the rupee. Due to the current inflation, the depreciation of the rupee has reduced the value of the money in the Employees’ Provident Fund and the Employees’ Trust Fund by 50%, and the real value of pensions has also decreased by 50%. Think about how this situation affects our senior citizens. Poverty is spreading among all of them. The value of the money they receive has decreased by 50%. Their purchasing power has decreased by about 50%. Presenting positive ideas is easy, but it is difficult to find answers to these problems,” he explained. Referring to the discussions with the IMF, Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka had held talks with the IMF on many occasions before, but that this time the situation was different from all those previous occasions. “In the past, we have held discussions as a developing country. In such cases, both parties have only to reach an agreement on the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) or Extended Credit Facility. It is like moving along a straight line. But now the situation is different. We are now participating in the negotiations as a bankrupt country. Therefore, we have to face a more difficult and complicated situation than previous negotiations. Once a staff-level agreement is reached, this will be submitted to the IMF Board of Directors for approval. But due to the state of bankruptcy our country is in, we have to submit a plan on our debt sustainability to them separately. Only when they are satisfied with that plan can we reach an agreement at the staff level. This is not a straightforward process.” The Premier noted that the Government had implemented a plan to limit the printing of money in the future since the rupee needed to be stabilised as soon as possible and strengthened without letting it fall. “In 2023, we will have to print money with restrictions on several occasions. But by the end of 2024, it is our intention to stop printing money completely. We aim to reduce the inflation rate to between 4-6% by 2025” he said. Wickremesinghe also noted that another top priority for the Government was to protect the banking and financial system. “The pressure on these systems during an economic crisis does not need to be explained anew to this House. But we will not allow the banking system to be pressured by poor policies. The Government has given priority to strengthening the banking and financial system,” he noted. Responding to Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s plans to submit the debt restructuring report to the IMF by August, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Dr. Harsha de Silva stated in Parliament that it would be a new record if Sri Lanka could restructure its debt by that time, given the complexity of doing so. He noted that if an IMF staff-level agreement was reached in August and the funds were released by December, Sri Lanka could then move forward. However, a failure in following such a timeframe will result in the financial assistance required from the donor conference becoming higher than the amount the country is in need of at the moment. He added that there could be a problem in the gap between the date on which the staff-level agreement was signed and the date on which the IMF funds were released. De Silva also pointed out the case of Zambia, which is still struggling to get into an IMF programme despite the Fund reaching a staff-level agreement in December 2021.  Meanwhile, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Dr. W.A. Wijewardena noted last week that obtaining IMF funds would no longer depend solely on the country’s debt restructuring programme. He told the media that Sri Lanka would have to implement reforms proposed by the US to obtain the latter’s vote in favour of the IMF facility. The US has around 17% voting power in the IMF. “If the US objects, the UK, the EU, and Japan will typically also object; together they have 50% of the vote,” Wijewardena added. The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee meanwhile has noted that any IMF agreement with Sri Lanka must be contingent on independence of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, strong anti-corruption measures, and promotion of the rule of law. “Without these critical reforms, Sri Lanka could suffer further economic mismanagement and uncontrollable debt,” the Committee tweeted. Earlier, the IMF team that concluded its visit to Sri Lanka said the Fund’s Executive Board approval would require adequate financing assurances from Sri Lanka’s creditors that debt sustainability would be restored and that far-reaching tax reforms were urgently needed. Worsening economy While the Prime Minister explained the country’s economic roadmap, the CBSL on Thursday (7) announced the country’s foreign reserves situation. Usable reserves had dwindled to $ 250 million. The CBSL stated that gross official reserves, as at end-June 2022, were estimated at $ 1.9 billion, including the swap facility from the People’s Bank of China equivalent to around $ 1.5 billion, which is subject to conditionalities on its usability. These conditions, which were established on the provision of the swap in December 2021, state that Sri Lanka must have sufficient foreign reserves to cover imports for several months – a threshold that was not met even in December, before reserves began dwindling rapidly. Therefore, out of the approximately $ 400 million left in reserves, only a sum of $ 250 million can be used. Addressing the media, CBSL Governor Dr. Nadalal Weerasinghe also noted that the level of inflation could increase to around 70%, contradicting the Prime Minister’s statement in Parliament where he said inflation would be around 60% for this year. The CBSL also noted that it would be compelled to print money in order to prevent a total breakdown of the fuel supply in the country as the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) lacked the required rupees to purchase US Dollars. Dr. Weerasinghe said the CPC had requested Rs. 217 billion from the Treasury for the purpose and the Treasury was unable to supply such a huge amount immediately. Conflict in Govt. Be that as it may, the Government’s path towards economic recovery experienced its first pothole, in the form of an attack on Prime Minister Wickremesinghe as the Finance Minister by newly-appointed Minister Dhammika Perera. Perera on Wednesday (6) slammed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe on his actions as Finance Minister, in a controversial move. Immediately after hearing Perera’s public statements challenging Wickremesinghe to an open debate with the firm statement that he (Perera) would not allow the Finance Minister to block revenue generation projects of the Government, news of Perera’s objections to last Monday’s Cabinet decision on streamlining casino registrations and tax collection were publicised in certain sections of the media. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as Finance Minister, had called for amendments to the Casino Business (Regulation) Act No. 17 of 2010, and the Betting and Gaming Levy Act No. 40 of 1988. Prior to these proposed changes, despite the existence of these acts, casinos have been able to avoid taxation due to loopholes, which created a ‘grey market’. Meanwhile, it is learnt that Perera had also raised an issue at last week’s Cabinet meeting over the proposed IMF reforms. Accordingly, during a briefing by the Prime Minister over the measures that would be taken by the Government in line with the IMF recommendations, Perera had interrupted on several occasions. Perera had expressed concerns over one point in particular – the IMF’s insistence that monopolies over industries in the country be broken and new companies allowed to enter. Perera, who has control over key industries via businesses effectively controlled by him or his legal nominees, had explained to the Cabinet that it was because of these monopolies that the country was progressing and that the IMF had failed to recognise the contribution made by successful businesses in the country. However, his opposition to these observations by the IMF fell on deaf ears, with no other Cabinet member speaking up in favour of the former businessman. With breaking news alerts reaching the Members of Parliament, Opposition MP Dr. Harsha de Silva took the opportunity to question the Prime Minister on this revelation. While the Prime Minister avoided answering the question, he was later seen being stopped by several backbench MPs from both sides of the aisle, questioning the PM about Perera’s motives. However, it was later learnt that prior to Perera’s ‘have at it’ presser and last week’s Cabinet meeting, a mutual contact person for Perera and Wickremesinghe had met the Prime Minister on behalf of Perera and requested that the proposed ‘Golden Paradise’ long-term visa scheme for foreigners, especially investors, be taken up at last Monday’s Cabinet meeting for approval. However, the relevant Cabinet paper, which had been submitted to the Finance Ministry a week earlier, was not taken up at last Monday’s Cabinet meeting. According to Perera, it was a deliberate attempt by the Finance Minister to delay the Cabinet paper. However, soon after hearing of Perera’s public statement against the Finance Minister, President Rajapaksa had telephoned Perera and asked why he had made such a public spectacle, putting the Government in a difficult spot amidst growing public dissension. The President had explained to Perera that any Cabinet issue must be resolved through discussion and debate within the Cabinet and should not be taken to the public as it was seen as a violation of the collective responsibility of the Cabinet. Perera had then explained to the President his issue in getting the Finance Ministry to move on the ‘Golden Paradise’ visa programme and that it could bring in much-needed US Dollar revenue to the country. Rajapaksa, after listening to Perera, had questioned why he did not raise the issues at Monday’s Cabinet meeting as the matter could have been immediately resolved at the meeting. The President had also said that if there were any issues that Perera felt could not be discussed with the Prime Minister, it should then be taken up with him (the President) and not before the public. It is learnt that Perera had agreed to the President’s directive. It would not have been a comfortable discussion for President Rajapaksa, who a few months back sacked then Ministers Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila for publicly criticising then Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa. PM talks to President Several ruling party Cabinet ministers, it is learnt, had also raised concerns over Perera’s comments, saying that while they were no fans of Wickremesinghe, comments like those made by Perera in public would only make matters worse for the Government in the public eye. The President had agreed and informed the ministers that he had already had a conversation with Perera on the matter. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also raised Perera’s comments with President Rajapaksa. The Premier, it is learnt, had informed the President that a Cabinet minister who made such comments in public should be removed. Wickremesinghe cited the removal of Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe from the Cabinet during the previous Government as an example. Wickremesinghe pointed out that Perera’s outburst was due to the Government’s move to regulate the casino business and to collect the lost tax revenue for the past 12 years. Rajapaksa noted that the undue delay in the ‘Golden Paradise’ visa programme was also cause for concern. Wickremesinghe had reiterated the call for Perera’s removal from the Cabinet as it created a bad precedent. President Rajapaksa had also informed the Premier that Perera was made aware of the gravity of his conduct and that such incidents would not happen in future. The President had then said that he would not sack Perera, especially in the backdrop of one Cabinet minister temporarily resigning from his portfolio following allegations of corruption. When the resignation of Ports and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva had been taken up by the President, Wickremesinghe had immediately said that the investigation into the allegations should be concluded within 10 days. He had explained that if the Japanese company had made an allegation about corruption involving a Government minister in the airport project, they (the company) should already have the evidence to back their allegation and the investigation therefore need not take too much time. President Rajapaksa had agreed saying that de Silva would be re-appointed to the portfolio if the probe did not find any evidence against him. Pohottuwa group disgruntled The Government parliamentary group met on Monday (4) under the patronage of President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe. Ruling party MP Jagath Kumara had not attended Monday’s group meeting after sending a letter to the President outlining reasons for not attending the meeting. The MP had noted in the letter that there was no point attending group meetings and expressing opinions and concerns since the Government did not heed them. He had explained that there had been no proper response to the important proposals made by the ruling party MPs or the questions posed by the MPs. Jagath Kumara had stated that the country would witness a bloodbath if the Government failed to provide immediate relief to the people. At the outset of the meeting, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe had explained the country’s economic situation to the parliamentarians. The Premier had also made it a point to be present throughout the duration of the meeting this time around, following objections raised by ruling party MPs after Wickremesinghe had left the previous group meeting early. Ministers Mahinda Amaraweera, Kanchana Wijesekera, and Nalin Fernando had explained the situation on fertiliser, fuel, and essential commodities respectively to the gathering. MP Sampath Athukorala had expressed concerns over statements made by Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) Chairman Janaka Ratnayake. Athukorala had noted that Ratnayake’s statements were unfavourable for the Government. Several other MPs had also supported Athukorala’s comment. Responding to the objections raised by the MPs, the Prime Minister had noted that the PUCSL Chairman could be removed if a letter was presented to him with the signatures of 113 parliamentarians. Meanwhile, with the economic crisis pushing the country into a partial lockdown due to the fuel crisis, a group of ruling party backbench MPs also met President Rajapaksa separately to discuss the Government’s plan to resolve the ongoing fuel and LPG crises. The MPs had also noted that the Finance Minister had to find the required monies for the Power and Energy Ministry to purchase the required fuel stocks. They had proposed that a new full-time finance minister be appointed if Prime Minister Wickremesinghe could not find the funds in his current capacity as Finance Minister for fuel purchases. The President, during the discussion, had assured the MPs that the fuel and LPG shortage would be addressed within 10 days. The discussion with the SLPP backbench MPs took place on 2 June and the MPs were asked to be patient till Tuesday (12). MP Lalith Ellawala had then asked the President if the Government had a plan to resolve the ongoing crisis and how long it would take for the people to feel some relief. President Rajapaksa had explained in detail the steps taken by the Government to secure fuel and LPG shipments, including the dates when the shipments were expected to arrive in the country. Russian visit not for fuel Amidst the chaos, the Government’s Russian ruse was exposed last week. Despite claims that the visit of a special Sri Lankan delegation to Russia was aimed at discussing the possibilities of securing fuel, coal, and fertiliser at cheaper rates, it was revealed last week that the visit would only be to rekindle the relations between the two countries that were soured due to the recent Aeroflot flight controversy. A two-member delegation consisting of Minister Susil Premajayantha and former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia Dr. Saman Weerasinghe are to travel to Moscow to initiate a discussion with the Russian authorities on securing essential supplies for Sri Lanka. The visit – which was scheduled to take place last week – was delayed due to the unavailability of Russian officials. Premajayantha meanwhile informed Parliament last week that the Russian visit was aimed at mending relations soured due to the Aeroflot controversy. He explained that discussions on procuring fuel and fertiliser would not be carried out during the visit. “There are lots of areas to consider before looking at purchasing fuel from Russia; we have to see whether the specs of Russian fuel are compatible for Sri Lanka,” he added. “I have been invited to Russia by the Russian counterparts to resolve issues between the two countries. I hope to resolve the issues that have arisen between the two countries when I get there. I have also obtained the details regarding the Aeroflot case from the Attorney General and studied them.” According to Premajayantha, the Power and Energy Minister and other officials could reach out to Russia once he cleared the path with the Russians. Premajayantha also took a swipe at some of his Government colleagues, who claimed last week that he (Premajayantha) had travelled to Russia for discussions in Moscow. “I was in Paris attending a UNESCO conference. Anyone with common knowledge would know that there are currently no flights to Russia from any European destination. I have to return to Sri Lanka and take an alternative route if I’m to travel to Moscow. I know some statements were made saying that I was going to Russia from Paris, but I cannot help the lack of knowledge of those individuals,” the Minister observed. President Rajapaksa meanwhile had telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (6). Unknown Russian officials Meanwhile, the arrival of two officials from a Russian energy company to the country last Thursday (7) was publicised in the media. Governing party supporters tried to imply that the arrival of the Russian officials had taken place as an immediate step to show Russia’s goodwill towards Sri Lanka following President Rajapaksa’s call to the Russian President. Nevertheless, it is reliably learnt that neither the Russian Embassy in Colombo nor the Sri Lankan Embassy in Russia were aware of the so-called officials who had arrived in Sri Lanka. An official visit of Russian businessmen to a country is almost always informed to the Russian mission in that respective country, but in this instance it was not so. Soon after hearing about the arrival of these Russian officials representing a Russian energy company, the Russian mission in Colombo immediately made inquiries from the Sri Lankan mission in Russia if they were aware of such a visit. Upon being informed that there was no such communication, the Russian mission in Colombo, it is learnt, had informed Moscow of the visit of Russian officials representing an energy company and that this company was not among any list of Russian businesses that had engaged with Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Dr. Weerasinghe left for Moscow on Friday (8) and Premajayantha was scheduled to fly out yesterday (9). However, Premajayantha’s visit was uncertain following the political developments yesterday since he was supposed to be a special envoy of President Rajapaksa. The duo was to meet with Russian officials to rebuild the soured ties and to explain Sri Lanka’s crisis to them. The verdict on the Aeroflot case has been scheduled for 15 July. G-10 says no to Namal Amidst the worsening crisis situation, the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) continues to discuss making a fresh play to assume power with the appointment of a new SLPP prime minister replacing Wickremesinghe. It is in this backdrop that SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa during a recent discussion with MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara – one of the group of 10 (G-10) ruling alliance party leaders – had proposed that all governing alliance partners should reunite to form a new government under a new SLPP prime minister. Nanayakkara however had responded saying he would have to discuss with the other party leaders before making any comments about the matter. Nanayakkara had informed the other leaders of the G-10 about Namal’s proposal adding that he (Namal) was awaiting a response from the ruling alliance partners. The G-10 leaders however, had immediately shot down Namal’s request, saying that the Rajapaksas had no moral or ethical grounds to make a play for power given their direct contribution to the ongoing crisis. The G-10 leaders had also decided not to discuss supporting a change of government or the appointment of a new SLPP premier as a solution to the crisis. G-10 leaders Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila had reiterated that the group should continue to push for the formation of an all-party interim government to resolve the crisis. Sajith-Maithri meet SJB and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has now taken the lead in forming an all-party government, and several rounds of discussions were held last week at the Opposition Leader’s Office on this matter with political parties as well as civil society movements. One of the key meetings was the one held between Premadasa and the SJB with Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Leader Maithripala Sirisena. The meeting that took place on Monday (4) at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo was attended by senior SJB MPs, several alliance partners of the SJB, and a group of civil society representatives of the National Movement for Social Justice. Premadasa had noted that the meeting was aimed at reaching a consensus on a minimum programme to salvage the country from the crisis through national reforms and a way forward. Sirisena had noted that the country’s downfall had started following the establishment of the Executive Presidency of the 1978 Constitution. “The Executive Presidency was the cause of most of our problems. It’s not that there were no issues under other governments, but this was the biggest issue,” he had said, adding that the SLFP had always been opposed to the Executive Presidency. He had also noted that he had agreed to abolish the Executive Presidency during his tenure and since there was no consensus to hold a referendum to abolish the office, powers vested with the Executive Presidency that could be curtailed without a referendum were carried out. Attention had been paid during the meeting to the formulation of a programme to bring about national reforms that would help alleviate the prevailing crisis situation. Several matters related to the prevailing situation in the country such as bringing in constitutional reforms and the formation of an all-party government had also been discussed, with the main focus on bringing about effective national reforms. SLFP Leader Sirisena continues to call on the Government to resign and make way for a truly all-party Government which would include representatives from all parties. Sirisena explained during a public meeting recently that the failure to appoint an all-party interim government that would win the confidence of the public and the Maha Sangha would result in yet another round of violence, which would have an adverse impact on the country. Sirisena’s comments follow a recent statement made by SLFP National Organiser MP Duminda Dissanayake, where he slammed President Rajapaksa for the crisis faced by the country. “Prabhakaran wanted to bring this country’s economy to its knees. That is why he launched attacks in Colombo and committed so many other acts. But we understand now that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa did in two-and-a-half years what Prabhakaran could not do in 30 years,” Dissanayake claimed. Focus on all-party govt. While the SLPP was working on regaining power and calls were once again surfacing on the formation of an all-party government to resolve the ongoing crisis, several rounds of discussions were held last week between Opposition parties, including a group of independent MPs from the ruling SLPP. Weerawansa raised the matter in Parliament, saying that the people and the international community had all lost faith in the incumbent Government. He noted that an all-party government would be the only way to resolve the crisis. “Despite the belief held by some that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe can win the support of the international community, it has not been so. He is a single MP in Parliament who was rejected by the people. The only way out is to form an all-party government to put in place a programme to win the confidence of the people and international community,” he claimed. The first meeting was held on Tuesday (5) at the Parliamentary Complex under the patronage of Opposition Leader Premadasa and SLFP Leader, former President Sirisena. All parties seated in the Opposition were represented at the meeting, except the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP). When questioned about the absence of the NPP at the meeting, SJB’s Ranjith Madduma Bandara had informed that both MPs Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Vijitha Herath had been invited for the meeting but had not attended the meeting while also not giving any reason for non-participation. However, JVP and NPP Leader Dissanayake last week told the media that the party had not attended the meeting as it did not want to be part of any political games. He questioned whether a government that could win the trust of the people could be formed with the kind of parties and members who were now trying to form an all-party government. Nevertheless, Dissanayake said that the NPP would extend its support to a genuine plan presented by an all-party government. The meeting on Tuesday resulted in the appointment of a committee representing parties in the Opposition to continue with the discussion on forming an all-party government based on a common minimum programme. Premadasa had told the meeting that the plan should be drawn to address the issues faced by the people and the country without trying to limit the work to a timeframe. “Let’s not put a timeframe of six months or 12 months on it. Let’s first focus on getting a common minimum programme for all parties to unite,” he explained. A majority of the party leaders had agreed to form a common minimum programme. Two committees formed The all-party representatives met on Wednesday (6) in Parliament to commence work on the common minimum programme. A 26-member committee had been appointed at this meeting to proceed with the formulation of a common minimum programme for the Opposition parties to work. MP Lakshman Kiriella had been appointed as the convener of this committee. Kiriella convened the 26-member committee at the Parliamentary Complex. During this meeting it had been decided to appoint two sub committees to expedite the work on formulating a common minimum programme. The first committee to be appointed was the economic committee with Dr. Harsha de Silva as the convener. The committee comprises 12 members. MP Dr. Rajitha Senaratne had pointed out that a separate political committee also needed to be appointed and a 14-member political committee with Senaratne as the convener was appointed. The two sub committees met on Thursday (7) and Friday (8) and commenced initial discussions on formulating the two programmes. Defending 22A The Government, meanwhile, continues to push the draft 22nd Amendment Bill as the panacea to the call by the international community for a solution to the political crisis in the country. Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe last week stated that the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was being introduced to protect the country and not to protect a single party or family.  “We drafted this Bill with three things in mind. We wanted to introduce only amendments that can be passed without a people’s referendum. We also wanted to draft it with the different political parties’ observations in mind and bring back a form of the 19th Amendment with more democratic characteristics. If anybody is opposing this, they are opposing the call of the public. This Bill is not being brought in to strengthen parties or build personalities or to protect them. It is brought in to protect the country,” Rajapakshe told the media.   He further noted that all international organisations and countries that the Government was engaged in discussions with for solutions about the economic crisis had stated that they would work with Sri Lanka on the condition that the rule of law was upheld in the country.  “If we are to get aid and support, we must adhere to this condition. Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has also stated that for him to solve the economic crisis, the political crisis must first be resolved. That is why we have presented this Bill,” Rajapakshe added.  According to the Justice Minister, an interim clause has been included to the 22nd Amendment with regard to the removal of the premier and the appointment and removal of ministers. For the duration of this Parliament, it will be considered that the President will act under the guidance of the Prime Minister, rather than upon the decisions of the Premier, and this will in turn affect three clauses in the Constitution. Meanwhile, SLFP Leader Sirisena continued to criticise the Government’s proposed piece of legislation, stating that it was a deceptive document that had further enhanced the powers vested with the Executive President and that the SLFP would propose amendments to the draft constitutional amendment at committee stage. Sirisena had further noted that the party would launch a campaign against the Government’s constitutional amendment inside and outside parliament if the amendments proposed by the SLFP were not included in it.