The Port City Marina Promenade has been declared open today (09) at the participation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is in an official two-day tour in Sri Lanka marking the 65th anniversary of Sino – Sri Lankan ties.
The Port City Marina Promenade will be open to the public from tomorrow (10) between 9 am and 6 pm. The entrance is located in front of the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.
Music Excellence Desmond De Silva has passed away.
His demise has been confirmed as a result of a heart attack in Melbourne, Australia.
Known as a pioneer musician in Baila Music, Mr. Silva has been recognised as the ‘King of Sri Lankan Baila.’
He was 77 at the time of his death. Mr. Silva was living in Sydney, Australia.
Born in July, 1944, Silva began his career as a musician in 1963, as a member of the ‘Fire Flies.’
His breakthrough as a musical excellence was made upon many hit Baila songs such as Kirilli Ran Kirilli, Nilwan Muhudu Theere, Kendy Lamissi, Yanna Rata Wate, Sumihiri Pane and Chuda Maanike.
Unfortunately, we now have to go through a period when all the bright stars of an era are fading away.
Farewell Desmond..
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has decided to suspend the money printing operations and raise money from the market.
Following the coming of the present government Rs. 1.3 trillion were printed, which, according to critics, had contributed to the rising inflation in the country.
Meanwhile, the bank interest rates are likely to surge within this month, according to sources.
The relief package recently announced by the government requires Rs. 230 billion, part of which is to be sourced from the local money market.
MIAP
Ruling Party National List MP Diana Gamage has reportedly chased a running lorry carrying gas cylinders to purchase gas for her home, amid the ongoing gas shortage that devastated the people of the country for weeks, making it obvious that the crisis has now begun to affect not only the general public but those representing Parliament as well.
MP Gamage, who was unable to collect a gas cylinder from an outlet in Pelawatta, had to chase a lorry carrying gas to Athurugiriya. She managed to stop the vehicle in Oruwala and collect one.
The crisis is at its peak that employed people have to take half-day leave to obtain gas cylinders and wait in queues for hours. People are forced to spend about Rs. 500 – 1000 to book their place in such queues, turning the whole gas crisis into a jackpot for certain parties. In some parts of Colombo, people have to wait in such queues for two or three days, according to reports.
MIAP
The clash between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the Ruling Party in the government, has now become paint for many headlines in the political arena and many ministers and MPs representing the SLPP confront that the SLFP should leave the government without levelling criticism against it.
Many government ministers and MPs have urged the government leaders to oust the SLFP, while some of them demonstrate their objection via exerting pressure.
In the backdrop, the proposed Cabinet Reshuffle prior to the next Parliamentary session is also likely to be postponed, according to sources.
Should the SLFP make a firm decision to leave, the government will be losing its two-thirds power, driving it into an immense danger amidst an ongoing crisis in the country. It is in this backdrop has the government decided not to lose the SLFP despite the growing resistance, the sources added.
The government, according to sources, is currently planning to secure its two-thirds power without the SLFP and as of now, seven Muslim MPs of the North and East have already pledged their allegiance to the government. The only existing MPs of the Opposition Muslim Congress and the All Ceylon People’s Congress are Rauf Hakeem and Rishard Bathiudeen.
Meanwhile, sources also claimed that the government is in a mission to win a number of MPs representing the highlands. Should these MPs from the highlands and those representing the Muslim community be welcomed to the government, ministerial posts will have to be vested in them. As the 19th Amendment to the Constitution restricts the number of Cabinet, State and Deputy Ministerial posts, vesting in any more ministerial posts in order to protect the two-thirds power could spawn a crisis, political analysts pointed out.
On the other hand, ministerial posts should also be divided among the existing members of the SLPP given their higher number. Many senior politicians who had held Cabinet posts before are merely knocking on the tables without any ministerial posts hoping to be appointed as ministers in the next Reshuffle.
Given the above, the only option left for the government is to form an alliance with another political party and thereafter a ‘national government’. A strategy of this nature may enable the government for increase the number of Cabinet ministerial posts.
However, the formation of a national government aiming a Cabinet growth could also be a blow in the head against the government losing what remains as its reputation in the event that the majority of the people in the country are deeply dissatisfied with the government.
A Parliamentary Election is very likely to be held by the middle of the next year, said National Organiser of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Tissa Attanayake, speaking to a briefing held in Kandy.
Following the end of 2023, the President will be able to call in a Presidential Election as well, the SJB MP reminded, adding that the holding of a general election thereafter can also be a possibility. The SJB, therefore, will be ready, he added.
Challenging the government to hold the dragged in Provincial Council Election, as well as the Local Government Election as soon as possible, Attanayake noted that the SJB wouuld be ready to show the people’s power in those elections.
The SJB MP went on saying that they have no intention of bidding for a common candidate in the upcoming Presidential Election, for the entire country had learned a lesson by doing so in 2015. Anyone who had learned that lesson in 2015 will never be catering to such a mistake again, he added.
The Leader of the SJB will be the Presidential Candidate for the upcoming Presidential Election, Attanayake went on, adding that the Party is intervening to obtain the support of all political forces in this regard. Any political party or group can join the SJB as well, he pointed out.
MIAP
Those who had wrongly advised President Gotabaya Rajapaksa creating a food scarcity in the country must be sought and penalised, said Chancellor of the University of Colombo Muruththettuwe Ananda Thero, speaking to a briefing held two day (07) ago.
“There had been a ‘queue era’ during Lady Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s rule. Although there had been a queue era, there were enough commodities available. Today, the queue era has been intensified, with many difficulties to locate commodities and equipment for those queuing,” the Thera said.
He added: “We are talking about dollars everyday, saying that commodities cannot be imported without dollars. It is not a solution to grieve about the absence of dollars without formulating a mechanism to locate them. We have to try to locate dollars. We know that when countries like Thailand and Korea were suffering from this economic crisis, their people had extended their maximum support. But today, our people do not give into the act of saving the country and the nation, even by the slightest. What they say is that their hunger should be filled before saving the country. Today, our most burning problem would be hunger. Today, we are in a situation where we cannot fill our hunger even by queuing ourselves.”
“We are the ones to be blamed most for electing this government. Seeing people suffer and grieve, we are hurt too. Therefore, it would be very essential to dilute this suffering and end this food scarcity. Not only that, those who had wrongly advised in driving this country into this situation must be sought and punished too. Today, the innocent people have to pay the price for the wrong advice given to the President of this country,” the Thera further noted.
MIAP
There is nothing wrong with paying a compensation of US$6.9 million to the Chinese company owning the questionable ship carrying organic fertiliser as there was no financial loss occurred, said Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, speaking to a briefing held in Gannoruwa yesterday (08).
“There is nothing wrong with settling the payments to China at all. The settlement was made based on the Attorney General’s instructions. The Chinese company has agreed to provide the required standard fertiliser with a guarantee of US$5 million. Now the ship has left, accurate fertiliser manufactured, samples made, checked at Quarantine Unit and the fertiliser ship will receive again. The only loss to us was that the fertiliser was not received to us in right time. No financial loss.”
MIAP
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa speaking to a ceremony held in Siyambalanduwa National School two days (07) ago revealed that a young man in Kandy had proposed to him to hold a referendum to regain the two years he had lost in Office due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“When I went to worship the Temple of the Tooth Relic and later talked with the people, one young man came forward and said, “Sir, you lost two years because of this Covid. Why don’t you regain those two years by holding a referendum?” I said, “You should be taken as my Advisor.” People know the difficulties faced.”
The body of a suspect who had attempted escape from Police custody has been found in a water pit near Yan Oya, Pulmude two days ago (07).
The relatives of the suspect hold the Police accountable for his death.
The Kuchchaveli Police had tried to arrest the suspect, who was under several charges and on the run, in Yan Oya on the Pulmudai Road in Trincomalee on a warrant.
His body has been discovered in a nearby water pit.
An inquest into the suspect’s death was held at the Trincomalee General Hospital yesterday (08) but the relatives had denied to accept the autopsy report saying that his death was suspicious.
MIAP