News

A new Board of Directors under the Chairmanship of Mr. Ranjit Fernando has been appointed at SriLankan Airlines in order to accelerate the restructuring process and create the enabling environment to proceed with entering into a Public-Private-Partnership with a strategic investor, the Ministry of Finance said today.

Other members appointed to the board include Mr. Mano Tittewella (Ministry of Finance), Dr. Roshan Perera (Central Bank), Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathi (Air Force Commander) and Mr. Susantha Katugampala (Lawyer/Barrister).

The restructuring and PPP process will continue to be guided by the Officials Committee chaired by the Secretary to the Treasury with the participation of the Secretary, Ministry of Public Enterprise Development and Chairman of the National Agency for Public Private Partnership (NAPPP), Mr. Thilan Wijesinghe. Mr. Wijesinghe serves as the Convener of the Officials Committee.

The Officials Committee, set up in September 2017, will continue to refer required areas for direction by the Ministerial Committee chaired by the Hon. Prime Minister and for implementation by the Board of SriLankan Airlines. Aviation Consultants, Nyras of UK, hired after a competitive process in November 2017 by the Officials Committee, will continue to report to the Officials Committee. This working arrangement is to ensure shareholder (Treasury) interests are adequately addressed in the restructuring process.

 The NAPPP, with the assistance of Nyras, will coordinate the PPP process that will be implemented in parallel with the restructuring process and advise the Ministry of Finance and Officials Committee. The NAPPP will also advise the Officials Committee on the debt restructuring process designed to mitigate any impact on the General Treasury and State Banks, who are the largest lenders to SriLankan Airlines.

The Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) Chairperson former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said while promoting communal unity and harmony, her office would launch a programme to uplift the living standard of war-affected women in the North, including war widows.

She disclosed this at a discussion held at the Jaffna Kachcheri, during a recent visit to the North. Northern Province Chief Minister C. Vigneswaran, Parliamentarian Mavai Seandhiraja, representatives of women’s organisations and a large number of war-affected women in the North attended the discussion.

On inquiry by the former President, the women’s organisations’ representatives said nearly 33,000 women had fallen destitute due to the war in the North and East. They said sexual abuse of women had increased after the war.

Following the discussion, the former President visited Keerimalai and opened a new restaurant selling Jaffna’s traditional food preparations set up under the auspices of the Agriculture Department.

The restaurant has been targeted to attract tourists visiting the Keerimalai hot springs.

She was accompanied by several TNA Parliamentarians.

Source : Daily News

At the cabinet meeting held today, UNP Ministers of the cabinet had requested their SLFP counterparts to present their stance on the upcoming no confidence vote against Prime Minister and Leader of the UNP, Ranil Wickramasinghe.

 “Not sure if our official stance will fall in line with that of others, so ask SB or Susil” - Minister Vijith Wijayamuni Zoysa

While the UNP group had first questioned Duminda Dissanayake of the SLFP, however Vijith Wijayamuni Zoysa had asked them to direct the question to S.B Dissanayake or Susil Premajayantha instead as it is they had been making statements to the media in this regard recently. He had gone on to say that if not they were capable of claiming that his or Duminda’s opinion on the matter is not the official stance of the party.

 “I am not the SLFP spokesman, ask Minister Susil or Nimal” - Minister S.B Dissanayake

The UNP Ministers had then gone on to ask S.B Dissanayake of the official party decision regarding the no confidence vote. While the PM had then arrived at the meeting, the UNP Ministers had asked S.B to reveal their stance in front of the PM it self.

However S.B claiming he is not the SLFP spokesperson had instead directed the question to Susil Premajayantha who had avoided answering in the end leaving Minister Nimal Siripala Silva to face the barrage of questions.

 “There is a common call for you to resign Prime Minister but in no way is it a personal opinion only” - Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva

Answering the queries Nimal Siripala had claimed the official stance of the SLFP is that the PM should resign prior to the no confidence vote. The Minister had gone on stress this is not a personal opinion of one individual but the collective understanding of the party.

If that is your stance then listen to ours as well! There will be no resignation! We will ensure the win of the government and the PM! - Minister Mangala Samaraweera

Minister Mangala is said to have wanted to present the UNP party stance after the reply but then had gone on to request the PM to present it instead. However the PM had asked Mangala to go ahead.

“The no confidence vote is not only against the PM but against the whole government” he had said adding that therefore their aim is to defeat it. “We will protect the government and PM unconditionally” he had said.

The Minister had also claimed that therefore there will be no resignation as requested by the SLFP and left the meeting.

Sources say that following this incident Minister Zoysa was heard saying that some talk shop but are afraid to state their decisions when confronted.

However despite claims by Minister De Silva, sources say the SLFP is still not in a collective stance about the vote with some Ministers are said to be of the opinion that the vote must be defeated.

 The SLFP group is set to meet the President once more today sources claim.

Minister of Finance and Mass Media Mangala Samaraweera states that claims of the new income tax bill is to tax earnings of senior citizens and foreign workers is completely false.

This act, which was implemented from April 1, removed the discrepancies in the tax system in Sri Lanka and created a fair tax system, expanded the tax base, simplified existing tax structures, examined international legal concepts against tax evaders, and implemented them as appropriate Minister said.

At present, 82% of the population of Sri Lanka is subject to indirect taxes and direct taxes are paid by only 18% of the population. “However, the aim is to increase the direct tax income to 40% by the new tax bill” the Minister said.

New direct taxes are expected to generate 30 billion rupees in the second and third quarters of the year while the annual revenue is expected to be Rs. 60 billion.

A TNA delegation headed by opposition leader R. Sampanthan were at the Presidential secretariat for a meeting with President today.

It is believed the discussion was regarding the up coming no confidence vote. The TNA was predicted to support Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe at tomorrow's vote.

However Opposition leader R. Sampanthan said he informed President that TNA will decide tonight on its position on no-confidence motion on PM.

 Meanwhile the SLFP has said it would vote against the PM unless he resigns today.

A team of European Parliament's members will visit Sri Lanka from April 4 to 6 to evaluate the first results of Sri Lanka's accession to the GSP+ scheme. The meeting will also aim to enhance the dialogue with Sri Lanka on the remaining challenges according to the EU office in Colombo.

The delegation would comprise of members of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade (INTA) including the Standing Rapporteur for South Asia.

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party's parliamentary group has unanimously decided to request Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to resign from his post, Minister Chandima Weerakkody confirmed today.

Accordingly, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has conveyed the SLFP's decision to Premier Wickremesinghe a short while ago.

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) parliamentary group has unanimously decided to seek Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s resignation prior to the no-confidence vote this week.

The decision was taken after the SLFP MPs met with President Maithripala Sirisena last night for a discussion regarding the matter. The group has unanimously decided to request the UNP leader to resign as Prime Minister before the vote on the no-confidence motion which has been brought against him.

The debate in Parliament on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is set for April 4. President Sirisena also held discussions with the Prime Minister and UNP Cabinet Ministers at the President’s official residence last evening.

No room should be given to the “ghosts of the previous regime” to defeat the mandate of the coalition government using a strategy in the guise of a no-confidence motion, Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera said at a special interview yesterday said.

Minister Samaraweera pointed out that the No-Confidence Motion is not a move against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, but a ploy against the Yahapalana government that succeeded the previous regime which thrived on tyranny, corruption and family bandism.

Minister Samaraweera expressed his confidence that a majority in Parliament will stand with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to defeat the no confidence motion (NCM) against him. Referring to the no-confidence motion as yet another “storm in the tea cup”, Minister Samaraweera said that the country should not be dragged back to the darkness it was in, from its journey towards a brighter future.

The UNP has taken a decision to unanimously rally around PM Wickremesinghe to defeat the NCM. Minister Samaraweera said: “I am not aware of the JVP’s opinion on this. However I believe they are not ready to return to the corrupt regime we had earlier. I am sure that the Tamil National Alliance despises the ethno racist approach taken up by the previous regime. Thus, I believe all these parties will want to defeat the NCM,” he said.

Minister Samaraweera made these observations at a special interview held at his official residence yesterday morning.

Minister Samaraweera observed that individuals, who toil for the Rajapaksa backed NCM, are the persons who are frightened by the government’s slow but sure approach in rounding up the culprits responsible for many crimes and corruption prior to 2015. He further observed that their prime target has become Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who is dedicated to the present coalition government.

Speaking further Minister Samaraweera pointed out that the NCM is a part of the larger movement against Yahapalana government, launched by the very people who were involved in crime and corruption with the blessings of the Rajapaksa rule. “On January 8, 2015 the Yahapalanaya government began a new journey championing democracy, development and reconciliation. But the persons, who were prospering under the previous corrupt regime, started scheming against the new government. They come up with all sorts of strategies to bring this government down,” The Minister added.

The Minister also observed that the origin behind the NCM is the same source behind the recent disturbances in Kandy.

“Investigations into crime and corruption cases under the previous regime have recorded much progress by now. These crimes and corruption could not have been unearthed for years, but now we are successfully presenting evidence against the culprits involved in these cases. So, these people have become anxious about this progress. They want to come back to power and reestablish the corrupt regime they maintained prior to 2015. The latest strategy to topple the Yahapalana government is this no confidence motion against PM Wickremesinghe. The supporters of the Joint Opposition and the JO minions in the government itself are trying to use this NCM as a backdoor to come to power,” Minister Samaraweera pointed out.

Asked on an alleged clash between President Sirisena and the government, Minister Samaraweera completely denied the allegation. “There is no clash whatsoever between the President and the government. Representatives of both parties respect President Sirisena very much. He is a pleasant person who lends an ear to everybody. However, President Sirisena is challenged to maintain the balance between several groups in his party. Some people who made indecent remarks on President Sirisena when he was the common candidate later joined this government seeking ministerial portfolios. President Sirisena has to strike a balance as the leader of the SLFP among all these groups who hold different opinions,” Minister Samaraweera explained.

Speaking further, Minister Samaraweera said that PM Wickremesinghe should be given the well deserved recognition as the key figure that revived the bankrupt economy taken over by the coalition government. “We had trillions of rupees to service debts in the coming years. We paid more than a trillion to service our debts last year. Next year, we have to pay around 4 trillion. We have passed important milestones in our economy thanks to the economic plan launched by PM Wickremesinghe under the guidance of President Maithripala Sirisena,” he pointed out. People will reap the benefits of these development initiatives in the coming years, he added.

Minster Samaraweera also observed that PM Wickremesinghe was selfless when extending his fullest support to the common candidate at the 2015 Presidential Election. Samaraweera pointed out that, giant political figures such as former PM Sirimavo Bandaranaike was not willing to give up her privilege to compete in an election by giving an opportunity to a common candidate, as proposed at the 1988 Presidential election.

Referring to the allegations on the Treasury Bond issue, Minister Samaraweera pointed out that the government has taken all necessary steps to recover the loss incurred by the questionable bond sale. “We have frozen the accounts of all perpetrators of the bond issue, so that we can recover every penny. It was Prime Minister Wickremesinghe who first called for an investigation on this issue. If we followed the steps of corrupt Rajapaksa regime, we would have appointed a henchman of our government as the Chairman of the COPE committee. Premier Wickremesinghe also bowed down to the Presidential Commission appointed to look into the Treasury bond issue. He even volunteered to give evidence before the Commission. There have been trillions lost in bond scams under the purview of the previous regime. Now they are bringing in a NCM against the PM who introduced a system to apprehend these scammers and curb corruption in the relevant institutions,” Minister Samaraweera also said.

Asked on criticisms against the present government, Minister Samaraweera agreed that there have been several criticisms leveled against the government. He said, that the government will take all measures to deal with these criticisms.

“In all honesty, the main criticism against the present government is that we isolated the forces that brought us into power. We are criticized for sliding away from the policies we were supposed to implement. Even though Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna recorded a victory at the recent Local Government Election, they cannot obtain a majority at a General Election,” Minister Samaraweera said.

“The majority of this country is opposed to the previous regime just as much as they were in 2015. However, we are losing their confidence. So the first step following the no confidence motion is to go back to our vote base and provide facilities to our poor innocent citizens. Parallel to such a welfare approach, we need to create an economy that can compete in the global market. We also need to defeat ethno religious tensions created by the same sources that has brought in this NCM. I must agree that the police responded slowly to the tense situation at Kandy recently. We will have to take strict action against incidents such as these in the future to ensure reconciliation among all the ethnicities. We will not allow anybody to drag us back to the corrupt era we were in,” Minister Samaraweera further said.

Denying the allegation that the PM is protecting Rajapaksa family, Minister Samaraweera pointed out that the NCM presented to Parliament contains several signatures of Rajapaksa family members who are parliamentarians. “If the PM is protecting the Rajapaksas, would they have signed the no confidence motion?” Minister Samaraweera questioned.

Minister Samaraweera also said that the progress achieved by the government will not be hindered or reversed by the no confidence motion. He pointed out that the government is confident that the NCM will be defeated on Wednesday, hence there will be no such hindrance to the operations of the government.

Source : Daily News

The UNP will take stern disciplinary measures against the UNP members who will vote with the No Confidence Motion (NCM) that would be moved by the Joint Opposition against the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the whole government on April 4, Power and Renewable Energy State Minister Ajith P. Perera yesterday said.

He made this observation during a press conference held at the UNP Party headquarters 'Siri Kotha.

He said the UNP Working Committee has reached a decision to defeat the NCM, so those who acted against the decision would have to face disciplinary action.

The State Minister further said that so far it is not reported that the SLFP and the UPFA had reached such a decision.

Source : Daily News

Necessary steps will be taken by the Government to revamp the Sri Lanka Air Force and strengthen it with the latest technology in line with other forces of the developed world. This will include the infusion of knowledge and technological skills. The necessary guidance and advise would be sought from developed countries for this purpose, President Maithripala Sirisena said.

The President was addressing the gathering at the President Colours Awards Ceremony held at the Diyatalawa Air Force Combat Training School last morning.

President Sirisena said he was pleased to attend the colour awards ceremony held at this school to honour and convey the nation’s gratitude to the Air Force combat school which had rendered a sterling service to the nation for a very long period.

The President said the Tri Forces of this country had performed a yeoman service to the Motherland during the past few decades. Foremost among them was the dedication made to defeat LTTE terrorism which had been a bane to the country for nearly 28 years.

“The Sri Lanka Air Force had performed its duty and responsibility in the protection of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and joined their counterpart Armed Forces to save the country during national disaster situations,” President Sirisena said.

Air Force Commander Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy said the Presidential Colours Awards Ceremony marked an important cross road in the 67-year-old history of the Sri Lanka Air Force.

“President Sirisena’s decision to hold a Presidential Colours Awards Ceremony to convey the highest honour to the service rendered by the Air Force was most praiseworthy. The Sri Lanka Air Force had been a partner in the country’s development process too. Several welfare measures had already been initiated by the Air Force such as the donation of houses to War Heroes, scholarship awards to children of Air Force personnel and remedying of salary anomalies,” the Air Force Commander said.

Source : Daily News

Madura Vithanage of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has been elected as the Mayor of the Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Municipal Council.

Vithanage secured a total of 23 votes.