Sudarshani elucidates Biswal on reconciliation

Around 9,000 people who were affected by recent floods are still in temporary shelters after 24 people had died as a result of the adverse weather conditions during the past week. A total of 114,272 people from 27,948 families were affected by the heavy rains while 10 people had been injured and one reported missing.

About 2,252 families were displaced and temporarily sheltered in 64 camps. Nearly 235 houses were destroyed while 1,566 houses were partially damaged. The Government took prompt action in the relief operation and a grant of Rs. 500,000 will be paid to each of the houses damaged due to landslides and winds.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa appeared to be highly disturbed after the adverse weather played havoc, mainly in Kalutara district. He was up until early hours of Tuesday, closely monitoring the damage and instructing his ministers and officials on relief operations.

A sleepless night for President

It was around three o’clock on Tuesday morning when President called Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe to get the latest update on the damage caused due to rain and floods. “Sir, are you still up?” the minister queried after the call he got from the President’s House at an unusual time.

“How can I sleep peacefully when my people have been displaced due to floods? I want to know their condition and welfare steps taken before I go to bed,” the President told the minister.

Minister Samarasinghe then brief the President on the damage caused due to heavy rain and floods.

“I will instruct the Air Force Commander to send helicopters to rescue those who have been trapped and take them to safe locations. I will also tell the Commanders of the Army and Navy to assist in relief operations. You could also speak to the commanders and co-ordinate the relief operations,” the President instructed the minister, adding that he has also instructed the Minister of Disaster Management Mahinda Amaraweera on relief matters.

“That is excellent Sir, I will also speak to the service Commanders and convey your instructions,” Minister Samarasinghe said.

In less than an hour, the SLAF helicopters came in to action, rescuing people trapped due to floods and providing relief material. Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena, on his return to the country from Kuala Lumpur, went directly to meet the people affected due to floods in Kalutara district. Ministers Kumara Welgama and Nirmala Kotalawala too played a notable role in providing relied to the displaced persons in Kalutara district.

Women parliamentarians in Washington

A ten-member female parliamentary delegation visited Washington last week at the invitation of the US State Department. The delegation, led by Minister Sumedha G. Jayasena, included Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, parliamentarians Dr. Sudharshanie Fernandopulle, Rosy Senanayake, Kamala Ranatunga, Vijaykamala Maheshwaran, Sriyani Wijewickrema, Anoma Gamage and Upeksha Swarnamali.

But the Lankan female parliamentarians encountered an unexpected problem when they arrived at Dulles International Airport in the US capital of Washington. National list MP Kamala Ranatunga was not armed with the official invitation sent by the US State Department for immigration purposes.

A desperate search by Kamala in her hand bang and baggage became unsuccessful and the delegation attempted to convince the US immigration officials who insisted that Kamala must have the official invitation to clear immigration.

As a result, the delegation was held up at the airport for some time. After a lengthy clarification by parliamentarians Rosy Senanayake and Dr. Sudharshani Fernandopulle, the US immigration finally cleared Kamala, a veteran in SLFP politics from Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s era.

Biswal shocked by Sudharshani’s reply

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs in the US Department of State, Nisha Desai Biswal met the Sri Lankan women parliamentarians on the following day. She arrived looking at parliamentarian Kamala and expressed her regret over the delay at the airport. But the rest of the Lankan parliamentarians were surprised how Nisha had identified Kamala out of the lot.

The US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs discussed problems relating to women in Sri Lanka, reconciliation after the dawn of peace and domestic violence against women.

Biswal also questioned about human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

MP Sudharshani appeared to be perturbed by the wild allegations levelled against Sri Lanka. “What haven’t we done to strengthen national reconciliation? We have done everything possible towards those goals,” she said.

“I am a person who is among the worst affected due to LTTE terrorism. None of those who talk about human rights, ever uttered a word of comfort when my husband was assassinated by the terrorists. They did not speak about human rights of me and my children,” Sudharshani said, adding that her husband was brutally assassinated not at an election platform but at a sports event.

Biswal was then keen to know about whom she was talking about – the late Minister Jeyeraj Fernandopulle who was killed due to a LTTE suicide attack at the national marathon race in Weliweriya. Pavithra then explained about the brutal terror attack. Biswal was speechless for a moment and expressed her regret.

Keheliya on timing for Prez polls

Ann early Presidential election has been the hottest topic in political circles over the past few months but the big hue and cry over a so-called common candidate is gradually fading away as the Opposition political parties fight to field their leaders as the common ‘man’.

Cabinet spokesman and Minister Keheliya Rambukwella while stating that a January 2015 Presidential election was “possible,” noted that astrologers had given different auspicious dates and the President would choose the best date.

He told the weekly cabinet news briefing that President Rajapaksa was constitutionally empowered to call a Presidential election after the completion of four years of his six year tenure on November 19 and, therefore, he has the prerogative to call a Presidential election after that day. Asked whether it would be in January, Minister Rambukwella said ’possible’.

Minister Rambukwella also said astrologers had given different auspicious days to conduct the Presidential poll after November 19 and the President would choose the best one. The present second term of the President could go until November 18, 2016 though the Opposition is having daydreams with more than two-and-a-half years left.

Ranil shoots down Harin’s plans

UNP’s Badulla District parliamentarian Harin Fernando has been in high heavens since the Government announced its plans to hold the Uva Provincial Council elections later this year.

He was aspiring to become the UNP’s chief ministerial candidate after resigning from the Parliament.

Though the UNP leadership has not given the green light and the party is set to lose its 30th successive election, Harin has been day-dreaming of becoming the new Chief Minister. He has even laid down a pre-condition that UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and former deputy leader Sajith Premadasa should unite and appear together in stage if he is to resign from the Parliament and contest the forthcoming Uva polls.

Knowing that the future is bleak, Harin set another condition with the intention of returning to Parliament after the imminent defeat of the UNP at the Uva Provincial Council elections.

He met his party leader Ranil last week and requested that he be given a slot in the UNP national list even for a short period. But a politically mature Ranil knew exactly what Harin was dreaming about and immediately rejected the request. Harin then expressed his willingness to abandon Badulla and contest the next general election from Gampaha District, indicating the vacancy created due to the death of Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena.

Though Ranil has not rejected that request, Harin’s possible return to Gampaha will create further problems for the UNP in the district, mainly dominated by the UPFA due to the strong leadership of Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

Dr. Jayalath’s son Kavinda who won a seat in the Western Provincial Council from the Gampaha district is sure to seek nomination from the UNP at the next general elections.

Karu upset after Sajith attends Ranil’s meeting

The UNP parliamentarians and stalwarts met at the Parliamentry Complex last Thursday to discuss the party’s plans for the forthcoming Uva Provincial Council elections.

When Sajith got the invitation from Ranil, calling on him to attend the crucial meeting, the Hambantota district MP did not think twice and responded positively. When Sajith arrived at the meeting, Karu’s faced turned sour as the UNP leadership council chairman did not expect such a turn of events. Karu knew that a Ranil-Sajith reunion would narrow his standing in the party.

As a result, two confidants of Karu have launched a malicious campaign against Ranil in diplomatic circles – an ousted chief editor of an English newspaper and top UNP media wing leader.

The duo has been asked to promote Karu in the diplomatic circles and also to sabotage a possible reunion between Sajith and Ranil. Thus, the due now has embarked on an ambitious mission to promote Karu as the co-called common candidate from the UNP for the next Presidential election.

One wonders whether Karu has a hand in the surprise silence on Ranil’s UNP candidature for the next Presidential election. Ranil’s loyalists have advocated him that there is no meaning in stagnating with Karu and that the UNP leader should reunite with Sajith to strengthen his Presidential polls campaign.

Dinesh clarifies Fonseka’s rank

Former army commander Sarath Fonseka will no more hold the rank he held in the Sri Lanka Army and should not be called general, Parliament was informed last week.

Chief Government Whip Dinesh Gunawardena, said in response to an oral question raised by UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake in the House, that Fonseka was cashiered on August 13, 2010 by a Court Martial, and sentenced by another Court Martial to a prison term of two-and-a-half years on September 29, 2010.

“When an officer is cashiered he is stripped of his rank. When an officer is sentenced to prison he is not eligible for a pension. Thus Mr. Sarath Fonseka is not entitled or to use his former rank of general,” Minister Gunawardena told Parliament.

With regard to Fonseka’s release from prison in May 2012, the minister said that the President had reduced the period of his sentence under the article 34 of the Constitution.

He said case No.5331/2010 which was being heard in the Colombo High Court was the only case pending against Fonseka. Minister Gunawardena said no police or military personnel were persecuted or discharged for assisting or working with Fonseka.

Democrats no obsession of a common candidate

Fonseka’s lust for power is once again proved when he claimed that the UNP and the JVP should accept him as the common candidate of the Opposition at the next Presidential election, as they did in 2010.

But neither the UNP nor the JVP are ready to make the same blunder this time and have rejected Fonseka in toto.

On Wednesday, Fonseka said that his party doesn’t have an obsession of a common candidate to be put forward in an upcoming Presidential election unlike other political parties have.

“We don’t have a common candidate obsession unlike other political parties but we agree that there should be a strong candidate from the Opposition to contest in a Presidential Election,” Fonseka told a news briefing.

Highlighting the party’s National Policy, he said the party was not in favour of abolishing of the Executive presidency completely.

“The powers of the presidency should be curtailed but it should not be abolished,” he said.

He also said holding a public referendum is a more suitable way so that the people could decide whether they want to elect a President or a Prime Minister to govern the country.

Govt rejects Jayalalitha’s lies

Government last week reacted strongly against the genocide remarks made by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jeyaram against the country over the Tamil issue and said it will make formal objections to India over her comments.

“It is very much in keeping with the character of this politician to make wild allegations against Sri Lanka,” the government spokesman and Minister of Information Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters.

He was reacting to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi which carried word “genocide” on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue. She had demanded that India should sponsor a resolution in the United Nations condemning the genocide in Sri Lanka.

“I request that India should sponsor a resolution in the United Nations condemning the genocide in Sri Lanka and to hold to account all those responsible for the genocide and thereby render justice to Tamils in Sri Lanka,” the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had said in the memorandum submitted to the Indian Prime Minister.

“It is very wrong to use words like genocide to describe what happened in Sri Lanka,” Rambukwella said. He said Sri Lanka made formal objections to the Indian government over Jayalalithaa’s comments.

Police powers not acceptable, Modi told Minister of External Affairs Professor G. L. Peiris informed Parliament last week that President Rajapakse has informed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that devolving of police powers to the provincial councils was not acceptable by the Sri Lankan government.

Minister Peiris who was responding to a statement made by Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremsinghe who raised a question on the reports which said the Indian Prime Minister had told President Rajapaksa to work towards bringing about national reconciliation in Sri Lanka, by implementing a solution to the national issue by devolving powers, which went beyond the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

Professor Peiris said President Rajapaksa explained the position of the Sri Lankan government during the bilateral talks with Prime Minister Modi when the former visited Delhi in May this year.

He said the President had also informed the Indian Premier that any solution to the national issue should be deliberated through a Parliamentary Select Committee. The Minister recalled that the same was communicated to Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms Sushma Swaraj when she earlier visited Sri Lanka as the leader of the opposition of Lok Sabha.

PSC calls upon TNA to make submissions

The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), mandated to evolve constitutional proposals, has requested the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to make submissions on its stand if it cannot attend regular sessions, informed sources said.

The government took steps to appoint this PSC last year to evolve political proposals to resolve the national problem with the consensus of all the parties represented in Parliament. However, the main Opposition United National Party (UNP), the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the TNA, as opposition parties, decided not to participate in its sessions, calling it a futile exercise.

The TNA reaffirmed its stand that the government should first talk to it for bipartisan agreement on the appropriate constitutional amendments. The TNA said the proposals agreed on by the government and itself could then be placed before the other parties for consideration.

The government began the PSC sessions despite the absence of the opposition parties. The PSC, headed by Leader of the House Nimal Siripala de Silva, has now asked the opposition parties to make their submissions.

The TNA has asked for a power sharing agreement with the minorities.

A PSC member, who wished to remain anonymous since he was not authorised to speak to the press on the subject, said an invitation had been extended to the TNA to make its submissions.