Harin concedes defeat?

Will I suffer the same fate as Ranjan Ramanayake? This could well be the question that perturbs Badulla District MP Harin Fernando after he resigned from Parliament last week to become UNP's chief ministerial candidate for Uva Provincial Council elections.

It is still fresh in political circles how actor turned politician Ranjan Ramanayake resigned from Parliament to contest the last North Central Provincial Council elections. The UNP thought that he could use the celluloid hero's popularity among cinema fans to win the Provincial Council elections. The UNP's artificial media campaign gave a wrong picture to the voters that Ranjan was top of the pops.

But it ultimately turned a cropper as the UNP lost the PC election, shattering Ranjan's dream of becoming the Chief Minister. He ultimately ended as the Opposition Leader of the Provincial Council, thus failing to add more value to his resignation from the Parliament.

Harin is now undergoing many anxious moments, daydreaming of becoming the Chief Minister of Uva Provincial Council. Another defeat for the UNP is inevitable under the shaky leadership of Ranil Wickremesinghe, assuring Harin the post of Opposition leader of the next Uva Provincial Council.

Harin resigned from the Parliament last week and handed over the nominations for the Uva Provincial Council elections scheduled for September 20 as the UNP's chief ministerial candidate.

Prior to his resignation, Harin mading his final speech in Parliament said that he had taken a “historic decision in the greater interests” of the party and his voters in the Badulla District.

“It is a hard decision to resign from this House and contest the Provincial Council elections as an opposition member. It is an easy task for a ruling party member. On one occasion an opposition member resigned from Parliament but that was to contest an election on the government ticket. That is an easy decision. But, I am taking a serious and difficult decision,” he said apparently referring to the resignation of Dayasiri Jayasekara from the House as a UNP MP to contest the election on the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) ticket.

Political observers pointed out that Harin's losing mentality was evident from his speech alone - that resigning from Parliament to contest Provincial Council elections on the UPFA ticket is an easy decision and doing the same to contest on the UNP ticket is a hard decision.

On Friday, K. Velayudhan was sworn in by the Deputy Speaker as a Member of Parliament to fill the vacancy in the Badulla District seat following the resignation of Harin.

Supreme Court ruling on PC Act

Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council C.V. Wigneswaran has been acting as a cry baby from the day he was elected to the post with the support of former Tiger proxy TNA. When Chief Ministers of all other provinces are rendering a yeoman service to the people in their areas, Wigneswaran has hardly done anything for the people in the North.

All what he has done since his election was clashing with state officials, boycotting official functions in the area and pointing an accusing finger for the simplest thing. He even mixed up his role with that of the Chief Secretary in the North and overstepping the boundaries of a Chief Minister.

But the Supreme Court on Monday ruled that only the National Public Service Commission (PSC) can issue circulars on the Provincial Council Chief Secretary, who is an officer under the National PSC.

The bench comprising Chief Justice Mohan Peiris and Justices K. Sri Pawan and Rohini Marasinghe made this observation on the fundamental rights petition filed by Northern Province Chief Secretary Vijayalakshmi Ramesh challenging a circular issued by Northern Province Chief Minister Wigneswaran. Vijayalakshmi, in her petition, alleged that the Chief Minister’s interference with her employment and his bid to remove her from office by a circular issued.

The SC observed that the National PSC can issue circulars on officers who are attached to it while the Provincial PSC can issue circulars to officers attached to the Provincial Public Service Commission. SC said Ms. Ramesh came under the National PSC. The SC also stated that for the effective functioning of the Province all parties concerned must act in a spirit harmony.

Rajitha to take legal action

Minister Rajitha Senaratne said last week that he would institute legal action against BBS General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera claiming Rs.1 billion as damages over allegations made by him.

“I met the President and he told me that this was not an attack on me but rather a conspiracy against the government through a clear ploy of the accusers liaising with Norway. I have decided to sue the BBS Secretary for one billion rupees and the President’s Counsel I retained said that he would do it with great pleasure,” Senaratne was quoted as saying.

Rajitha said all the information gathered by BBS General Secretary in making the accusations were false and unreliable because it was gathered from one Mohamed Haniffa Omar Farook who had been terminated from the Fisheries Ministry.

“All the information he has used has come from Omar who was terminated in December 2011 for perpetrating fraud.”

Rajitha added that such a poorly orchestrated conspiracy was evident when considering an affidavit filed by the Chairman of the Norwegian Liberal Party, which illustrated Ven. Gnanasara Thera’s erratic attitudes.

“The affidavit states that Ven. Gnanasara Thera, thus far a staunch critic of Norway, who even burnt Norwegian flags is now looking for reconciliation in the post war era. This clearly depicts his wavered behaviour which gives rise to suspicion of a conspiracy”

After categorically dissecting each allegation brought against him by the BBS, Rajitha said there was no room for extremist organisations either Buddhist, Muslim or otherwise which would lead to the erosion of the country.

Ranil's double standards

UNP National Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is a political leader who has always turned to the West when it came to crucial matters during his tenure as Prime Minister as well as the Opposition Leader. Surprisingly, he is finding fault with the Government over the appointment of foreign experts to advice the Presidential Commission on Missing Persons.

Ranil said last week that there is no need for foreign experts to intervene in Sri Lanka's internal affairs if democracy and an independent judiciary were ensured, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations carried out and the 17th Amendment re-instated.

He said a meeting at which members of foreign diplomatic missions participated was attacked but the government itself had appointed foreign experts to help and advise the Commission on Missing Persons.

“If foreign diplomats had violated any conditions laid down by the Government they should be deported. But the government is not doing so out of fear that those countries will not issue visas to Government members.

The UPFA government is pursuing double standards,” Ranil told a meeting organised by the Political Victimisation Committee last week.

“The government must rescind the appointment of foreign diplomats to the Commission on Missing Persons.

We won’t need this kind of intervention if democracy and an independent judiciary were ensured and LLRC recommendations implemented,” ranil said.

The President has made it clear that the three eminent experts would only function in an advisory capacity. But Ranil attempts to get petty political mileage. It is pity that such remarks comes from a person who had undermined the country's sovereignty by dancing to the melody of Norway in signing the controversial Ceasefire Agreement with the LTTE.

GL briefs Parliament on Palestine issue

External Affairs Minister G.L.Peiris told Parliament on Wednesday that Palestine had never raised any concern with Sri Lanka on its stand regarding the situation in the Gaza strip.

He made this remark in responding to allegations by the Opposition that the government had taken a timid approach without criticising Israel’s aggression which was taking a heavy toll of human lives in the Gaza strip. The Opposition charged that, though the government boasted of espousing the cause of Palestine, it didn’t.

GL said he had met the Palestinian ambassador a couple of days ago. “The Palestine ambassador never raised any concern about Sri Lanka’s stand,” he said. In reference to the Opposition criticism, he said it looked like an attempt to fish in trouble waters.

Responding to the Opposition’s criticism of the local panel probing the cases of missing persons and disappearances, he said the government was never opposed to a local mechanism.

“We were opposed only to an international investigation. We will not kneel down before any powerful nation and compromise the national interests.

During the last stage of the war, the foreign ministers of Britain and France arrived in Sri Lanka and asked the government to stop the military operations forthwith.

However, we did not do it. By the time of their visit, the president was in Embiliptiya. The president, in fact, asked them to come to Embilipitiya to see him.

He even told then British Foreign Minister David Miliband that Sri Lanka was no longer their colony,” the minister was quoted as saying.

Responding to the allegation about the politicisation of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service, he said one could not totally rule out the services rendered by those non-career diplomats.

JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake moved this motion on the performance of the ministry, and charged that its dismal performance and the politicisation of the foreign service had led to the present crisis confronting Sri Lanka in the international arena.

Australia handles asylum seekers’ issue well

With Australia preparing to send 157 Sri Lankan asylum seekers, including 50 children, to India, the Indian government today said it will “certainly welcome back” Indians, if there were any, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson said.

The government said that as for others, it will take a call only after seeing if they are within the ambit of international convention that India has signed and that have been integrated into Indian law.

Noting that this matter has been addressed by the Ministry of Home Affairs twice, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson said that they have indicated that all Indian nationals, if there are any, will certainly be welcomed back.

“If there are any others, who we are bound by international laws, in accordance with our own regulations, we will accept them. That is where we stand,” he told reporters at his weekly press conference. He pointed out that the same applies for other countries who are involved in this. “As far as we are concerned, we have made it clear that as far as all Indian nationals are considered, they are welcome. As regard other nationals, if they are within the ambit of any international convention that India has signed and has integrated into our laws,” his or her plea would be looked into. At this stage we have not reached that process, he added.

Ranking that media missed

Local media and Colombo-based foreign correspondents are quick to respond when Sri Lanka fares poorly in various world rankings on different subjects, prepared mostly by pro-Western organisations.

But there seems to be hardly anybody to spotlight when Sri Lanka fares well in such rankings.

Sri Lanka ranks first among South Asian countries in the latest Rule of Law Index compiled by the World Justice Project’s (WJP) research team, Lalith Weeratunge, President’s Secretary reiterated on Tuesday when the President met media heads at Temple Trees. But only a handful of media had given attention to this achievement.

The President’s Secretary appraised media head of the details of this assessment, and said that the World Justice Project has complied this list under the direction of those such as former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright.

The fleshed out details underscored under honorary Chairmanship of those such as Albright and Jimmy Carter, were: Sri Lanka ranks 48th globally and outperforms its regional peers in most dimensions of the rule of law.

The country also outpaces most lower-middle income countries in several areas, ranking second in delivering effective criminal justice. Control of corruption is relatively effective (ranking 39th globally and first in the region).

The Index stated that order and security is improving worldwide while criminal justice is declining. Out of the eight factors that are reported on in the Index, four improved on average and four deteriorated. The factors that improved were absence of corruption, open government, order and security and regulatory enforcement.

The WJP is an independent, multi-disciplinary organisation working to advance the rule of law around the world. Its Index is the world’s most comprehensive data set of its kind. The World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index looks at 47 outcomes (or sub-factors) organised around nine dimensions (or factors): constraints on government powers; absence of corruption; open government; fundamental rights; order and security; regulatory enforcement; civil justice; criminal justice; and informal justice. The WJP has the support of outstanding leaders representing a range of disciplines around the world.

Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former US President Jimmy Carter, former Ireland President Mary Robinson and South African social rights activist Bishop Desmond Tutu are among the Honorary Chairs of the World Justice Project.

President on foreign advisory comittee

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said last week that the three-member Advisory Committee was appointed following the request of the Presidential Commission Investigating Into Complaints Regarding Missing Persons to advise the Commission.

Answering a question at during his monthly breakfast meeting with media heads at Temple Trees on Tuesday, the President clarified that the 3-member committee is an advisory body and it has no mandate for investigations.

He added that the government is considering the possibility of expanding the Advisory Committee by adding three more members.

External Affairs Minister Prof. G L Peiris said that Sri Lanka rejected outright Clause 10 of the UNHRC resolution which called for investigations into alleged war crimes.

“However, we have agreed to the Clause 2 which called for an internal investigation”, he pointed out.

The Advisory Committee has been accordingly appointed to advise the Commission on Missing Persons. Asked about the possibility of abolishing the Executive Presidency, President Rajapaksa said those who brought that change also could attend to any change. “Who established the Executive Presidency?’ he asked and pointed out that those who introduced it can revise it if necessary. Pointing out that the SLFP did not install a presidential form of government, he said it was wrong to say the Executive Presidency is the cause for all ills today.

Elections when Ranil wants, says President

When asked on restrictions on NGOs, President said “there had been no change in the policy towards the NGOs. “Whenever NGOs register in Sri Lanka, an agreement is signed specifying their mandate. What the government did was to bring that to the notice of the NGOs”. The government plans to revise the NGO regulations and it will be done after a thorough study.

On elections, he said “the elections could be held at any time the Opposition Leader wants it to be held. Asked if the Vatican requested that the elections not be held in January 2015 as Pope Francis is to visit Sri Lanka, President said there was no such request”.

At the end of the media meeting, President Rajapaksa said that a group of senior doctors came in a delegation and urged him to appeal to the media not to sensationalise news of child suicides, especially suicides of school children, as that could result in a suicidal wave due to easily impressionable child mentality.

The President called on media to give thought to this genuine concern.