Prime Minister's invitation to Maithri’s son

Thousands of people paid their last respects to the mother of Minister Maithipala Sirisena last week. Among them were President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne. The entire Cabinet of Ministers and several parliamentarians were among those who attended the funeral.

The Prime Minister paid his last respects to the SLFA General Secretary’s mother on the day of the cremation. When the Prime Minister sat down and offered his condolences to Maithri, he saw the Minister’s son nearby.

Hence, Maithri introduced his son to the Prime Minister. “Oh! What a handsome youth he is. It’s high time he entered politics to serve the people. Normally a child of veteran politicians enter politics, one from each family” the Prime Minister told Maithri’s son.

It was then that Minister Siripala intervened. “He is still a small boy to me. He is pursuing his higher education at the Law College. I have not put any of those to his mind yet. Let him finish his studies first and take a decision,” Maithri told the PM.

But Prime Minister Jayaratne insisted that Maithri’s son enter politics to serve people in the Central Province. “There should be somebody to continue Maithri’s good work in future. Son, you should follow the political footsteps of your great father,” the Prime Minister told Maithri’s son. But the law student smiled without making any comment.

Dayasiri presents development plan

Former UNP Kurunegala District parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekera has been going great guns with his election campaign for the North Western Provincial Council elections. Since crossing over to the SLFP, Dayasiri has been in the limelight and is a star attraction as he is contesting the PC election under the UPFA ticket.

Dayasiri has drawn up a Wayamba Development plan as a policy statement for his election campaign. He was eagerly waiting to present it to his new leader - President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Accordingly, he was invited to the President’s House in Kandy. Dayasiri did not forget to take the 21 provincial leaders and Local Government members with him.

“Let’s have breakfast together before discussing anything further,” the President said while inviting Dayasiri and his team for breakfast. “It is good that Dayasiri came with such a good set of Opposition members. He even made a wise move by introducing them to the party organisers of the province,” the President said.

Dayasiri replied by saying that he introduced all 21 ex-provincial council members and local government members to respective ministers and party organisers. In doing so, I instructed them to work closely with the ministers and SLFP organisers if they want to support me,” Dayasiri said.

“That is good. They should work closely with the ministers and party organisers. It is good for these ex-provincial council members and local government members too,” the President said.

Dayasiri then presented his Wayamba Development plan to the President, who then instructed his officials to get down a copy of Mahinda Chinthana. The President then personally autographed the policy statement booklet – Dear Dayasiri with the best wishes, Mahinda Rajapaksa. “This is for you, a visionary statement from me,” the President told Dayasiri while presenting the personally autographed copy of Mahinda Chinthana.

Mervyn, Geetha join Johan’s campaign

Johan Fernando, son of Trade Minister Johnston Fernando, who is contesting the North-Western Provincial Council election under the UPFA ticket, is going great guns. Observers said that the manner in which he speaks at political rallies and attracts masses even emulates his father who too stepped into politics through the same Provincial Council two decades ago.

Hambantota District parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, along with a group of youthful colleagues, came to Nikaweratiya last Wednesday to extend their support to Johan. Among the many key figures who came to the rally were Minister Mervyn Silva and popular actress turned politician, Geetha Kumarasinghe.

Geetha came near Johan while he was speaking with the special guests. “I came here to support you because your father stood by the President at a crucial time.

We will fully support you for a landslide victory,” Geetha said.

Minister Mervyn joined the conversation by expressing the same views. “I never appeared on any other candidates’ election platform but decided to come and support Johan. That is because Johnny has always supported the President,” Mervyn said. Turning at Geetha, Mervyn said the actress still looks pretty.

Another parliamentarian queried as to why another candidate often speaks about Johan’s age. “Yes, but he gives a wrong figure as my age,” Johan said. Namal then joined the conversation by saying he too had to face such a situation when contesting the 2010 parliamentary general election. “I was 23 years then and some attempted to sling mud stating my age. It’s not the age that matters but the ability and desire to serve people,” Namal told his former S. Thomas’ College rugby team mate.

President travels to Killinochchi by Yal Devi

President Rajapaksa looked extremely happy last morning when he travelled to Killinochchi by train, the inaugural trip of the Yal Devi after the reconstruction of the Northern rail track which was destroyed by LTTE terrorists. Trail services to Killinochchi were resumed after 23 years, opening a new chapter in national reconciliation.

The President inaugurated the Yal Devi service at Omanthai last morning by travelling as its first passenger to the Kilinochchi railway station.

An LTTE bomb blast on the Yal Devi, popularly known as the ‘Queen of Jaffna’, killed hundreds of civilians and 28 army personnel on January 19, 1985 bringing an end to the most popular mode of travel to the North.

The Indian-based Ircon International was contracted to re-build the 62 km Northern railway line from Omanthai to Kilinochchi at a cost of US $ 185 million. Political observers said that it would be a great boon to the North-South relations by reducing the travel time considerably.

The Sri Lanka Railways charges Rs.350 for a one-way third class reserved seat between Colombo Fort and Kilinochchi or to Kilinochchi, Rs. 550 for a one-way second class seat and Rs. 900 on the observation compartment.

During his visit to the North yesterday, the President also opened the newly built Chunnakam substation in Jaffna last evening, reconnecting the North to the national grid after a lapse of two decades.

The Jaffna peninsula will now receive electricity from the national grid after 26 years through the 63 mw Chunnakam power station, which was constructed at a cost of Rs. 1,800 million. It will provide electricity to 120,000 households. Meanwhile, President Rajapaksa will chair today’s UPFA rally to be held at Puthukudirippu, the final place of the Security Forces’ battle against terrorism, a little over four years ago.

Ranil's loyalists in the wilderness

UNP candidates supporting Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe are in the wilderness as the Reformist group party seniors have taken full control of the campaign. UNP Reformists have openly requested party supporters in the Wayamba and Central Provinces to refrain from casting preferential votes to UNP candidates loyal to Ranil.

This has left two of the senior most former UNP Provincial Council members struggling to retain their seats. Many feel that these Ranil loyalists in the two PCs would suffer defeat as the Reformists’ plans defeated another Ranil confidant former North Central PC Opposition leader Kasthuri Anuradhanayake at the last Central Provincial Council elections.

But unconfirmed reports from Sirikotha said that the party leadership is gearing for a ‘computer gilmart’ to bring former Wayamba PC Opposition leader and a prominent UNP women’s wing leader in the Central Province in the preferential votes lists.

Fearing that they would experience the same fate which Kasthuri faced in Central PC, some of the Ranil loyalists have made a ‘u’ turn and invited Sajith Premadasa for their political rallies.

Amidst the downfall of Ranil loyalists contesting Wayamba elections, UNP candidate J.C. Alawathuwala has become a popular figure among UNP supporters in the Kurunegala district. Son of former Minister Alawathuwala during the Premadasa regime, has been fully backed by the Reformist group in the UNP.

SOS for Sajith

At the beginning of the UNP’s campaign for the forthcoming Provincial Council elections, Ranil loyalists made sure that former deputy leaders Sajith Premadasa and Karu Jayasuriya be kept out of the list of speakers at their political rallies.

At a meeting with the UNP candidates contesting the Wayamba PC from Puttalam District, UNP parliamentarian Joseph Michael Perera was reported to have said that UNP candidates should refrain from inviting Sajith as a guest speaker for their political meetings. He even went to the extent of saying that candidates who accommodate Sajith for their meetings would not be allowed to enter the counting centres as UNP representatives, a statement later denied by Joseph Michael. However, the UNP has turned to Sajith at the eleventh hour, after inside reports told Ranil that the UNP would suffer humiliating defeats at all three Provincial Council elections. Hence, the UNP has no option but to send an SOS call to Sajith to speak at their final election rallies.

Sajith has now been invited to speak to the voters in the areas where the Provincial Council elections will be held, apparently by the same group that tried to prevent him from doing so earlier. Reports from the party headquarters said that the request came from several candidates in the election race, including Chairperson of Lakvanitha Front, Shanthini Kongahage, and former Opposition Leader of the North-Western Provincial Council, Prasanna Shamal Senarath.

In extending the invitation, they had mentioned that Premadasa’s presence at election campaigns as a speaker is necessary to draw more crowds to the UNP rallies and meetings. Earlier, Kurunegala District UNP Parliamentarian, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, and a group of MPs loyal to Ranil had reportedly taken a decision to remove Premadasa from the list of speakers at the provincial poll campaign.

TNA MP denied entry in Rameshwaran

TNA Batticaloa district MP Seeniththamby Yoheswaran on Tuesday claimed he was denied permission to participate in a Ganesh Chathurthi procession in Rameswaran, India.

Yoheswaran told reporters in Rameswaran that police, citing prohibitory orders, did not permit him to participate in the function organised by Hindu Makkal Katchi, supporters of Sri Lankan Tamils. However, the MP said that he was allowed to offer prayers at the temple here.

Yoheswaran said he would meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and convey his dismay at not being allowed to participate in the procession.He said it was distressing to note that the Lankan government, which had got the islet of Katchatheevu as a ‘gift’, was not permitting Indian fishermen to fish in the area.

Katchatheevu was ceded to Sri Lanka by India in the 1970s. The MP described the north and eastern provinces of Lanka as the “hereditary and traditional dwelling place of Tamils” and alleged the island nation's Army had been deployed in full strength in both provinces, violating the Indo-Sri Lanka accord of 1987.

GL in UAE

External Affairs Minister, Prof. G.L. Peiris last week addressed the Ministerial Segment of the Third High Level Public - Private Counter Piracy Conference, opened by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai.

“Had it not been for the defeat of terrorism in Sri Lanka, the position regarding stability of the neighbouring countries and the safety of sea lanes across the Indian Ocean would certainly be one of continuing turbulence and turmoil today,” Minister Peiris said.

“It is for this reason that Sri Lanka's achievement in this regard, against overwhelming odds, can clearly be said to have brought in its wake tangible benefits not only for the Island nation but for a far wider region of the world,” Prof. Peiris said in his address on Wednesday.

Prof. Peiris referred to the intricately interconnected nature of terrorist activity in the region and stated that security, in a fundamental sense, in South Asia and beyond would have been in great peril if terrorism held sway in Sri Lanka. The reality of this assertion is convincingly demonstrated by the far flung repercussions of terrorist violence in the Horn of Africa and other areas, he said. The Minister pointed out that not a single act of terrorist violence had taken place in Sri Lanka since the cessation of hostilities four years ago. In hardly any other post-conflict situation can this claim be justifiably made, he said.

Cabinet discusses extremism

Mass Media and Information Minister and Cabinet Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said that the Cabinet has been paying close attention to the attempts being made to trigger ethnic and religious extremism.

The minister said the government is aware that these attempts can endanger the country's national security.

He said this issue has been focused on at every Cabinet meeting held during the past few months.

The minister said the country's Security Council is also vigilant about these incidents as they may pose risks to national security. He said the government will not allow any kind of extremism in the country.

Basil on TNA’s political bankruptcy

The TNA’s failure to field a candidate from the North for the post of the Chief Minister at the Provincial Council election clearly shows the party's political bankruptcy and the attitude towards Northern development, according to Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

Participating in public rallies in Jaffna to support UPFA candidates for the Northern Provincial Council election, the minister said it was the duty of every voter in the Northern Province to think deeply as to who paved the way for the Northern Provincial Council election to be held on September 21.

The meetings headed by Minister Rajapaksa held at Rajah Cream House and Nallur Navalar Hall were organised by the Sri Lanka Freedom Trade Union Federation.

“It was not the TNA or the UNP, but the President. On this day, the public will elect representatives to manage their affairs under the guidance and help from the central government,” Minister Rajapaksa said.

He said the people of the North should join hands with the UPFA in their forward march towards prosperity while protecting peace and freedom. Minister Rajapaksa said the people must not forget the bitter past they faced due to incorrect politics of some misguided youths helped by the TNA for their own advantage.

The minister asked the people whether it served any purpose in selecting a person as the Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council who didn't even know the boundaries of the Northern Province.

He said the TNA was blaming the government for acquiring lands belonging to the people but there wasn't even an iota of truth in this vicious statement, in fact not even an inch of land had been acquired by the government, except those acquired by the IPKF in 1987.

“From these lands, except those in the vicinity of the Palaly Airport and harbour, others have already been handed back to the rightful owners. From the lands around the airport and harbour only those necessary for development activities would be taken over after paying compensation, and others would be released soon,” Minister Rajapaksa said.