Its Mahindananda Aluthgamage versus Arjuna Ranatunga!

Politics is a different ball game altogether. It is said that there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics.

Many UNPers blame Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe for being unable to capture power, losing 27 successive elections. But the fact the UNP rebels who seek a change in the UNP leadership have forgotten is that the UNP has been unable to capture power not because of any weakness of Ranil but due to the extreme popularity of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The masses have reposed implicit faith in President Rajapaksa and his Government and that they have demonstrated that in no uncertain terms by voting for the ruling UPFA at every election since 2005. In case the UNP gets a new leader, he could find things even worse.

The third reading of the Budget 2014 will take place in Parliament on Friday after which the sittings for the year will be concluded until the new ceremonial sitting for the year 2015 under the patronage of the President.

It is the festive season that is approaching and there is no exception to the parliamentarians. Though most parliamentarians do not indulge in competitive sports, there are two unique examples from Sri Lanka with Hambantota District MP Namal Rajapaksa captaining Sri Lanka national rugby team and Matara District MP Sanath Jayasuriya playing for the national cricket team.

The festive season brings parliamentarians to a sporty mode with the annual cricket encounter between the Ministers’ team and the MP’s team.

Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage who has been in the limelight these days will captain the Ministers’ team while Sri Lanka’s world cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga leads the Parliamentarians team.

Several Opposition parliamentarians too will play in the same team with their fellow MPs from the ruling party under Arjuna’s leadership.

Those who come to the Sports Ministry grounds at Torrington Square today will get a rare opportunity to witness the ministers and parliamentarians in cricketing gear. The limited over cricket match will commence at 9.30 a.m. today.

President in Kenya

President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s scheduled tour of Kenya last week had an additional event – first to attend the funeral mass of former South African President Nelson Mandela on Tuesday. President Rajapaksa was among Heads of state and distinguish gathering who attended the formal funeral mass in the South African capital on Wednesday.

President Rajapaksa arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday evening on a four-day state visit.

The Lankan leader was received by Kenya’s PresidentUhuru Kenyatta, Deputy President William Ruto and Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Amina Mohamed with a Guard of Honor at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

President Rajapaksa and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa were guests at Kenya's 50th Independence Day celebrations held on Thursday at the Moi International Sports Complex (MISC) in Kasarani on the outskirts of Nairobi. The Independence Day festivities began at midnight at Uhuru Gardens with Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta hoisting the flag and planting a commemorative tree.

President Rajapaksa and the First Lady joined a number of other African leaders for the celebrations, including the President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan, former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Malawi Joyce Banda, President of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete, President of Congo Joseph Kabila and the President of Eritrea Isaias Afewerki.

The President visited the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), the only UN headquarters in Africa and the global south on Friday. On behalf of Sri Lanka, he gifted a painting of the Kandy Perahera that would be hung at the UNON premises. He also planted a sapling of the African Rubber Tree at the premises of the United Nations Office at Nairobi. It has been a tradition for Heads of State to plant a tree on their visits to UNON.

On Friday morning, the President visited the Nairobi Buddhist Temple, located in a suburb of Nairobi. This Theravada Buddhist temple that has been functioning for more than a decade, consists of a stupa, a meditation hall and a residence for monks.

President Rajapaksa worshiped at the temple, presented atapirikara to the head priest Bhante Wimala and spent time talking with members of the Sri Lankan community living in Kenya. A large number of Sri Lankans had gathered at the temple to welcome the President. External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, Civil Aviation Minister Geethanjana Gunawardena, Uva Province Chief Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa, External Affairs Ministry Monitoring MP Sajin De Vass Gunawardena and Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga accompanied the President.

Paba’s two proposals

Popular tele drama actress turned parliamentarian Upeksha Swarnamali has hit the headlines ever since she contested the last general election under the UNP ticket. Since her subsequent crossover to the Government, her former UNP collegues have targeted her.

But her disclosure to Parliament on her positive budget proposals was an eye-opener to the UNP camp. Swarnamali, better known as Paba for her character in a popular tele drama series, told Parliament last week that the President Rajapaksa had accepted two of her three budgetary proposals including the one to establish five circuit bungalows in the country for the benefit of artistes.

Speaking during the debate on the expenditure head of the Women’s Affairs Ministry, Swarnamali remarked that this budget holds greater significance to her because of the inclusion of two of her proposals. She expressed her gratitude to the President for it.

“Artistes face problems without proper facilities. Therefore, I made this proposal.

The President, in the budget, made the necessary capital allocation to construct five circuit bungalows. Lands have also been earmarked for it,” she said. She said she proposed to set up centres to grant relief to female victims of sexual abuse and other forms of violence, and it too received the green light from the President.

Meanwhile, she was involved in a verbal clash with UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake who accused her of obtaining cash inducements from the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau to perform at a reality show for Sri Lankan migrant workers in the Middle East.

“I am asking MP Ramanayake not to use parliamentary privileges to sling mud at others. There is no need for us get money from the Bureau.

When we perform outside the country, there are enough of sponsors willing to pay for us,” she said. At one point, she called Ranjan “a wolf clad in sheep’s clothing”.

Fresh invitations to Sajith, Thalatha

Following the requests made by a few senior party members loyal to the Reformist group, the UNP Working Committee on Friday decided to make another request to Sajith Premadasa and Thalatha Athukorale to serve in the party’s leadership council headed by Karu Jayasuriya.

The UNP Leadership Council which met at the Parliamentary Complex on Friday decided that the council’s chairman Karu will make another formal request from the duo, who have refused to take up the appointments made by UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Meanwhile, the pro-UNP Eksath Bikkhu Peramuna, while indicating its displeasure over parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa’s refusal to be part of the UNP Leadership Council, accused Sajith of having caused the biggest damage to the party.

“It was he who is causing the biggest damage to the UNP by joining with certain media institutions. The party will decide on the Sajith factor at the UNP convention on December 21,” Eksath Jathika Bhikku Peramuna Secretary Ven. Thiniyawala Palitha Thera told a news conference last week.

Eksath Bhikku Peramuna Secretary Ven. Bopitiye Dhammissara Thera said they proposed the formation of the Leadership Council with lots of loving kindness and vision with the intention of saving and strengthening the party.

“The Leadership Council has the full support of the people and the party. If Premadasa decides not to be a part of the leadership council then he will have to suffer the negative consequences,” the Thera said.

Police clear Mahindananda

The Police last week cleared Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage of the allegation levelled against him by his wife – that he was trying to harm her.

Issuing a special statement, the Police Media Unit said that, consequent on a letter to the IGP, from the wife of the minister, Asha Aluthgamage, accusing the Sports Minister of trying to harm her and saying that her life was under threat, a special police investigation had been launched. It said no substantial evidence had been found to confirm the allegation.

“Following investigations, it was found that Minister Aluthgamage had not made any threat to his wife Asha Aluthgamage directly or indirectly – over the telephone or in any other way,” the statement said.

Parliament proceedings open to all

There have been divergent views on the conduct of some MP in the Parliament and many said the public should know how their representatives conduct at the Legislature. Unwarranted language and mud-signing campaigns have been the order of the day at some instances with some Opposition parliamentarians descending to the lowest levels.

There has been long debate whether to give live telecast of the Parliament proceedings.

Arrangements have been made since recently to show the live feed of the Parliament proceedings to a giant screen near the Parliament grounds. Later, the state-run Peo TV allocated a special channel to give the live telecast of the Parliament proceedings.

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa making an announcement in Parliament on Friday said obtaining prior permission for the public to visit Parliament is no longer required.

He said this was agreed at the Party Leaders’ Meeting held on Thursday. The Speaker said any interested person can now visit Parliament and listen to the debates from the Public Gallery without obtaining prior written approval from the Sergeant-at-Arms. He said the visitors will be admitted to Parliament after the normal security checks.

It was a good move to allow public to witness the Parliament proceedings as they have a right to know what their representative discuss at the highest policy making body of the country.

Meanwhile, the Speaker visited Lake House (ANCL) on Friday evening to attend the issue of a special supplement to mark the 104th anniversary of Dinamina .

Sponsored by the Sangamiththa Shraddhakara Foundation – the Sangamith Pooja was officially launched at the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL) with Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa as the chief guest.

The first copy of the Sangamith Pooja supplement was presented to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa by ANCL Chairman and Managing Director Bandula Padmakumara.

ANCL Director Editorial Seelarathna Senarath said in his welcome speech that the Sangamith Pooja supplement will be issued free with the Dinamina, which celebrates its 104th anniversary on December 17.

Dinamina Chief Editor Gamini Jayalath while welcoming the Speaker said that this is the first time in the history of ANCL, that a Speaker of the House had visited Lake House. The wife of the Speaker, Chandra Rajapaksa, Southern Province Governor Kumari Balasooriya,Western Provincial Councillor Hector Bethmage, Ranaviru Seva Authority Chairperson Padma Veththewa, ANCL Director Operations and Coordinating Secretary to the President Upul Dissanayake and ANCL Director Legal Rasanga Harischandra were also present at the launch.

Maithri’s New Year present

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena is planning to give a memorable new year gift to the health sector. The New Drug Policy Bill formulated on the basis of Prof. Senaka Bibile Drug Policy will be presented to Parliament early next year.

Winding up the Committee Stage debate on the Health Ministry, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena told the House on Friday that once the Bill is passed the policy will be implemented with immediate effect.

He reminded the House that the price control of drugs was withdrawn by the UNP regime -- and the government intends to reintroduce a price control policy from January 2014.

“The Compilation of the Bill to facilitate the National Drug Policy is 99 per cent complete. The Tamil translation is now in progress,” he added.

Responding to criticism levelled against his Ministry, Minister Sirisena said that the Auditor General’s report for year 2012 has commended the status of the health service in the country. Sri Lanka has an excellent health service in relative terms, he said.

He also reminded the House that although the Hambanthota District UNP MP Sajith Premadasa levelled many baseless allegations against the health sector, it was the present regime that took steps to uplift health facilities in that district, which Sajith Premadasa as Deputy Minister of Health could not do then.

Mandela funeral today

Ten days of mourning for South Africa's anti-apartheid icon and former leader Nelson Mandela will come to an end today with his state funeral. After Tuesday's vibrant, if rain-drenched, memorial service, followed by three days of public viewing of the former president's casket in Pretoria, the burial will be a slightly more private affair.

About 100,000 people have paid homage to Mandela in those three days, including 50,000 who came to pay their respects Friday.

A military plane carrying Mandela's body took off yesterday from an air force base in Pretoria headed for South Africa's Eastern Cape province, where Mandela's ancestral village of Qunu lies. The family farm there will be his final resting place.

President Jacob Zuma and other members of South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, gathered to bid Mandela farewell from the air force base. “We will miss him. He was our leader in a special time,” said Zuma. Mandela's casket, draped in the national flag, was carried by soldiers to the plane.

On arrival at Mthatha Airport, the closest to Qunu, the casket will be placed on a gun carriage, while the national anthem is played and the honor guard presents arms and salutes. Mandela's family will follow the carriage in cars.

Thousands of mourners are expected to line the streets from Mthatha Airport to watch as the military transports Mandela's remains to the remote village where the former leader spent much of his childhood.

Along the way, the procession is expected to pause for prayers to allow ordinary South Africans to pay their respects.

Once at Mandela's house in Qunu, the military will formally pass responsibility for his remains to his family. The South African flag draped over the coffin will be replaced with a traditional blanket of the Xhosa people, symbolizing the return of one of their own.

At dusk today, ANC leaders, local chiefs and the men in Mandela's family are expected to gather for a private night vigil, held according to the traditions of the Thembu community, his native clan, before a public funeral the next day. Villagers may gather outside the house to pay their respects.

Foreign leaders were encouraged to attend Tuesday's memorial service in Johannesburg.

Nonetheless, dozens of international dignitaries are expected to make their way to the Eastern Cape for Mandela's funeral.

The airport in East London, south of Qunu, will be used for their arrival and departure, with access closely controlled. Notable figures thought to be on the guest list include former US President Bill Clinton and his family, Britain's Prince Charles and TV talk-show host Oprah Winfrey.