Chief Government Whip Highways Minister Johnston Fernando said blowing crises out of proportion have become the order of the day for Opposition parties. He said crises have become the pet subjects for Opposition parties.
The Minister said whenever the Opposition members open their mouths, nothing but complaints of this or that crisis come out. Look at the recent speeches by some of the Opposition politicians. They speak of nothing but crises. Most of them speak only of imminent dangers, possible crises, thereby instilling fear and uncertainty in the minds of people.
At a ceremony at the Kottawa Interchange on Wednesday, December 22 to launch the LankaQR app enabling toll payments for expressway users, Minister Fernando said, “None of the Opposition members speak of how to improve the status quo. Their sole objective is panic-mongering thinking that it would lead to instability which would enable them to return to power.
Suppose they were in the Government right now, what would have happened to this country? The difference between them and us is that we never back down in the face of crisis. We neither retreat nor surrender. We continue to develop this nation amid challenges.”
The Minister said, “Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa, by propagating lies about crises do the same as Velupillai Prabhakaran. It had been the job of the LTTE to create fear, uncertainty and panic to destabilise the Government in power. Now the JVP and SJB have taken over that task. They criticised us when we started the national vaccination drive. They did the same when we started constructing expressways. Today, their lies are exposed and we stand correct.”
Must get together
SLFP General Secretary State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara said that leaving the Government at this moment in time and sitting in the Opposition, will not solve the problems of the country. He said that joining the Opposition and berating the Government, will not solve the country’s problems and what has to be done at present is for the Government and the Opposition to get together and follow a proper procedure to stabilise the country.
At a media briefing in Kandy recently, Jayasekara said, “We should not be divided but work for the country’s progress. We must implement a general program which can be carried out on behalf of the people for at least 20 years.”
He said that even Ronnie de Mel had some knowledge about the economy of the country. Later, the mistake that occurred was that Presidents took over the post of Finance Minister. They did not have any plan at all. Neither did they have much knowledge about the economy. When the President was not the Finance Minister, Ministers who were appointed to the post, did not have any understanding. Secretaries have to be held responsible for this crisis.
The State Minister said that learned economic experts should be sent to Parliament through the National List to prevent a situation like this from happening in the future. He said, “What was done by everyone who came to power after 1977, has become burdens on our shoulders today.”
Discipline
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said discipline is the highest virtue in the life of an Army officer. Optimism, self-confidence and trust in the rest of the team are at the heart of a leader’s success.
The President told the gathering at the 96th Commissioning Parade of the Sri Lanka Military Academy, that it is a characteristic of the Army to cultivate a keen interest in even the simplest of tasks and to nurture the ability to work collectively.
He said that there will be situations in life, no matter how talented or skilled an individual is, an individual cannot succeed without the support of others. He said, therefore, teamwork is an essential life skill that needs to be cultivated, and the military will provide ample opportunities to do so.
President Rajapaksa said, “Despite the setbacks, obstacles and difficulties that arise from time to time, we must focus on our mission to the people pointing out that setbacks are part of the path and the leader must be able to face them successfully and take bold decisions.”
Bizarre allegations
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said the ruling party reaped the benefit of the controversy surrounding Dr. Shafi Shihabdeen during elections, but now it has been proved that the sterilisation allegations were baseless.
Premadasa told an inauguration ceremony that the ruling party used Dr. Shihabdeen and the bizarre allegations levelled against him on performing illegal sterilisation operations and targeted the Muslim community to incite racism as part of their Presidential election campaign.
He said, “Today, all their drama has been revealed and the Government that came to power through lies, fraud, and deception has been rejected by the people.”
Controversial decision
However, Government coalition partner, National Freedom Front (NFF) said the ongoing investigations into Dr. Shafi Shahabdeen’s alleged involvement with the Easter Sunday attackers and illegal sterilisation of women in Kurunegala had been seriously weakened by the Government’s controversial decision to pay him back wages.
At a media briefing at the party headquarters, NFF frontliner State Minister Jayantha Samaraweera was critical of the decision taken by the Public Service Commission and the Health Ministry over the payment of back wages and reinstatement of Dr. Shahabdeen.
Samaraweera, who represents the six-member NFF parliamentary group, said that they were quite surprised the way attempts were being made to undermine the investigations taking place at a snail’s pace. He alleged that under the current dispensation, too, investigations were being handled in a shoddy manner.
Dire consequences
SLPP Parliamentarian Jagath Kumara said the Government will face dire consequences if Ministers Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila and Vasudeva Nanayakkara quit. He said that if these Ministers quit the Government, another set of MPs might follow suit, putting the Government in a crisis situation.
MP Kumara proposed that the Government should safeguard lawmakers who have always backed the administration at the polls to avoid a crisis. He said, “Not only some State Ministers, but also other individuals who function while ignoring instructions from the President.”
National security
Earlier, Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila told the media in spite of being members of the Cabinet, he along with National Freedom Front (NFF) Leader Wimal Weerawansa and Democratic Left Front (DLF) Leader Vasudeva Nanayakkara, have supported the petitions filed against the Government entering into a framework agreement with US-based New Fortress Energy in respect of the Yugadanavi Power Plant as they strongly felt that collective Cabinet responsibility should not be at the expense of national security.
Minister Gammanpila said they had challenged the Cabinet over the controversial agreement following careful examination of what he called a politically charged situation.
He said they were ready to face the consequences of the legal measures they had resorted to. However, the Attorney General told the Supreme Court last week that the affidavits produced by Ministers Gammanpila, Weerawansa and Nanayakkara regarding the Yugadanavi power plant are unconstitutional and they have disregarded their collective responsibility.
“Should be sacked”
SJB Parliamentarian Mujibur Rahuman said those Ministers who challenged the sale of the Yugadanavi Plant should be either sacked by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa or they should quit the Cabinet, without further delay, if they genuinely believe the Government entered into an agreement at the expense of national security.
MP Rahuman pointed out that having made submissions to the Supreme Court regarding what they called a corrupt energy deal, they voted for the Budget and continue to serve the Cabinet.
Resolved amicably
Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said the Government has decided to settle the case at the Commercial Court by paying US$ 6.7 million to the Chinese company, which sent the fertiliser shipment, as per the advice of the Attorney General, but this should not be misinterpreted as compensation.
He said that the Chinese company has agreed to supply the fertiliser as per the required standards again, subsequent to the payment of US$ 6.7 million.
Senior Government Ministers defended the decision to pay US$ 6.7 million to the Chinese fertiliser company. Highways Minister Johnston Fernando told reporters that antagonising a nation as powerful as China will not be in Sri Lanka’s interest in the long run.
He said, “This issue must be resolved amicably. Antagonising a powerful country could prove more disadvantageous for us in the long term. It is not like losing US$ 6.7 million. China is a country that gave us money when we needed it.”
“Take to the streets”
The JVP called on the people to take to the streets against the Government that cannot control market prices of essential items. Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, the party’s National Organiser and former MP Bimal Ratnayake said that the fuel price hike was unjust and it would result in further increases in prices of all commodities and services in the coming days, sending the pandemic-hit economy from the frying pan into the fire.
He said, “This is the highest ever price hike in fuel in the country’s history. The reason for the price revision has been attributed to the World Market price change of fuel but it cannot be accepted. There had been many previous occasions when the world market price of fuel increased more than this.”
Ratnayake said the CPC and Petroleum Minister have become puppets of the ruling coalition.
Holes
JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the economy cannot be shored up without plugging the holes such as MPs pensions, mansions for Ministers and maintenance of former Presidents, security and other provisions for politicians.
The JVP leader told the national convention of the JVP-led NPP at Imperial Monarch at Sri Jayewardenepura a couple of days ago, that politics should be rid of parasites.
He said, “Politics should be a public service and politicians should be made to serve people without enjoying special privileges. This could be done only by the NPP as none of the other traditional parties could do so.”
Dissanayake said that the bane of the country was the corrupt political culture which should be changed by the people by defeating corrupt politicians. We must first put an end to this corrupt political culture.
Fuel price formula
Cabinet spokesman Mass Media Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said although they initially mocked the late Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera’s fuel pricing formula, when they were in the Opposition, he now believes a price formula of that nature could be useful to overcome ramifications and public outcry on abrupt price increases.
He said that even the present Energy Minister was contemplating on reintroducing the said formula. The Minister said, “When the late Finance Minister introduced the fuel price formula, we ridiculed it, while sitting in the Opposition, at the time. However, I now feel there should be a realistic mechanism to control the fuel prices.”
Pardon
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa again called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to pardon former SJB Parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake.
Following a visit to the Welikada Prison to see Ramanayake, Opposition Leader Premadasa told journalists, “Ranjan Ramanayake was not imprisoned for murder or theft. He spoke on behalf of the people. I spoke to the President to pardon him on several occasions. In the name of humanity, we seek a pardon for Ranjan Ramanayake.”
The Opposition Leader said the Inter Parliamentary Union had also promised that it would stand for the rights of Ramanayake. He said, “Many of those responsible for gas, sugar, coconut oil and fertiliser scams are at large. In the meantime, Ramanayake is behind bars for speaking the truth.”
Undivided Sri Lanka
Yet another meeting towards finding a political solution to the national issue was held by Party Leaders and representatives of Tamil-speaking people at Global Towers in Colombo on Tuesday, December 21.
It was to seek ways and means for their communities to live in an undivided Sri Lanka with dignity and equality. The third round of discussions and the signing of a letter on the 13 th Amendment’s implementation were held under the patronage of TNA Leader R. Sampanthan.
Party Leaders Mano Ganeshan, Mavai Senathirajah, M.A. Sumanthiran, C.V. Wigneswaran, S. Adaikalanathan, Rauf Hakeem, Palani Digambaram, N. Srikantha and Suresh Premachandran were also present. Representatives of Rishad Bathiudeen, Dharmalingam Sitharthan and V. Radhakrishnan also attended the meeting.
The party leaders and political party representatives had met to arrive at consensus to urge India to go one step forward in its repeated calls to successive Sri Lankan Governments in pushing for a national solution through the 13th Amendment.