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President and SLPP Founder meet to form broad political alliance

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President and SLPP Founder meet to form broad political alliance

April 25, Colombo (LNW): In a significant step towards forging a broad political alliance, President Ranil Wickremesinghe convened a meeting with Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) founder and former Party National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa, along with representatives from various other parties and groups.

The aim of the meeting was to expedite political efforts in anticipation of the upcoming presidential election following May Day.

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena represented the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna at the meeting, which also saw the participation of key figures such as Ministers Prasanna Ranatunga, Tiran Alles, Harin Fernando, Kanchana Wijesekara, MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage, and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa.

Chief of Staff of the President Sagala Ratnayake attended the meeting on behalf of the United National Party (UNP).

Despite the collaboration, both the SLPP and the UNP, led by the President, have opted to hold separate May Day rallies, intending to merge for an alliance along with other like-minded parties post the presidential election.

Criticism has arisen regarding the economic crisis in the country, with both the SLPP and the UNP allegedly bearing responsibility. Some stakeholders have expressed concerns over the timing of political maneuverings amidst pressing economic challenges facing the island nation.

It was agreed that the President would emerge as a common candidate for the upcoming election, contesting under the symbol of the proposed alliance rather than the UNP symbol.

UNP Chairman Vajira Abeywardane and Minister Alles have been tasked with overseeing the registration process of the new alliance under a symbol acceptable to all parties and groups involved.

The launch of the campaign targeting the election is expected after the country secures the third tranche of the IMF (International Monetary Fund) in June, according to a political source familiar with the matter.

Additionally, efforts will be made to engage political groups led by MPs Wimal Weerawansa, Dulles Alahapperuma, and Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU), all of whom are invited to join the new alliance formation discussions.

SL’s Defence Secretary holds bilateral talks with Russian Security Council Secretary

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SL’s Defence Secretary holds bilateral talks with Russian Security Council Secretary

April 25, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s Secretary of Defence, General Kamal Gunaratne, engaged in bilateral discussions with Russia’s Security Council Secretary, Nikolai Patrushev, in St. Petersburg.

This meeting highlighted the imperative of international collaboration in addressing security concerns and promoting regional peace and stability.

The significance of fostering cooperation between nations to tackle security threats effectively was emphasised in a statement issued by the Defence Ministry.

The talks delved into various aspects, including counter-terrorism strategies, cyber security measures, and opportunities for enhanced defence cooperation.

Both parties reiterated their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and exploring avenues for deeper collaboration in the security sector.

The bilateral meeting occurred on the sidelines of the 12th International Meeting of High-Ranking Officials Responsible for Security Matters in St. Petersburg, Russia, held from April 22 to April 25.

This significant gathering provided a platform for global leaders to exchange insights, discuss pressing security challenges, and formulate partnerships aimed at addressing shared security concerns on a global scale.

Iran and Sri Lanka forge closer ties with signing of five key agreements

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Iran and Sri Lanka forge closer ties with signing of five key agreements

April 25, Colombo (LNW): Iran and Sri Lanka solidified their bilateral relations yesterday (24) through the signing of five Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), covering a wide range of areas including film, media, tourism, cooperatives, libraries, and cultural, scientific, technical, and sports cooperation.

Signed in the presence of President Ranil Wickremesinghe and President Dr. Ebrahim Raisi, the agreements signify a deepening of collaboration between the two nations:

  1. Memorandum of Understanding between the National Library of Sri Lanka and the National Library and Archives of Iran
  2. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the film industry between the National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Cultural and Islamic Guidance of Iran
  3. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of media and tourism between Sri Lanka and Iran
  4. Agreement on the programme of cultural, scientific, and technical cooperation, mass media, youth, and sports between Sri Lanka and Iran
  5. Memorandum of Understanding between the National Co-Operative Council of Sri Lanka and Iran Chamber of Cooperatives

Meteorology Dept warns of showers and rising Heat Index across SL today (April 25)

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Meteorology Dept warns of showers and rising Heat Index across SL today (April 25)

By: Isuru Parakrama

April 25, Colombo (LNW): Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-western and Southern provinces after 2.00 p.m., with showers or thundershowers being expected to occur over the coastal areas of Galle to Pottuvil via Matara and Hambantota during the morning too, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather forecast today (25).

Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces during the morning.

General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimise damages caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

Marine Weather:

Condition of Rain:
Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the sea areas off the coast extending from Pottuvil to Matara via Hambantota. Showers or thundershowers may occur ata few places in the sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Matara via Colombo and Galle in the evening or night.
Winds:
Winds will be south-easterly or variable and wind speed will be (20-30) kmph.
State of Sea:
Sea areas around the island will be slight. Temporarily strong gusty winds and very rough seas can be expected during thundershowers.

Meanwhile, heat index, the temperature felt on human body is expected to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in Northern, North-central, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern, Southern and North-Western provinces and Monaragala district, the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department said in a warning.

The public, therefore, is requested to stay hydrated and take breaks in the shade as often as possible, check up on the elderly and the sick, never leave children unattended, limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated, and wear lightweight and white or light-coloured clothing.

Government to write to Vatican on Cardinal’s Conduct ?

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Government to write to Vatican on Cardinal’s Conduct ?

In a bizarre turn of events Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith says not to vote for any one else other than Sajith or Anura. Essentially saying not to vote for the President. Catholic community is only 8% of the population.

What right does he have as Cardinal to say that using the church as a cover? As a Private Citizen yes. Several Catholics and clergy from several religions condemned the Cardinal’s outburst as bizarre and insulting. Coming from a religious leader is both shocking and outrageous said a retired diplomat. He told LNW the Cardinal’s conduct was totally unacceptable and improper. He recommended that the government sends an official complaint to the Vatican to Pope Francis. In addition requesting to appoint an Archbishop for Colombo who is balanced and spiritual. Not a religious leader who engages in political bickering. Malcolm Ranjith was accused for supporting the deposed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa by several people in the last presidential election. Which he has denied. Very few people now believe in his actual sincerity. They accuse him of hiding behind the red robe and slinging mud at politicians he does not favor or like. The government after the Easter Sunday attacks provided the Cardinal with Army Protection. Which he still enjoys. He should first get rid of that.

An opposition member of parliament told LNW that the Cardinal was respected so much for managing the crisis and preventing a backlash from the majority community in 2019. He is squandering all that with his supidity and choice of words. He strongly urged the President to make an official complaint to His Holiness the Pope on the conduct of the Cardinal. A Christian preacher told LNW that Cardinal should be focused on Christian teachings instead of using the church to play politics with the catholic people . This is why the Roman Catholic Church is losing their base in Sri Lanka. He should at least take a cue from the The Dhammapada: Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love. This is what is expected of a religious leader, he concluded.

Adolf.

Top economist raises concerns over the “loosening of fiscal squeeze by SL authorities 

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Top economist raises concerns over the “loosening of fiscal squeeze by SL authorities 

April 24, Colombo (LNW): A top economist yesterday raised concerns over the “loosening of fiscal squeeze” by authorities to stimulate economic growth. Doing so could lead to potential risks of jeopardising Sri Lanka’s agreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Executive Director Dr. Dushni Weerakoon asserted that there is only room for tweaks at the margin on both the expenditure and revenue fronts. 

“Vote-winning quick fixes have turned out to be very costly in the past and the stakes are even higher this time around. 

“A premature fiscal loosening will unsettle Sri Lanka’s creditors, as will any attempts to push down the timeline to achieve benchmark targets on fiscal ratios,” said Dr. Weerakoon in an analysis published on East Asia Forum yesterday.

The senior economist noted that creditors typically prefer early settlements to deferred settlements as the stabilisation process drags on. 

“Creditors and investors alike know that 2024 is not the end of Sri Lanka’s electoral cycle and parliamentary elections are scheduled in 2025,” she pointed out.

According to Dr. Weerakoon, this suggests the need for caution on the economic front. Relaxing fiscal austerity should be tightly focused on scaling back inefficient spending and using the money to target relief for the poor.

 In the interim, monetary policy can be used as the main tool to boost demand, while recognising that there are limits. 

“This recovery path is more anaemic after an acute economic shock, where consumers and businesses are weighed down by debt, as evident in Sri Lanka’s experience,” she said.

Dr. Weerakoon stressed that the priority over the next few months is to build on existing progress and finalise an external debt restructuring deal before the elections.

Sri Lanka is seeking a five-year moratorium from its bilateral creditors and bondholders with the intention of starting repayments in 2028.

A debt treatment plan with India and the Paris Club, and talks with China has progressed. Bondholders’ negotiations are continuing, though slow.

While a final deal will require agreement among all these private and official creditors, Weerakoon cautioned that if negotiations are not concluded ahead of the elections, the delay will add another layer of uncertainty for months to come.

Therefore, to avert future crises, Sri Lanka must take cautious and measured steps to bring about real change in its economic fundamentals. 

“This approach suggests that there is little room for boom times just yet. On the balance of probabilities, it is preferable to acknowledge that recoveries after economic crises and defaults are generally weak and fragile.

“Embracing a period of modest growth is preferable to once again plunging into chaos due to bad policymaking,” said Dr. Weerakoon.

Sri Lanka exceeds tax revenue target by 6 percent in first quarter: State Finance Minister 

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Sri Lanka exceeds tax revenue target by 6 percent in first quarter: State Finance Minister 

April 24, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s revenue collecting bodies have outperformed and exceeded tax revenue target by 6 percent for the first quarter ended on March 31, State Revenue Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said.

“After many years of difficult challenges, it has been possible to exceed the expected state revenue in the first quarter of 2024,” he said in a statement. The government expects a revenue collection of 4,106 billion rupees in 2024.

He made this disclosure on the ability of the government to achieve 2024 budget revenue targets following  a leading economic research agegency’s prediction on difficulty to meet the estimated revenue in the budget 2024. 

“The reason for the economic crisis in the past period was the reduction in the level of government revenue. Considering the achievement of higher than the target in the first quarter of this year and the revenue pattern, 2024 will become a year in which the revenue targets can be achieved,” he said.

However Sri Lanka’s financial constraints   are to be continued in 2024, with the nation on track to miss its budget revenue target for the 33rd consecutive year with fundraising issues mainly from borrowings and taxation becoming increasingly difficult, according to a new report by Verité Research.

The Verité Research report, titled “State of the Budget Report 2024,” paints a concerning picture for Sri Lanka’s financial health.

While the government’s official 2024 budget sets an ambitious revenue target of Rs 4.164 trillion, Verité Research estimates a significant shortfall of 14%.

This leaves a projected revenue of only Rs. 3.57 trillion – a stark contrast to the government’s optimistic projections.]

The three tax revenue collecting bodies – Sri Lankan Customs, Excise Department, and Inland Revenue Department have collected 834 billion Sri Lanka rupees in the first quarter.

 “It is a 6% higher than the expected revenue target of 787 billion rupees,” Siyambalapitiya said.

He said the Inland Revenue Department exceeded its target by 13 percent to 430 billion rupees compared to the target of 381 billion rupees in the first quarter of 2024.

He also said the Customs Department has managed to reach the target of 353 billion rupees and the Excise Department has also achieved 96% of the revenue requests and earned 51 billion rupees in the first quarter.

The island nation has raised Value Added Tax (VAT), imposed new taxes, and increased personal income taxes to boost the revenue under an International Monetary Fund-backed reforms in return of a $3 billion External Fund Facility.

People have started to grumble over the government’s higher taxes without reducing some of the state expenditures. The government has been in the process to privatize some key state-owned enterprises. However, that process faced delays amid gradually rising protests against the move

Air Seychelles and SriLankan Airlines announce codeshare partnership

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Air Seychelles and SriLankan Airlines announce codeshare partnership

April 24, Colombo (LNW): In the wake of the national flagcarrier’ restructure Air Seychelles, the Republic of Seychelles’ national airline and Sri Lankan Airlines, the flag carrier of Sri Lanka, have announced a new code-sharing partnership, expanding the number of destinations accessible to customers from the paradise islands flying between Mahe and Colombo.

Over 20 destinations are included in the partnership, which includes much requested ones such as Sydney and Melbourne in Australia as well as other popular stops in India, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. SriLankan Airlines’ Passengers will also be able to fly from Colombo to Mahé with the activation of the codeshare partnership.

This new codeshare agreement will allow Air Seychelles and SriLankan Airlines to place their codes on each other’s flights and enable passengers to continue their journey conveniently using a single booking and with their baggage checked in all the way to the final destination. 

It also means passengers can book their travels with both airlines, through online travel agencies, as well as with local travel agents.

This codeshare partnership Air six bidders have submitted proposals for qualifications to take over a staje of the Sri Lanka Airlines. 

Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia is among six bidders for the divestititure of state-run Sri Lankan Airlines in the request for qualification (RfQ) process extended for four times on the request of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the transaction advisor on the privatization, the finance ministry announced.   

In June last year, when Air Seychelles launched the Colombo service, the two airlines signed an initial interline agreement that introduced multiple cities within the south-east Asia region to the local market’s choice of destinations.

Sandy Benoiton, Air Seychelles’ Chief Executive Officer shares “now that we have been flying to Colombo for over 9 months, the twice-weekly flights have proven successful. 

The next step to solidifying our relationship is with this code-share, allowing even more passengers the convenience of a single ticket to more points served by our partner in Asia and Australia.

Richard Nuttall, Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines stated, “We are pleased to boost our codeshare network and presence in the African region through this new partnership. 

We look forward to working with Air Seychelles to provide our customers even more African destination options in the coming years.”

Flights under the codeshare agreement are available to book now and will begin operating in April 2024.

National Digital Economy overhauls Sri Lanka’s administration procedures; Ravi K  

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National Digital Economy overhauls Sri Lanka’s administration procedures; Ravi K  

April 24, Colombo (LNW): The Government has unveiled a comprehensive national digital economy strategy for Sri Lanka titled “Digital Sri Lanka 2030” along with an implementation plan with a view of transforming the island nation’s outdated and archaic public administration, and financial management procedures.

The strategy recognises the importance of building a robust, export-oriented economy, and the need to create strong economic and technological partnerships with partners around the world

Emphasizing the need of overhauling the entire economic situation in the country, former finance minister Ravi Karunanayake said that  digital economy refers to the economic activities that emerge from connecting individuals, businesses, devices, data and operations through digital technology.

He noted that the present administration headed by visionary leader President Ranil Wickremasinghe has a vision for 2030 to digitally empower Sri Lanka for innovation, inclusion and sustainable growth.

No other leader or political party in Sri Lanka except President Ranil Wickremasighe to steer the country towards modernization with a systematic change not ad hoc changes suggested by present day opposition political party leaders.   

Mr Karunanayake disclosed that completion and fair trade along e-business.e-business infrastructure and e-commerce will be given priority in the National Digital Economy Strategy.

To achieve the desired outcomes, the national digital strategy for Sri Lanka includes actions across six strategic areas. Underpinning these areas are six core principles and six critical enablers, official sources said. .

The six core principles are; inclusive, innovative, sustainable, global, human-centric and rights-based.

The six strategic areas are infrastructure connectivity and access, skills, literacy, industry and jobs; connected digital government; cyber security, safety and privacy; digital financial services and digitisation across sectors and SMEs.

The six critical enablers are legal and regulatory framework; digital identity; institutional governance; data governance; stakeholder engagement and private investment.

According to the Ministry of Technology, the focus moving forward is on developing the Sri Lankan digital ecosystem as a core component of a more-vibrant, socially inclusive, export-oriented, and green economy.

The national digital strategy will be an integral part of the country’s economic recovery and growth between now and 2030 and will be implemented in phases. 

In the first phase, over the next two years (until the end of 2025), the emphasis will be on setting the stage through reforms and selected investments to position the country for recovery. 

This will require strengthening institutions to rebuild the business climate, attracting private investment, and driving service exports, whilst ensuring that inclusive and improved digital services support improved governance and accountability.

Beyond 2026, the focus will shift to strategically positioning the country as a digital innovation and entrepreneurship hub in the Asia-Pacific, investing in the future of technology and jobs, and fully integrating digital technology across all of society and the economy.

President Warns Against Politicizing Education, Calls for Collaborative Reform Efforts

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President Warns Against Politicizing Education, Calls for Collaborative Reform Efforts

April 24, Colombo (LNW): President Ranil Wickremesinghe issued a stark warning against the politicization of education, emphasizing its detrimental effects on the nation’s future. Speaking at the 10th Biennial Conference of the All Island Professional Lecturers’ Association (APLA) held at the Nelum Pokuna Theater in Colombo, President Wickremesinghe urged all stakeholders to prioritize national interest over personal agendas in shaping the country’s education system.

Highlighting the urgency of the matter, President Wickremesinghe called for concerted efforts from all parties to devise a comprehensive education reform plan within the next two to three years. He stressed the need for inclusive discussions, free from personal biases, to ensure the development of an effective education framework that caters to the needs of the nation.

The APLA, established in 2004 by a coalition of tuition teachers nationwide, hosted the conference. During the event, President Wickremesinghe honored Dr. K. Ariyasinghe, a founding member of APLA, and other senior teachers with the Senior Lecturers Award, recognizing their contributions to the field of education.

In a gesture of appreciation, Mr. Ravindra Bandara, President of the Association, presented President Wickremesinghe with a commemorative gift. The President then joined the executive committee members of APLA for a group photograph, underscoring the spirit of collaboration between the government and education stakeholders.

President Wickremesinghe assured attendees that the government’s forthcoming education reforms would not be confined to education experts alone but would actively involve input from school teachers, professionals in the economic sector, and organizations like APLA. Emphasizing the importance of inclusive dialogue, he reiterated his commitment to fostering a conducive environment for meaningful reforms in the education sector.

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