The United Postal Trade Unions’ Front has initiated a two-day token strike in opposition to the government’s efforts to sell resources belonging to the postal department. Co-convener Chinthaka Bandara emphasized that the government should reconsider its plans to divest the Nuwara-Eliya and Kandy post offices.
In response to the strike, the Department of Posts has taken action to cancel the leave of all postal employees on November 8, 9, and 10, according to an official announcement by Postmaster General S. R. W. M. R. P. Sathkumara. The statement reassured that no post office owned by the Department of Posts would be closed.
Furthermore, it was disclosed that the President’s Secretary has been informed of the decision to transfer the Nuwara-Eliya Post Office building to the Urban Development Authority (UDA) in line with the government’s policy to facilitate more effective investment opportunities. Minister Bandula Gunawardena has guaranteed that the UDA will provide an alternative suitable building for the continued operation of the post office. This decision aims to align with the government’s broader strategy while addressing the concerns of postal workers.
Deputy Speaker says the Supreme Court has determined that the Online Safety Bill with certain Committee stage amendments will not be inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution, and can be passed by a simple majority of Parliament.
State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya says the Govt would establish an independent authority to regulate microfinance institutions: also says about 11,000 microfinance institutions operate but only 5 are registered: further says about 3 mn persons had obtained loans from microfinance institutions at effective annual interest rates ranging from 40% to 200%.
JVP MP Vijitha Herath says there can’t be any justification in questioning the JVP’s right to meet US Ambassador Julie Chung: affirms the Party had meetings with Ambassador Chung before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ouster.
Govt Medical Officers’ Assn Spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe expresses displeasure that salaries of SL Cricket officials & players are exempt from income tax: says the Govt had previously claimed that no one was exempt from income tax.
A 5-Judge Supreme Court Bench stays Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar Order releasing 10 accused who had been indicted over the Central Bank BondScam: also issues an Interim Order preventing the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar from hearing the case: issues another Order staying the Court of Appeal from hearing a case on the matter, as well.
Past Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce & Businessman Vish Govindasamy appointed to the newly set up “Governing Board” of the Central Bank: Govindasamy is a strong advocate of a stringent IMF programme, higher taxes, flexible currency, tight monetary policy, SOE reforms, & default of Sri Lanka’s International Sovereign Bonds.
Shereen Wijerathne, the sister-in-law of former controversial business tycoon Lalith Kotelawala informs the Colombo Additional Magistrate that the business tycoon was held hostage by a group in a dark room in the latter part of his life & that his death may have been deliberate: asserts she was one of the few who stood with Kotelawala after his fall from grace following the Golden Key debacle.
SL Cricket Selectors reject criticism levelled against them by Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe in relation to the selection of the World Cup team: assert that the team’s performance during their 2 1⁄2 year tenure has been very successful, compared to the period before: also assert that the team they picked was “balanced”.
Court of Appeal issues an Interim Order staying the Gazette Notification issued by the Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe, by which an Interim Committee headed by former Cricketer Arjuna Ranatunge and 6 others were appointed: the Stay Order to be effective for 14 days.
Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe says President Ranil Wickremesinghe has ordered him to withdraw the newly appointed Interim Committee of SL Cricket: also says the President told him that he (the President) will take the Sports Law under the control of the President if that is not done: Ranasinghe further says he had responded he will not suspend the Interim Committee under any circumstances as the level of corruption in Cricket Administration is now “unbelievable”.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has announced the appointment of Indrika Ratwatte of Sri Lanka as the new Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, who will also take on the role of Resident Coordinator in Afghanistan. In addition, Mr. Ratwatte will serve as the Humanitarian Coordinator, as stated in a UN media release.
Mr. Ratwatte takes over this position from Ramiz Alakbarov of Azerbaijan, and the Secretary-General expressed his gratitude for Mr. Alakbarov’s dedicated service. The Secretary-General also acknowledged the interim service of Daniel Endres as Deputy Special Representative, Resident, and Humanitarian Coordinator.
With over 30 years of experience in humanitarian affairs and protection in complex and crisis settings, including more than 14 years dedicated to work in Afghanistan and regional matters, Mr. Ratwatte brings a wealth of expertise to his new role.
His journey with the United Nations commenced in 1992 with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and he continued his career in 1993 with the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Among his notable roles, Mr. Ratwatte has served as the Director of the UNHCR Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, where he also held the position of Deputy. He has also served as the UNHCR Representative in Pakistan and as Deputy Representative in the United Republic of Tanzania and Pakistan, with previous assignments in various countries, including Thailand, Croatia, China, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Mr. Ratwatte’s educational background includes a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University in the United States and a bachelor’s degree in English and sociology from the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka. He is also an attorney-at-law, having graduated from the Sri Lanka Law College. His extensive experience and educational qualifications make him well-suited for his new role in Afghanistan.
The Sri Lanka Meteorological Department has issued a warning indicating that heavy rains accompanied by strong winds, which began in the evening, are expected to persist until the end of November.
According to meteorologist Janaka Kumara, today, regions including the Western, Central, Sabaragamuwa, North Western, and Uva provinces, as well as the Galle and Matara districts, may experience up to 75 mm of rainfall. Additionally, misty conditions are anticipated during the morning hours in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, and Uva provinces.
Following the recent bout of strong winds and rainfall, which affected multiple areas, including Colombo on Tuesday (7) evening, authorities have successfully cleared fallen trees that were obstructing main roads and by-roads. The Colombo Fire Brigade reported that numerous roads in Colombo were temporarily blocked by uprooted trees, but these obstacles were removed overnight. The Disaster Management Centre confirmed that 32 trees were uprooted in the Colombo city alone, leading to heavy traffic in the city on the previous night.
In another incident, the Badulla-Colombo main road was temporarily blocked due to the collapse of an earthen mound in the Haputale area. The debris has since been cleared, allowing traffic to resume as usual.
Sri Lanka Railways has also restored train operations on the Kelani Valley line, which were disrupted due to uprooted trees in the Maradana area.
The Director of Hydrology & Disaster Management at the Department of Irrigation, S. P. C. Sugeeshwara, has reported that the Deduru Oya, Attanagalu Oya, and Nilwala River remain at minor flood levels, urging continued vigilance and preparedness in affected areas.
In a significant development, Scott Nathan, the Chief Executive Officer of the US International Development Finance Cooperation (DFC), held a meeting with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on the evening of Tuesday (7).
The DFC proudly announced that its investments in Sri Lanka have surged from under $20 million to nearly $1 billion in just four years. This remarkable growth underscores the deepening partnership between DFC and Sri Lanka.
During their meeting, President Wickremesinghe and CEO Nathan engaged in discussions aimed at exploring new opportunities to elevate the collaboration between DFC and Sri Lanka to greater heights.
Furthermore, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, took to social media to inform the public about the meeting. She stated that CEO Nathan and herself had a constructive dialogue with President Ranil Wickremesinghe, with a focus on economic reforms rooted in good governance and initiatives aimed at attracting high-quality investments.
Ambassador Chung emphasized the United States’ unwavering commitment to supporting inclusive growth by empowering Sri Lanka’s private sector, reinforcing the significance of this bilateral partnership for the mutual benefit of both nations.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in most provinces of the island after 01.00 p.m.
Fairly heavy showers above 75 mm are likely at some places in Western, Central, Sabaragamuwa, North-western and Uvaprovinces.
Showers may occur in Northern and Eastern provinces during the morning too.
Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces during the morning.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Melbourne, Australia (LNW):Final – Part (Link to Part 6)
Reforms
Whenever the class nature of the state is threatened, its first line of defense will be the police force. We have repeatedly witnessed this phenomenon in Sri Lanka, where they destroy anything that stands in their way. Whatever the constitution states in terms of fundamental rights and freedoms, those provisions including the constitution itself will be thrown out the window as soon as the regime’s survival looks threatened. That is what happened in many countries, from the Paris Commune via the Soviet Socialist Revolution to the Arab Spring, despite the nature and depth of the social upheavals those societies underwent.
This paper is about a system where deep political and social reforms can be undertaken for the greater good of the country. But in the long term, even such reforms could be reversed when the political stability of the ruling elite is under threat unless a serious police reform is also undertaken. In liberal democratic societies where, certain freedoms are allowed until the system is exposed to such threats, some reforms are possible. Those reforms would help create better awareness and improve subjective conditions about the necessity for a plural society to be treated inclusively, equitably and with acceptance of and empathy towards diversity. Such reforms and the struggles to keep those standards intact will raise awareness about the need for a more radical reconstitution of society.
Lack of understanding and awareness regarding policing non-majoritarian communities has serious consequences in pluralistic societies like Sri Lanka and India. It does not only diminish confidence in police and the security they are supposed to provide to society, but also disables and disempowers itself as a force in effectively engaging with all members of society, particularly during times of conflict. For example, the 1983 Black July pogrom in Sri Lanka; the 2020 ‘reign of terror’ against Muslims in Uttar Pradesh in India; and the police behaviour that ended the spontaneous people’s struggle in Sri Lanka (Aragalaya) last year, that demanded accountability for economic mismanagement, corruption, and authoritarianism that broke the island.
These situations have eroded confidence in the ability of police to fulfill their duties and responsibilities justly and effectively. Not only in countries like Sri Lanka but in most other countries, the criminal justice system does not and will not guarantee the same level of service to all its citizens. The police, the citizenry, and the entire society pay the price for it.
In countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand, awareness about the diverse nature of society is created on an ongoing basis through providing education, training and development programs about non-majority community groups. This enables police to perform better and professionally, although no one can guarantee an ideal environment where social biases and attitudes are null.
Perceptions and Impediments
Sri Lanka is a plural society comprising 19 communities, of which four are major, i.e., Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Hill Country Tamils. And devolution of power is a process designed to assure participative democratic governance. However, the executive presidential system has consistently paved the way for popular authoritarianism through undue consolidation of power. This is inconsistent with devolution, the purpose of which is to enable powerless communities to have a say in making decisions on matters that affect them and their future generations.
Despite overwhelming evidence, pro-Sinhala lobbies maintain that the suffering Tamil people endured and continue to endure are nothing but common grievances that all communities in Sri Lanka are subjected to. This view is erroneous and hurtful, and its political consequences have been tragic. We need to recognize that we can live in harmony if and only if we understand rationally the problems others are faced with.
Many argue that because the 13th Amendment is a legislative construct India imposed on Sri Lanka, and the resulting provincial councils are corrupt, ineffective, wasteful, and mismanaged white elephants; therefore, they need to be abolished. Could we extend the very same argument to the functioning of the central government in a similar vein? As it is corrupt, ineffective, wasteful and mismanaged, do we call for the abolition of the central government?
Types of devolution
Globally, there are many governance systems with devolutionary experiences with land and police powers devolved to the periphery. These systems have generated sufficient political stability in their respective countries. In Sri Lanka, too, it will be beneficial to fully implement the 13th Amendment by granting the hitherto not devolved police and land powers to the provincial councils with the enactment of Statutes as required. The political establishment needs to initiate a consultative fact-finding process, focusing on establishing the causes of the ineffectiveness of provincial councils. A body needs to be established to constantly monitor the efficiency of provincial councils or the lack of it under the existing structural arrangements, and recommend what measures the political establishment ought to take to make the system more effective.
Autonomy comprises diverse instruments of devolution. They allow a group of a certain distinct identity to exercise direct control over their own special affairs, while simultaneously allowing the majority community to exercise governance over the whole society’s universal interests. It could take the form of federalism, where all regions enjoy equal powers (symmetrical) with an identical relationship to the central government. This is the case in Australia and the United States. However, the territories of Australia, such as the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory (NT) are autonomous divisions with devolved powers, yet subordinate to federal governance. In the US certain areas directly come under the federal government, but with various degrees of autonomy, for example, Columbia. In most pluralistic countries there are situations where all regions do not enjoy equal powers (asymmetrical). For example, Canada, Switzerland, India, Spain, Russia, and Malaysia.
If a country has to accommodate only a few specific concerns, federal model may be considered unnecessary. In such circumstances, regional autonomy is granted. For example, the Aland Islands in Finland, South Tyrol in Italy, Kosovo in the former Yugoslavia, Cordillera and Mindanao in the Philippines, Puerto Rico in the US, Zanzibar in Tanzania, Hong Kong and Macao in China, Greenland and the Faroes in Denmark, New Caledonia in France, and Scotland in the UK.
However, where devolution of powers cannot be legally and adequately protected, other arrangements are used, such as regionalism (in Italy), decentralization (in France), and constitutional protection of local government as a third tier of government (in Nigeria, Spain, Finland, and Germany). Many other arrangements are also used elsewhere in addressing similar issues, for example, reserves in Australia, Africa, and some parts of Asia. Indigenous peoples’ aspirations and historical claims have been recognized recently by transforming reserves into self-governing areas, for example in Canada and the Philippines.
Under the current unitarist executive presidential system, non-majoritarian communities have always been at the receiving end of chauvinist political and bureaucratic manoeuvring. The political leaders need to illustrate the manner in which they propose to get the required changes to the 13th Amendment approved by the parliament with a two-thirds majority and also assure that the police will maintain public order independent of any political interference.
The devolution of power under the 13th Amendment is marred by the fact that the balance of power is weighted heavily in favour of the Centre. The Centre uses the Concurrent List to hinder the aims of devolution. Despite the judicial determination that the 13th Amendment is consistent with Article 2, which refers to the unitary state provision in the Constitution, devolution has not been fully implemented as there has been a lack of political will to devolve land and police powers to the provinces.
Conclusion
Nation-building cannot be accomplished by a top-down approach with the government dictating the rules. It requires the active participation of ordinary citizens in the shaping of a common political will, and the pursuit of policies that promote national integration. Governance institutions need to be more responsive to local needs and aspirations. “Nation-building further presupposes a socio-cultural structuring and integration process leading to shared characteristics of identity, values and goals.” It is not so much the homogeneity of these characteristics that is crucial, rather it is the acceptance and toleration of heterogeneity and the facilitation of inclusion. [ANU Briefing Note – No.1 / 2007, The Twin Processes of Nation Building and State Building]
The main objective of the 13th Amendment was to achieve a political and constitutional settlement to the national question. Even after 14 years since the end of the armed conflict, no serious consensus on the scope of the Amendment has been reached yet, except for the swinging between the 13 minus and 13 plus rhetoric. The discussion spectrum ranges from those who want to go back to the unitary system of governance that the colonialists left us with to those who favour an improved 13th Amendment with its deficiencies addressed, those who advocate a federal solution, and those who demand separation by holding a referendum in the North and East.
Furthermore, full devolution is undermined by the executive power the central government wields. Not only does this stand against, but also contradicts the spirit of devolution. This power conflict allows the President and the Central Government to intervene in substantive to trivial matters pertaining to a Province [Sections 11 and 15 (2) of the Provincial Councils Act, No. 42 of 1987, the Provincial Councils (Payment of Salaries and Allowances) Act, No. 37 of 1988, and Provincial Councils Pensions Act, No. 17 of 1993]. Also, in provinces the prevalent political culture and structures mirror and encourage the centralised system. This structural mindset needs to change. In addition, empowering provincial councils to be fully functional will attract significant contributions from high achievers and investors from the wealthy diaspora community. Its potential to resurrect the country from the present economic ills cannot be underestimated.
Another significant issue that needs to be addressed is the power of provincial councils to raise adequate revenue, which is one of the weakest facets of the 13th Amendment [See the reports of the respective Provincial Councils in CPA (2008) Strengthening the Provincial Council System, where a prominent ground of complaint is with regard to the fiscal and financial aspects of the Thirteenth Amendment]. Not a single political establishment has been willing to look at the causes for the ineffectiveness of the Provincial Council system and to have the commitment to review and restructure the governance protocols at the Centre to follow the extent of devolution as provided under the 13th Amendment.
A logical start to overcome this stalemate is for the society to acknowledge our cultural diversity as a valuable heritage that can be utilized to reap the benefits of power-sharing so that as a multi-ethnic nation we can achieve a better, fairer, and equitable Sri Lanka. For this, we need to make difficult choices by interrogating our own value systems and our understanding of the “other”. Only then can we find pathways to building unity in diversity and harmonizing diversity with unity. Each of us could play a vital role in this regard by being creative and constructive. Only then can we hope to achieve our common aims of justice, equity and peace, and find ways for sustainably, collectively and inclusively celebrating life. And the task of nation-building will be a lot easier.
Colombo (LNW): Sports enthusiasts in South Africa are currently celebrating with great enthusiasm. This is due to their national rugby team’s recent victory in the world championship, and the team is now on a tour to proudly display their achievement to the people. No one should take it as a nationwide protest due to South Africa’s loss of 83 runs against India.
While Sri Lanka’s cricket team faced a loss of 55 runs, the Sports Minister of Sri Lanka is in a position to apportion the mistakes of the Sri Lankan cricket administration to the world with two more matches left, but South Africa went from being a forbidden country to the world and established itself as a good country in front of the world in terms of the factors that affected it and its image. South Africa made history after hosting and winning the Rugby World Cup in 1995. Since then, they have secured their position as the country with the highest number of Rugby World Cup victories.
The situation for Sri Lanka Rugby is notably distinct. Currently, Sri Lanka Rugby has experienced a decline from the status it once held in the realm of sevens rugby in Asia. The reason is that rugby is banned internationally. Political influence was seen as the reason. The impact of the Asia President on rugby in the country. In that regard, what the sports minister did was not to subject the Sri Lanka Rugby President to an investigation regarding the Asia President.
What he did was to dance to the tune of the Asia President against the Sri Lankan Rugby. He did not listen to the Sri Lanka President. Finally, the Minister banned Ruger due to this situation. Sri Lankan Rugby took its case to court. Looking at this, international rugby banned Sri Lanka Rugby calling it political influence.
The most important thing here is the Asian Rugby president’s country getting the sports minister to obstacles Sri Lankan rugby. Despite those obstacles, the result of the Asia Rugby President’s country is very important. In the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games, Sri Lanka came close to securing a fourth- place medal in rugby. Notably, in 2014, the United Arab Emirates, the home country of the Asia Rugby President, did not even qualify for the Asian tournament.
In 2018, they ranked 12th out of 12 teams in the Asian Games. During the same year, Sri Lanka, which had previously secured a 4th place position, participated under the The Olympic Council of Asia flag and dropped to the 10th place in the tournament.
The United Arab Emirates came from 12th place to 5th place while Sri Lanka got the result after getting out of the ban without time for proper training and participating amidst many obstacles. At this moment, the Sports Minister of Sri Lanka is going to meet the Asia President. The manner in which the Asia Rugby President is disregarding international conventions and sidestepping the officially appointed Sri Lanka Rugby administration seems to be aligning with the actions of the Sports Minister.
But the minister is encumbered by parliamentary privileges and declares that the citizenship of the Rugby President should be revoked. Dancing to the tune of the Asia President, he dons the role of a true patriot.
Now the minister is planning to bring the fate of rugby to cricket as well. If rugby, football, and cricket – the three sports that significantly contribute to Sri Lanka’s international revenue, are banned due to political interference, then the sports minister will be the best sports minister Sri Lanka has ever had. Although the minister’s behavior is explained line by line, the truth is not accepted.
His behavior displays a blend of foolishness and arrogance, to the degree that public perception could erode the prestige associated with the ministerial position. The best way to hide that feeling is to invite educated and intelligent neutral people to places like the National Sports Council to advise. Instead, he opted for individuals who held personal grievances against the current administrations.
They are ready to take the game back through the rules of the game. Although the world needs to create a freer environment for sports, the National Sports Council is blessing the necessary environment to widen the space for the Minister of Sports to reach out to the sport. It is to put their heads inside.
The most notable contribution of the current Sports Minister has been through the power of their voice.
He is offering criticism of the decisions made by sports associations, all while managing a sports ministry that often lacks the financial means to even provide air tickets for many athletes in need. He is exerting control or influence over them. In the process of benefiting from others’ resources, he is also seeking funds from places where financial resources are available for the betterment of his ministry. This behavior is akin to demanding money as a thugs.
Featured in themain photograph are South African rugby captain Siya Kolisi, the country’s Sports minister Shishi Kodwa, and the Rugby President Mark Alexander. The second photo portrays the President of the Asian Rugby Federation, who played a role in elevating the United Arab Emirates to the fifth position in Asia, and the sports minister of Sri Lanka, who followed his decisions and brought an international ban to Sri Lanka Rugby and contributed to bringing the 4th ranked Sri Lanka Rugby down to the 10th position.
Perhaps, in this meeting, it’s possible that these two individuals had a conversation filled with satisfaction regarding the United Arab Emirates’ impressive ascent from the last place to the 5th position in the Asian Games.
Colombo (LNW): Colombo experienced an unexpected, storm-like downpour this evening (07).
Heavy showers exceeding 75 mm are anticipated in various areas across the Western, Central, Sabaragamuwa, North-western, and Uva provinces, according to the Meteorological Department.
Sri Lanka Police reported a traffic standstill between Nelundeniya and Udukumbura on the Colombo-Kandy Main Road due to a fallen tree obstructing the road. Additionally, an earth slip halted traffic between Haldummulla and Beragala.
Motorists are strongly advised to exercise caution while driving in these adverse weather conditions.
Colombo (LNW): The “We are One” organisation held a peace conference at Hyde Park ground in Colombo titled “No War” to call for an immediate end to the Israel-Hamas conflict and to stop the ongoing genocide.
Participants included former President Maithripala Sirisena, Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, former Janata Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) former Member of Parliament Bimal Ratnayake, and other political activists.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was invited but did not attend.
Representatives from various religious communities were also present at the event.
