Actresses’ battle in the South

Politicians will be able to deviate from their normal day-to-day events in the festive season as Parliament concluded its sittings for the year with the third and final reading of the Budget 2014 on Friday.

The third reading of the Budget 2014 was passed in Parliament with a majority of 95 votes with 155 votes in favour and 60 against. The UNP, DNA and TNA voted against. The third reading of the 2014 commenced on December 4 and it came to an end on Friday with the debate on the expenditure heads of the Finance and Planning Ministry.

President in Parliament

President Mahinda Rajapaksa too attended Parliament on the final day. The President, wrapping up the 24-day budget debate, said Sri Lanka’s debt-to-GDP ratio had now declined to 75 percent from around 80 percent last year. The government aims to reduce the debt to 65 percent of GDP by 2016.

The government aims to cut the 2014 fiscal deficit to an ambitious 5.2 percent of GDP, its lowest since 1977, from an estimated 5.8 percent this year, the level the government committed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which fully disbursed a $2.6 billion loan in July last year. Sri Lanka targets over 7.5 percent annual economic growth in each of the next three years from this year’s revised down target of a minimum 7.2 percent.

The new session of the Parliament for 2014 will commence next month under the patronage of the President for a ceremonial sitting.

The holiday mood of politicians will be disturbed with the news that the Western and Southern Provincial Councils will be dissolved within the next couple of weeks. Unconfirmed sources said that the two Provincial Councils will be dissolved on December 28 and that the elections to these two councils would be held in March next year.

The President had informed the UPFA Executive Committee on Wednesday night that the two councils would be dissolved by end of this month and requested it to get ready for the polls. Minister Susil Premajayantha had previously informed Parliament that two councils would be dissolved within the next two or three weeks to conduct early elections.

The news that the 2014 would commence with two Provincial Council elections seems to have disturbed many Opposition politicians. However, the main Opposition party – the UNP, made an early move by attracting a popular actress Nadeesha Hemamalee to resurrect the party which has been struggling to settle its internal power struggles.

Nadeesha Hemamalee joins UNP

Nadeesha, who is popular as a talented actress and tele drama producer, plans to contest the Southern Provincial Council elections on the UNP ticket. She handed over her application to UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake last week and it was accepted by the party.

Having made her debut in Katu Kurullo over a decade ago, Nadeesha was voted the most popular tele actress at Sumathi tele awards. She shot to fame with several popular tele dramas and films such as Tharuka Mal and Julia. She also produced the much acclaimed tele serial Ethkanda Lihini. Nadeesha made her debut in Tollywood, the Telugu cinema, recently by playing a pivotal role in the movie, Mr. Rascal

Nadeesha, who is set to contest the elections to the Southern Provincial Council on the UNP ticket, immediately got a position in the UNP’s youth wing. She received her letter of appointment as a UNP Youth Front Coordinator from Youth Front President and UNP MP Ruwan Wijeywardene.

Immediately after joining the UNP, actress Nadeesha threw a challenge to the two experienced UPFA beauty queens – veteran actresses Geetha Kumarasinghe and former Miss Sri Lanka and popular actress Anarkali Aakarsha. Nadeesha boasted that they would not be a challenge to her.

“I will not consider them as a challenge. It is the people who are a challenge to me. What is important is for people to accept me,” she was quoted as saying.

However, she had evaded a question about her views on land and police powers as laid down in the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, saying that she would do so during her first election campaign meeting.

Nadeesha has said that she would not consider the leadership struggle in the UNP as a big issue, adding that she believes in respecting the leaders as a matter of policy and that she would expect the support of both UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sajith Premadasa for her election campaign.

Geetha’s political dream

Meanwhile, Bentara-Elpitiya UPFA chief organiser Geetha Kumarasinghe had said that she plans to contest the upcoming Southern Provincial Council (SPC) election with the sole motive of becoming its chief minister. But the UPFA has not taken any decision on this matter.

“A provincial council membership is nothing to me. I don’t need to strive to become a mere council member,” she was quoted as saying. She said that some provincial figures within the party had tried to disrupt her political campaign fearing her prospective victory at the upcoming provincial council election.

Commenting on the protest held by a provincial councillor and several Pradeshiya Sabha members demanding the removal of Geetha from her Bentara-Elpitiya organizer post, she said that she was appointed by the President and no one could expel her.

“How can a provincial councillor ask me to go? Only those who have not done anything to the people are behind these unsuccessful campaigns. They fear that I would certainly win the SPC elections. Those who protest against me don’t have the support of the people. People need me so much that some have even told me that they are prepared to die for me”, she told media.

Why Madhumadawa resigned?

There are different stories doing rounds on the resignation of popular singer Madhumadhawa Aravinda from his seat in the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).

But the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) said Madhumadhawa, who represents the JHU in the Colombo Municipal Council, resigned from the CMC last week on a party decision that he should contest the upcoming elections to the Western Provincial Council (WPC) from the Gampaha district.

JHU spokesman Nishantha Sri Warnasinha, commenting on Madhumadhawa’s resignation, said it came in the wake of the party deciding that he contest the elections to the Western PC.

“However he could have contested the election while remaining as a municipal councillor, but it is not ethical to do so because he was elected to the CMC by voters in Colombo,” Warnasinha was quoted as saying.

Asked whether Madhumadhawa would contest the election on the JHU ticket or the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) ticket, he said that would have to be decided by the party in due course.

Meanwhile, Upcountry People's Front (UPF) member and former Deputy Minister P. Radhakrishnan had joined with the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) today along with 10 UPF members.

He was later appointed as the Deputy Leader of the CWC by its General Secretary Arumugan Thondaman. Party sources said that Radhakrishnan would contest the Western Provincial Council Chief Ministerial post in the upcoming election on CWC ticket. He was the Deputy Minister of Vocational and Technical Training in 2006.

Bitter lesson for rebel LG heads

The SLFP on Thursday decided to remove all SLFP Local Government members who have voted to defeat budgets of UPFA controlled LG Councils from their posts with immediate effect, General Secretary of the SLFP Maithripala Sirisena said.

He added that all errant PS members would be served with show-cause notices and they would never be appointed to any local government position hereafter.

The filling of vacancies including that of chairman and deputy chairman posts would only from among those who voted for the budget, he said.

“This is a serious matter and those members have acted against the party guidelines and instructions of the party chief, President Rajapaksa.

Therefore, those who voted against the budgets will be strictly dealt with,” he added.

The President, at an UPFA Central Committee meeting, had warned LG members who harm party for petty individual differences.

Meanwhile, the Colombo High Court last week granted permission to parliamentarian Duminda Silva to go abroad for a month from Jan 6, 2014 for medical treatment, his lawyer said.

Sajith missing in action?

Hambantota District parliamentarian and former UNP deputy leader Sajith Premadasa appeared to be ‘missing in action’ last week.

He seemed to be evading other UNP front liners and had even switched his mobile phone.

UNP’s Leadership Council Chairman Karu Jayasuriya had been making desperate attempts to locate Sajith but found his mobile phone switched off. Karu was trying to invite Sajith to attend Friday’s leadership Council meeting.

When Karu found his efforts unsuccessful, he sent an SMS, requesting Sajith to attend the leadership Council meeting. But neither Sajith nor Thalatha Athukorale attended the Friday’s meeting. Though Sajith has gone missing, his name has been mentioned by various UNP seniors. Karu insists that Sajith should serve under him in the party’s leadership council. Kabir Hashim too shares similar views.

Colombo District UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake suggests that Sajith should be the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the Southern PC.

Ravi adds that he too would contest the Western PC as the UNP’s chief ministerial candidate if Sajith does likewise in the South.

Four resolutions passed at UNP convention

He urged Sajith to take over the leadership of the Southern Province and pose a challenge to the Government at the upcoming Provincial Council Elections.

“We are having discussions with all political parties on the possibility of contesting the upcoming provincial council elections as a common opposition. The confidence which had eroded in the past is gaining momentum again. Hence, I urge Sajith Premadasa to take on the leadership of the Hambantota District while I take on the leadership of the Colombo district and let’s pose a challenge to this corrupt regime and send it home rather than wasting time fighting among ourselves,” Karunanayke was quoted as saying.

Matara District UMP parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera is another who is challenging Sajith to contest the SPC as the party’s chief ministerial candidate and prove his winning ability. Having heard all those demands, Colombo District UNP MP Sujeewa Senasinghe insists that Sajith should be made the party leader if there is so much demand for the former deputy leader.

Amidst all those developments, the UNP held its 55th annual Convention at Sirikotha yesterday. Sajith came out of his hiding to attend the Convention but was on a low profile without uttering a word. So was Thalatha. Ranil’s loyalists made sure that Sajith did not get a speech at the convention so that the presence of the rebel MP would go unnoticed.

Four proposals including the setting up of a leadership council, which were presented at Saturday’s UNP convention, were unanimously approved.

Setting up of a new mechanism to bring the party into a victorious path, scrapping of executive presidency, urging the government to provide relief to the people by stopping corruption and wastage and setting up a government which provides relief to the people are among the proposals which were approved at the UNP Convention.

UNP parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake said he was prepared to contest the elections to the Western Provincial Council (WPC).

Meanwhile, the UNP Leadership Council would continue its activities towards strengthening the party without waiting for Parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa to join the Leadership Council, its member and spokesman Kabir Hashim had said.

“Sajith Premadasa keeps refusing to join the party’s Leadership Council and he was also unable to give a reason for the refusal. Although we are trying to get him on board we cannot postpone the duties and responsibilities. Therefore, we will continue Leadership Council duties,” he told a news conference on Wednesday.

Punchinilame cleared

Deputy Minister Susantha Punchinilame has been cleared of all charges in the Nalanda Ellawala murder trial at Ratnapura High Court last week.

Susantha Punchinilame, former minister I.K. Mahinda Rathnatillaka, Kodikaraarachchige Punyapala, Sisira Kumara Weerasekara, Wickramasingha Perera and K.A. Upali were indicted on the charges of gunning down MP Nalanda Sampath Ellawala and Constable T.M. Jayasena on February 11, 1997 in Kuruwita.

The Deputy Minister and the three others were cleared of all charges by the court.

MPs team beat Ministers

The annual cricket encounter between the Ministers’ team and the MPs’ team for the Speaker’s challenge trophy is now a much looked forward to event in the political character. The limited over match was played at the Sports Ministry grounds in Torrington last Sunday.

Though the two teams were scheduled to wear coloured clothing for the T20 match – light blue and dark blue, some of the UNP parliamentarians dragged their petty party political to the playing field too, refusing to wear the blue color as it is the party colour of the SLFP.

Hence, the organisers got down white T-shirts from the Youth Services Council for the MP’s team led by UNP’s Colombo District MP Ravi Karunanayake. Interestingly, his deputy was Namal Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s national rugby captain.

Though Sri Lanka’s World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga was scheduled to lead the parliamentarians’ team, he was unable to do so. But members of the Ministers’ team said they too did not include former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya in their team as the MPs’ team did not have the services of Arjuna. Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage led the Ministers’ team.

Batting first, the Ministers’ team scored 198 runs in their allotted 20 overs with a fluent half century by Indika Bandaranayake. But an explosive knock of 89 runs by Kurunegala District UNP MP, Nalin Bandara, who succeeded Dayasiri Jayasekera the new Chief Minister of the North Western Province, helped the MPs team to reach the target with four wickets in hand.

Namal Rajapaksa who captured three wickets in one over was adjudged the best bowler while Indika’s explosive 54 won him the best batsman’s award. UNP;s Harin Fernando was also among the award winners.

The members of the ministers’ team gave various reasons for their defeat. They said Sanath, after a foreign tour, was to get down from Katunayake BIA to play fir their team but had accidentally gone to Mattala MRIA. Ravi Karunanayake threw a party to his team mates and others after the MPs’ team won the Speaker’s challenge trophy.

Speaker warns MPs

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa warned Members of Parliament that they should be cautious in choosing their words ‘in a manner not to insult other members’, as the proceedings in Parliament are telecast live to the public.

“But the present situation is being misused by members who deliberately malign other MPs to mislead the public, making use of the fact that proceedings are now telecast live,” he told the Parliament on Friday.

The Speaker also stated that if the members were not careful enough, a remedy will have to be conceived in this regard.

The Speaker made these observations when Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella requested the Speaker to pay attention to the fact that UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake made false and defamatory statements about him in Parliament on December 17.

The minister raising a privilege issue requested that provision be made enabling members to go before Court against another member when the latter makes false and defamatory statements misusing the Parliamentary privileges, as the content is telecast live.

He added that members who are not disciplined, misuse the decision taken by the Speaker to provide live telecasts of Parliamentary proceedings for the benefit of the people.