President Ranil Wickremesinghe who came to Kandy to watch the Janaraja Perahera didn’t forget to meet the Karaka Sangha Sabha of Asgiriya and Matwatte Chapters at the President’s House, Kandy.
This discussion which was held last Sunday was friendly and cordial rather than in the form of an official discussion. The issues faced by bhikkhus at the Pali and Buddhist University were also discussed.
The President mingled with the crowd when he came to watch the Janaraja Perahera.
Kandy Mayor Kesara Senanayake said, “Sir, our people have a very close bond with Sri Dalada Maligawa. Therefore, it is an honour for us to conduct the procession this time.”
The President discussed the history of Janaraja Perahera with many people. The President explained with details about the Kandy Esala Perahera and Raja Perahera conducted since the time of ancient kings. When Minister Bandula Gunawardena came close to the President to view the Perahera, President Wickremesinghe told him a strange story with a smiling face. “Bandula do you know a Wes dancer has become the country’s President today?.”
Then Minister Gunawardena remembered that the President had learnt Wes dancing during his childhood. President Wickremesinghe and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga had learnt Wes dancing from veteran Wes dancer Sri Jayana.
There was rain in Kandy and suburbs the day which the Janaraja Perahera was held and the following day. Amid the rains, the President participated in the ceremony at Rantambe National Cadet Training Centre last Sunday for the awarding of the President’s Colours and Corps Colours to the National Cadet Corps.
Cabinet meeting
The weekly Cabinet meeting was also held at the President’s House, Kandy on Monday morning. The President’s proposal to transform the historic city of Kandy into a well-planned, organised and developed city received unanimous approval from the Cabinet of Ministers.
At the end of the Cabinet meeting, the Cabinet Secretary informed the President about a document sent by the Higher Education Ministry which was not submitted to the Cabinet meeting. The letter submitted to the President by the Cabinet Secretary also included some requests made by the Federation of University Teachers Association.
After the President saw the letter he was surprised as most of those requests could not be fulfilled. Some of those requests included giving special allowances and exempting some taxes. Another request in the letter was that when a university lecturer goes to a foreign country to follow a postgraduate degree course, his family members who go with him should also be given free air tickets. Minister Banduala Gunawardena who saw this was astonished and asked “Sir, what is this request?”
The President looked at his Secretary Saman Ekanayake, who said, “This cannot be done but we can consider other requests.”
Minister Gunawardena said, “They say one thing to the country and a completely different thing to us.”
The President then made an observation tour to the Minipe Anicut construction site. The President instructed the officials to speed up the work of Minipe Left Bank Canal Rehabilitation Project which has been delayed for over three years owing to various reasons, and to provide its benefits to the farmers before the next Maha Season.
Later President Wickremesinghe also joined the opening of the country’s first migratory bird park and eco-tourism zone in Hanthane, Kandy on Monday. A meeting with businessmen and lawyers in the Kandy district was held at the President’s House, Kandy in the evening.
During the meeting, the President emphasised the importance of having a proper plan to strengthen the economy. The President praised the current Government’s economic program, which has helped reduce recent economic difficulties.
Two books
Two books, “Sinhala Fonts” and “Tamil Fonts” compiled by t he Department of Official Languages were presented to President Ranil Wickremesinghe by Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at the Parliament complex on Tuesday.
This presentation was made in commemoration of International Mother Language Day, celebrated on February 21.
The President didn’t stay for long and left to attend the Security Council meeting. In the evening, the President came to UNP Headquarters ’Sirikotha’ to attend the UNP Working Committee meeting. UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara submitted a disciplinary report to the Working Committee.
According to the disciplinary report, 1,137 councillors of the Local Government institutions who had contested and elected to these institutions under the UNP had breached party discipline by joining the SJB later.
The General Secretary also informed the Working Committee that some of them have also handed over nominations for the upcoming Local Government Election from other political parties as well. Then UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene said some of the removed members had requested an opportunity to present excuses and what are we going to do regarding that?
The majority of the members of the UNP Working Committee were of the view that there is no time to provide an opportunity for it. Then the UNP Working Committee unanimously decided to remove the party membership of 1,137 councillors of Local Government institutions.
UNP National Organiser Sagala Rathnayaka said, “Then we should look at the possibility of replacing the sacked members with another 1,137 new members.”
General Secretary Range Bandara said “We will appoint a new set of qualified people to replace them and the relevant interviews will commence this week.”
After that President Wickremesinghe left the UNP headquarters to deliver the keynote speech at the Tax Forum 2023 organised by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM). President’s Senior Adviser on Climate Change Ruwan Wijewardene also participated in the event.
The majority of those who met the President at the end of the Tax Forum said that there was no other alternative to the tax policy introduced by him. One businessman told Ruwan Wijewardene that the economic policies presented by other parties for the election are the same as the policies introduced by the President.
Royal College
Ranil Wickremesinghe after assuming duties as the President for the first time attended an event at Royal College, Colombo to honour him as an alumnus of Royal College.
According to the tradition of the school, when an old boy becomes the President, a ceremony is held within eight weeks to welcome him after he assumes office. Earlier, a lot of people had inquired from the old boys engaged in politics and Old Boys’ Association officials for not making such an invitation to President Wickremesinghe.
The students in the upper classes who realised that tradition has not been followed discussed this with the college principal. Finally, the students along with the principal organised an event to honour the President.
At the event, the President called upon the present generation of Royalists to dedicate themselves to serving the country and transforming it into a place where they would like to reside. He urged young Royalists to take up the challenge and shape the future of the nation.
The President went to Parliament on Thursday to respond to the allegations levelled by the Opposition against the Finance Ministry and other Government officials. When the President came to the lobby after winding up his speech, a large number of MPs inquired as to how he sent messages to SJB Mayoral candidate Mujibur Rahman and the Opposition MPs requested him to postpone the LG election.
Then the President told the MPs in a lighter vein “Why, they had also told you.” Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said “Sir, it is really good you exposed Parliament to the illegal activities of the Election Commission.”
State Minister Chamara Sampath said, “If it is said that the election is going to be postponed but no election has been announced so far. Therefore, steps should be taken against the officials who misled the people.”
MP Wajira Abeywardena who also came to the scene said both Opposition MPs Dr.Harsha de Silva and Mayatha Dissanayake are asking the chairmanship of the Committee on Public Finance.
The President said, “That is appointed by a vote. So, we should act according to the majority will of the Committee.”
MP Milan Jayathilaka said, “Last time, when Harsha de Silva was appointed as the Chairman, they sought the support of the Government. This time none of them asked for our help.”
The stance of the President was to allow the Committee to take a suitable decision. Finally, the Committee had selected Mayantha Dissanayake as the new Chairman and MP Harsha de Silva had criticised that. Then Government lawmakers told the President that now SJB leaders are pressurising Mayantha to resign. The President who laughed didn’t make any comment.
After Parliament was adjourned on Thursday, the President visited Hikkaduwa to attend a meeting with businessmen in the tourism industry to discuss tourism related issues and ideas with them.
Protest
The Party Leaders’ meeting of the Opposition was held at the Opposition Leader’s office, Colombo recently. It was decided at the meeting to take every possible measure against the Government’s anti-democratic moves and be actively involved in that campaign.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, MPs Lakshman Kiriella, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Prof. G.L. Peiris, M.A. Sumanthiran, Rauff Hakeem, Rishad Bathiudeen, Palani Thigambaram, Chandima Weerakkody and Dr. Nalaka Godahewa were present.
It was the SJB which decided to organise the protest in Parliament demanding to hold the Local Government elections. The group of independent MPs in Parliament also extended their support to it. SJB MPs Nalin Bandara, Harshana Rajakaruna and S.M.Marikkar immediately prepared necessary placards with slogans.
The group of MPs first informed Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa about their protest as the Opposition Leader was at a political rally held in Polonnaruwa. Then he gave instructions to conduct the protest successfully with the participation of all. Once the House met, the Opposition MPs along with their placards started to protest against the President and the Government.
They started to shout slogans such as ‘safeguard democracy’, ‘conduct the election’ ‘don’t play games with the election’ and ‘let’s safeguard people’s sovereignty’.
The significant feature was the absence of three National People’s Power MPs. Even though NPP MPs Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Vijitha Herath and Dr. Harini Amarasuriya were in the Parliament complex, they didn’t participate in the SJB protest in the Chamber.
SJB MP Nalin Bandara said, “They can’t go against the Hamu. Those are deals.”
SJB Parliamentarian Harshana Rajakaruna said, “What they always did was hijack everything. They hijacked farmers’ protests. The entire country knows it was the SJB which genuinely supported all those struggles.”
SJB MP Hector Appuhamy said, “We saw recently that former JVP MP Sunil told a Rupavahini program that instead of attacking the Government, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa is attacking the JVP. Actually, we didn’t utter even a single word against the JVP. They vehemently insulted our Leader when he donated buses to some schools. Now they say we are slinging mud at them. At every political rally and TV program, the JVP slings mud at our Leader and the SJB.”
SJB MP Gayantha Karunatilleka said, “The Opposition Leader drew attention to a very important policy issue, the JVP’s private land ownership. JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake who heard it has panicked and talks nonsense now.
SJB MP Ashok Abeysinghe said, “Our Leader talked about policies. However, Anura Kumara always slings mud at us on the political stage. They are panicking.”
The JVP didn’t join hands with any collective move taken against the President and the Government. They also didn’t attend the Opposition Party Leaders’ meeting held at the Opposition Leader’s office.
Conspiracies
The SJB MPs had laid emphasis on the President’s speech made in Parliament. The Opposition Leader was in Jaffna when the President made his speech in Parliament. Responding to the President’s speech from Jaffna, Opposition Leader Premadasa said, “The President behaves in an absurd manner. He is the person who hatches conspiracies of postponing the LG election.”
The Opposition Leader said the President acts in an irresponsible manner by saying that there will be no election. He queried if there is no election as to why the UNP handed over nominations.
When the nominations were called and the date was fixed to conduct the election, the President makes absurd comments and acts irresponsibly. He is the mastermind of postponing the election and undermines democracy. It is reported that the SJB has decided to take several decisions regarding the dictatorial move of the President and the Government.
Commenting on the recent controversies surrounding the upcoming Local Government election, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said that there is no need to postpone the election. Responding to a question raised by a journalist within the Parliamentary complex on Tuesday, former President Rajapaksa said that his party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is of the strong opinion that the 2023 LG polls must be held as scheduled. “These elections are there to be held, not to be postponed,” he said.
Victim of the JVP
Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said that she has been a victim of the JVP which killed her husband Vijaya Kumaratunga in front of her and children.
At a meeting held at the Matugama Pradeshiya Sabha Auditorium organised by MP Kumara Welgama, former President Kumaratunga said that she and two children survived because they had gone to England that day. “I know them very well. Hundreds of my friends were shot dead by them.”
She said, “As the Buddha said, any human being can change. Now I don’t really know whether these people have come to the right path. I am not sure about them because they blame others. They pretend that only they are right and good and all others are wrong. Even though they spoke against corruption, they never say how they will stop corruption if they come to power. It shows that they don’t have a proper program in this regard.”
The former President said, “I challenge the JVP to tell the country how they will stop corruption. In the book released by our New Lanka Freedom Party, there is a program on how to stop corruption. We have a proper program to eliminate corruption in the Public Service as well as to curb the corruption of Ministers, Provincial Councils and Pradeshiya Sabha,” she added.