For the last two months we have seen many social media posters of Harsha for finance minister, Harsha for Prime Minister and now for acting president? Is Harsha de Silva so special? There is no other person than Harsha de Silva? What is his background? What is his experience ?
He has a PhD in economics , worked at DFCC Bank, then ran a research company with his wife and sold it . Then was a consultant. He joined the UNP. The current Prime Minister appointed him to Parliament. His last job was state minister of economic reforms. What were his notable achievements? We like to hear? Please beyond statements, projects public benefited other than the ambulance service ?
Certainly he has the back ground to lead a ministry like finance . When you compare him to the last two finance ministers Basil Rajapakse and Mahinda Rajapaksa, he is certainly a giant. But there are several other people. Notably, London School of Economics graduate and a former Royal College opening batsman Eran Wickramarathne is far better suited according to several observers , having been a former state minister of finance. A top banking professional having worked at NDB, ABN Amro, he was a CEO of a commercial bank earning a six figure salary when he left to join parliament. In the current crisis of debt restructuring and a banking crisis he makes a far better candidate than Harsha de silva. There is also Champaka Ranawake though not finance or economics professional. He is a brilliant product of Moratuwa University.
It is only the top students who enter this university, There is also Sajith Premadasa, therefore talking theory is one, doing and getting results is another. We do not wish to get into analyzing Harsha de Silva’s statements. All 225 politicians are seen today as jokers by the public. So instead of making statements just to get his picture in the media. It is best to help the country in this huge crisis or shut up with out frightening the International community to stop funding the humanitarian programs.
Because whilst the politicians play their games for sound bites, the petrol queues are getting longer and longer . People are not fortunate like the MPs to get their fuel outside the main system. Together we can come out of this crisis. Or will perish for ever, ruining the lives of the young generation and those not born.
It is reported that 40 state ministers will be appointed after the completion of the cabinet.
The President has decided to give a majority of state ministerial posts to the SLPP, which has a majority in the current government. The group of 10 parties as well as the group of parliamentarians who are independent of the SLPP will be given state ministerial posts.
In addition, several members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and several members of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya will be given state ministerial posts.
Secretaries to state ministries will also be appointed and it has been decided to gazette the subjects belonging to those ministries.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stability and National Policies.
The Premier took oaths before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, at the President’s House in Colombo this morning as the 39th Finance Minister of independent Sri Lanka. Secretary to the President Gamini Senarath was also present at this occasion.
He has taken a gigantic task of riding over the present economic crisis coupled with social unrest and public protests as result of dwindling foreign reserves, shortage of fuel gas and food as wellas economic crisis triggered by the mismangement of fiscal affairs and short sighted policy implementation.
He is a versatile politician with wide knowledge and strategic thinking and a national list MP from the United National Party .
He has been the leader of the UNP since 1994. Earlier he served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1993 to 1994, 2001 to 2004, 2015 to 2015,[1] 2015 to 2018 and 2018 to 2019 and has served as opposition leader from 1994 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2015..
The World Bank says it completely rejects reports that a final agreement has been reached to provide credit facilities to Sri Lanka. The World Bank said in a statement that no such agreement had been reached.
The World Bank emphasizes that loans can be provided only if they are satisfied with the introduction of a set of appropriate economic policies, and no concessions can be made until then.
However, the World Bank is considering using the loans and assistance provided in the past for various purposes to cover essential expenses. It says it will advise the Sri Lankan government to use the money to buy essential medicines and provide financial assistance to the poor.
The World Bank expresses its concern over the plight of the people of Sri Lanka and will continue to work with the International Monetary Fund to bring about economic stability in Sri Lanka.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says that expenditure has to be cut in all sectors except education and health. The Prime Minister says that the economic crisis cannot be faced without that.
In an interview with Reuters, the Prime Minister stated that he was ready to present an interim budget within the next six weeks. He says that the interim budget will include proposals to provide relief to the people in the next two years and the implementation of infrastructure projects will have to be suspended.
Wickremasinghe states that inflation will cross 40% in the next few months, pointing out that public protests will also increase in comparison.
He said that he would have to seek the assistance of friendly countries to prevent a food shortage and that he would meet with the Chinese Ambassador next week to discuss obtaining assistance from the Chinese Government.
Pointing out that the government is facing not only a dollar crisis but also a rupee crisis, the Prime Minister says that the government does not receive revenue even in rupees. “As a result, at least a trillion rupees will have to be printed,” he told Reuters.
Think the global fertilizer shortage is someone else’s problem? Take a look in the mirror. If you are reading this in North America, Europe, Latin America, or Asia, chances are that the bundle of amino acids staring back at you is alive today because of chemical fertilizers.
In fact, according to noted Canadian energy researcher Vaclav Smil, two-fifths of humanity –more than three billion people—are alive because of nitrogen fertilizer, the main ingredient in the Green Revolution that supercharged the agricultural sector in the 1960s. The chemical fertilizer trifecta that tripled global grain production—nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K)—enabled the greatest human population growth the planet has ever seen. Now, it is in short supply, and farmers, fertilizer companies, and governments around the globe are scrambling to avert a seemingly inevitable tumble in crop yields.
“I’m not sure it’s possible any more to avoid a food crisis,” says World Farmers’ Organization President Theo de Jager. “The question is how wide and deep it will be. Most importantly, farmers need peace. And peace needs farmers.”
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was a body blow to an industry that has been hammered by various events for more than a year. Russia typically exports nearly 20 percent of the world’s nitrogen fertilizers and, combined with its sanctioned neighbor Belarus, 40 percent of the world’s exported potassium, according to analysts at Rabobank. Most of that is now off limits to the world’s farmers, thanks to Western sanctions and Russia’s recent fertilizer export restrictions…
An 18-year-old gunman has killed at least 19 children at a primary school in the US state of Texas, officials said, in the deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade and the latest gruesome moment for a country scarred by a string of mass shootings.
The death toll also included two adults, authorities said. Governor Greg Abbott said one of the two was a teacher.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, Abbott said an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a small community about 80km (50 miles) west of San Antonio.
Abbott said the gunman was killed, apparently by police officers responding to the scene.
“The shooter was … an 18-year-old male who resided in Uvalde. It is believed that he abandoned his vehicle and entered into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde with a handgun and he may have also had a rifle, but that is not yet confirmed,” the governor said.
Uvalde Memorial Hospital had said on Facebook earlier on Tuesday that 13 children had been transferred there for treatment. It said two people were deceased on arrival.
Gun violence has been a problem across the US for decades, drawing condemnation and calls for tougher restrictions, especially in the aftermath of mass shootings at schools.
The US reported 19,350 firearm homicides in 2020, up nearly 35 percent compared with 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest data.
The country has seen 212 mass shootings so far this year, according to a tally by the Gun Violence Archive, a US non-profit that defines a mass shooting as any incident in which four or more people are shot or killed, not including the attacker.
The shooting in Uvalde drew condemnation and sorrow on social media, as well as renewed calls for action to stem gun violence in the US.
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“We live in a society where power absolutely refuses to protect our children. How many more kids have to die before power makes radical changes to these horrific conditions?” US author and professor Ibram X Kendi wrote on Twitter.
“We are a broken nation, full of violence. It’s just sickening to think that kids who went to school this morning will not come back home tonight,” said University of Pennsylvania professor Anthea Butler.
A school employee talks through the window of a school bus to one of the parents near the scene of the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022 [Marco Bello/Reuters]
The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) tweeted that “all district and campus activities, after-school programs, and events are canceled” following the deadly attack.
In a news conference shared on Facebook, UCISD police chief Pete Arredondo said the incident began at approximately 11:32am local time (16:32 GMT) at Robb Elementary School. He said the school has students in grades two, three and four.
“I can confirm right now that we have several injuries, adults and students, and we do have some deaths. The suspect is deceased,” Arredondo said. “At this point, the investigation is leading to tell us that the suspect did act alone during this heinous crime.”
He added that officials were notifying affected families.
Meanwhile, in Washington, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden had been briefed “on the horrific news” in Texas.
“His prayers are with the families impacted by this awful event, and he will speak this evening when he arrives back at the White House,” Jean-Pierre tweeted. Biden had been in Japan and South Korea on his first tour of the region since taking office in January of last year.
The US president has denounced mass shootings as a “national embarrassment” and promised to enact stricter gun regulations. But Biden faces an uphill battle against gun lobby groups and legislators who are opposed to more restrictive gun laws.
Last month, Biden unveiled a new US Department of Justice rule that he said would crack down on the prevalence of so-called “ghost guns” – privately-made firearms without serial numbers that law enforcement agencies find at crime scenes. At the same time, he urged Congress “to do its job” and pass budget allocations and other legislation to reduce gun crime.
There were 61 “active shooter” incidents in the US in 2021, according to newly released FBI data – a 52 percent increase from the previous year and the highest on record.
The school shooting in Uvalde is the latest in a string of deadly acts of gun violence over the past two weeks in the US.
A gunman attacked a grocery store in a predominantly Black neighbourhood of Buffalo, New York, on May 14, killing 10 people in what investigators say was a racist hate crime. In California that same weekend, a man opened fire on Taiwanese-American church congregants, killing one man.
“In the last two weeks, at least 23 people have lost their lives in mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and now Uvalde, Texas,” Houston mayor Sylvester Turner said in a statement.
“Congress must act, and governors and state legislators must pass rasonable gun control legislation. The voters must demand it from their representatives. How many more children must lose their lives from senseless gun violence?”
Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds, reporting from Los Angeles, said the Uvalde shooter’s motive remained unknown.
“There may be no why,” Reynolds said. “But we know that Uvalde is now in the same grim roll of names as Parkland, Florida, and El Paso and Sutherland Springs, Texas, and so many other towns and cities in the United States that have been ripped apart by gun violence.”
USAID Administrator Samantha Power has assured Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe USAID support.
USAID Spokesperson Rebecca Chalif said that Power held a call with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to discuss how USAID is responding to the country’s political and economic crises.
Administrator Power expressed her sympathy for those Sri Lankans who were killed or injured in the political unrest earlier this month.
She pledged her support to the people of Sri Lanka and committed that USAID would help the country weather the crisis. She stressed the need to urgently undertake political and economic reforms to gain the trust of the Sri Lankan people.
Administrator Power underscored that USAID is pivoting its ongoing programs in Sri Lanka to help address the urgent needs of Sri Lanka’s most vulnerable and marginalized communities as they experience the economic shocks, compounded by rising food, fuel and fertilizer prices due to Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine.
Administrator Power assured the Prime Minister that USAID would closely work with other donors such as the IMF, the World Bank, G7, and others to support Sri Lanka during this extraordinarily difficult period.
The United Kingdom (UK) has encouraged all sides in Sri Lanka to find a democratic and inclusive approach to resolving the current political and economic challenges.
rliamentary Under-Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the UK, Vicky Ford, said that the UK is closely following the situation in Sri Lanka since the attacks against peaceful protesters on 9 May and outbreaks of violence that followed.
She said that the Minister for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has made clear that violence against peaceful protestors is unacceptable and that those responsible for attacks should be held accountable.
“Fundamental rights including the right to peaceful protest must be protected. We encourage all sides to find a democratic and inclusive approach to resolving the current political and economic challenges,” she told the UK Parliament in response to a question raised.
Vicky Ford said the UK Government takes the safety and security of British nationals overseas seriously, and regularly communicates through travel advice and messaging from the British High Commission in Colombo.
“Our advice helps British nationals to make informed decisions. Travel advice is advisory only and people must take personal responsibility for any trips they make abroad. Our travel advice remains under constant review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks,” she said.
Vicky Ford said that consular staff continue to provide a full range of consular services to British nationals in Sri Lanka.
The World Health Organization (WhO) has assured its fullest support for Sri Lanka to come out of the ongoing medical crisis.
The organization has also agreed to provide USD 2 million to the island nation as a part of the initial phase of this assistance program.
This was conveyed by WHO Representative to Sri Lanka, Dr. Alaka Singh who called on Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The meeting took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in Colombo earlier today (May 24).
Dr. Singh has said she is confident that Sri Lanka would be able to resolve the medicine shortage by July or August based on the new health program implemented by the current government.
She further stated that the WHO is committed to improving the nutritional needs of infants and expecting mothers.
The prime minister has appreciated the support extended by the World Health Organization for improving the health standards of Sri Lanka.
Chairperson of the special committee appointed by the Prime Minister to propose measures to alleviate the shortage of medicines Ruwan Wijewardena, Secretary to the Prime Minister Saman Ekanayake and Medical Technical Services Director of the Ministry of Health Dr. Anwar Hamdani were present at the meeting.
A health sector trade union affirmed that Sri Lanka’s State-run hospitals are running out of essential medicine and medical equipment while the shortage threatens a major health crisis due to a possible medicine supply chain collapse.
Sri Lanka imports 80 per cent of its medicines, but a severe shortage of dollars due to the ongoing economic crisis has led to a shortage of essential drugs and importers are struggling to meet the demand in the country.
The Ministry of Health is also facing difficulties in importing the necessary medicine creating a drug shortage in state-run hospitals and pharmacies, forcing hospitals to limit the medications for only for immediate and essential cases.
Tenders have been called from the Indian suppliers by the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) to obtain a list of essential medical supplies given by the Medical Supply Division (MSD) of the Ministry of Health, officials say.
The Indian Credit Line only allows the Government to purchase medicine and leaves private medicine suppliers to struggle to import essential drugs.
An industry representative said that the private sector drug supply to the market has fallen more than 30 per cent due to the dollar shortage.
The UN has issued a policy memorandum with key measures to support macro-economic stabilisation and debt sustainability, to support the new administration headed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe.
The UN Resident Coordinator. Hanaa Singer-Hamdy has assured the fullest support of the UN to the Sri Lankan government in securing international assistance in addressing the shortages of essential supplies and also the concerns relating to issues such as unemployment and malnutrition.
She stated that the UN would make a multi-sectoral appeal in this regard. She thanked the foreign minister for regular engagements and briefings and assured that the UN would continue its cooperation with the government of Sri Lanka.
The severe economic crisis in Sri Lanka shows no signs of ending any time soon, with the country’s newly installed Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, warning of more difficult days ahead.
Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, the most senior UN official in Sri Lanka, noted that, amid violent protests and the imposition of a state of emergency, any solution must involve a robust democracy and respect for human rights
The UN has focused its intervention on four critical areas: health, food security, social protection, and economic policy advice.
On health, the UN is supporting the ministry of health to closely monitor the available medical supply, and in coordinating the procurement of urgently needed medicine and medical supplies from development partners, including donations to bridge the immediate gaps: because of a lack of foreign currency, the country cannot purchase medicine.
On food security, they are helping farmers to adopt good agricultural practices, and providing cash transfers, whilst, with regards to social protection, we are advising the government to prioritise certain measures, and how to make the best of the system that is already in place.
The fourth theme is macro-economic policy advice. The UN has provided a policy memo with key measures to support macro-economic stabilisation and debt sustainability, to support the government in its discussions with the IMF, and other international financial institutions.
Since the start of the crisis, the UN has tracked over 1000 protests. Initially these were peaceful, driven by citizen participation, and characterized by calls for a change of the government:
Tthey were joined by political parties, trade unions, student unions, clergy and other interest groups as the shortage of gas and fuel became more prominent, we started witnessing violent clashes. Some 60 houses were torched, around eight people killed, and several more injured, the memo pointedout. .
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on the authorities to independently, thoroughly, and transparently investigate all the attacks that have occurred especially on the peaceful protesters.
There needs to be a meaningful and inclusive dialogue with all parts of societies, to address the socio-economic challenges faced by the people. Political stability is critical to create an environment for the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which can then set up the way forward for economic recovery.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Prof. G. L. Peiris met the UN Resident Coordinator in Colombo, Hanaa Singer-Hamdy yesterday (May 23) to discuss multiple impacts arising out of the current economic situation in the country such as the supply of essential items, concerns regarding food security and livelihood matters.
During the meeting, the minister underscored that the government has anticipated the difficulties that may arise in the times ahead and is taking precautionary measures to mitigate the impact.
He also explained the steps taken by the government to ensure political and economic stability in the country, including the ongoing negotiations with the IMF and the World Bank.
The lawmaker stated that a central mechanism with the participation of key government agencies as well as the UN and donor countries is under consideration in order to address the urgent needs of the people, with particular focus on the most vulnerable sectors of the society.
He also went on to explain the measures taken by the government to address the shortage of essential supplies as well as issues encountered by the agricultural sector in consultation with bilateral partners.
