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The European Union Election Observer Mission (EU-EOM) to Sri Lanka began its observation work in Colombo today (Tuesday 21) and they will monitor the election campaign in the run up to the November 16 presidential election.

Observers have been deployed to all nine provinces from Colombo today to monitor the pre-polls' environment and also to observe proceedings during Election Day.

Deputy Chief Observer Dimitra Ioannou said that the EU-EOM will be meeting a wide range of election stakeholders in their areas and will send first-hand accounts from the field.

She said that the EU-EOM will however not issue any public statements before Election Day and will issue a preliminary statement two days after Election Day.

A total of 80 observers will be in Sri Lanka for its sixth EU-EOM to Sri Lanka, the last being during the 2015 Presidential election.

Ioannou said that after the 2015 Presidential election 26 recommendations were issued and three were fully implemented.

The recommendations implemented included the formation of the Elections Commission, training for election staff and on the quota for women in councils.

She said that the EU EOM hopes that the recommendations it submits after the November 16 Presidential election will be taken into consideration by the Election Commission, Parliament and others.

Related News:

EU delegation assess pre-polls climate, EC yet to decide on foreign observers

Sri Lanka has been removed from the “Grey List” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which is the global policy setter on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT).

The FATF has congratulated Ethiopia, Sri Lanka and Tunisia for the significant progress made in addressing the strategic AML/CFT deficiencies identified earlier by the FATF and included in their respective action plans.

These jurisdictions will no longer be subject to the FATF’s monitoring under its on-going global AML/CFT compliance process, and will work with the FATF-Style Regional Body of which they are a member to continue to strengthen their AML/CFT regimes.

In October 2016, the FATF announced that Sri Lanka will be subjected to a review of the International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) of the FATF to assess the progress of AML/CFT effectiveness in the country.

After several discussions and progress reports, the FATF indicated that Sri Lanka has not made sufficient progress in 4 areas, namely International Cooperation, Supervision, Legal Persons and Arrangements and Targeted Financial Sanctions on Proliferations (North Korea and Iran).

Since the listing in November 2017, the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka together with other stakeholders had taken a series of effective and tangible steps to implement the FATF Action Plan and Sri Lanka reported the progress achieved in the implementation of the Action Plan regularly to the FATF.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has reportedly sought a meeting with representatives of five Tamil political parties that have put forward 13 demands for consideration by presidential candidates.

A list of common conditions was recently signed by Illankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Tamil Makkal Kooteny (TMK) and Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF).

The 13 demands outlined in the proposal included the merging of the Northern and Eastern provinces, scrapping the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and releasing those held under the PTA.

The list of demands was to be handed over to the front runners in the upcoming presidential election.

TMK Leader and former Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister, C.V. Wigneswaran has told the media that Wickremesinghe has sought a meeting with party representatives.

However, those close to the two main presidential candidates – New Democratic Front (DNF) candidate Sajith Premadasa and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa – have refused to accept these demands.

SLPP Leader, Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa on behalf of Gotabaya and Minister Kabir Hashim on behalf of Premadasa have said no such condition would be accepted.

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLPP) has sought the support of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to secure the second preferential vote for SLPP presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

SLPP National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa had recently made the proposal to the JVP leadership during a telephone conversation.

The revelation about Basil’s request from the JVP was made by JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake during a public discussion.

However, Ratnayake noted that the party leaders had rejected the proposal, saying that they would only ask their supporters to vote for their presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

“Giving a second preference is a personal choice of the voter and it is their democratic right, we cannot tell the voters about a second preference,” the JVP leaders had told Basil, adding that the JVP members always voted for the symbol and did not pay attention to preferential votes.

JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti has confirmed to The Sunday Morning that Basil had made a proposal to secure a second preference vote for his brother Gotabaya.

However, Handunnetti has said the JVP would not support Rajapaksa at any cost.

“We had decided to field our own candidate as the public were fed up of the current administration and therefore, there is no reason to support Rajapaksa directly or indirectly,” Handunnetti has said.

However, SLPP Media Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella has said his party’s National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa had denied holding any such discussion with the JVP on the second preference vote.

The Cost of Living Committee of the government has decided to reduce the prices of several essential food items ahead of the festive season.

The Committee has decided to reduce the tax on imported dried chili by Rs. 20 (from Rs 25 to Rs 5) per kg.

According to Minister of Agriculture P. Harrison, the tax on imported fish is to be reduced by Rs. 25 per kg (from Rs. 100 to Rs. 25).

Meanwhile, the Committee has also granted permission to import chicken and eggs and they will be subject to price controls.

Harrison has further noted that 48,000 MT of paddy currently in state-owned storage complexes will be processed and sold through 'Sathosa' at controlled prices of Rs. 80 per kg for Nadu and Rs. 85 per kg for Samba.

The Election Commission (EC) has reportedly expressed concerns on several issues with foreign election observers.

Election Commission member Ratnajeevan Hoole has told the media that he had met with preliminary team of observers from the Commonwealth and EU. During the discussion he had expressed certain concerns regarding greater security.

“Muslims I met in some areas in the North and East indicated to me that they would not step out to vote if there were disturbances. Thus the need for greater security in view of the incidents in April,” Hoole has said.

Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) has called on the Cabinet of Ministers to immediately revoke any Cabinet decision on the retirement benefits of President Maithripala Sirisena.

The TISL statement was issued over a decision made by the Cabinet of Ministers, allowing the President to remain in his official residence at Mahagama Sekara Mawatha in Colombo after his retirement.

TISL Executive Director Asoka Obeyesekere has said a conservative estimate could place the benefit afforded to President Sirisena, as a result of retaining the official residence, at over Rs.360 million over a 20-year period.

“As this decision has been made by the cabinet of ministers led by President Sirisena the conflict of interest is deeply concerning and illustrates little consideration for the protection of public resources,” Obeyesekere pointed out.

TISL is firmly of the stance that decisions pertaining to such entitlements should only be taken at such time that the sitting President ceases to hold office.

Furthermore, the fact that the decision was made during an election period where the President has declared that he will remain impartial despite his party’s decision to support a candidate, also raises several red flags on electoral integrity and potential corruption under the Bribery Act, TISL has stated.

TISL believes that the timing of the decision when the President is still in office and is the Head of Cabinet raises serious questions regarding conflicts of interest. This is underscored by the decision of the Supreme Court in 2007 regarding the premature exercise of executive power under the Presidents Entitlements Act of 1986.

Whilst former Presidents and their widows/widowers are entitled to an official residence as per the provisions of the Presidents Entitlements Act 1986, TISL has drawn attention to a 2007 judgment of the Supreme Court.

In a fundamental rights application to the Supreme Court (SC FR503/2005) a three-judge bench ruled in favour of the petitioners, quashing the Cabinet decisions on grants and entitlements to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, whilst the President was in office.

In its judgement the court has noted, “The facts that have been clearly established in this case prove that the 1st respondent and the Cabinet of Ministers of which she was the head, secured for the 1st respondent benefits and advantages in the purported exercise of executive power in breach of the provisions of the President’s Entitlement Act No. 4 of 1986.”

SLPP presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa has pledged to continue the economic plan halted during the previous Rajapaksa regime.

He gave this assurance when he addressed a mass rally at the Ashoka grounds in Rambukkana organized by former Chief Minister Maheepala Herath on Thursday.

Several economic experts however, noted that Gotabaya is going to continue the previous economic plan marred by corruption, financial misappropriation and mal practices under the Rajapaksa era spearheaded by officials with allegations of corruption.

Hundreds of allegations have been leveled aganst the Rajapaksas including the Greek bond scam, Commonwealth games' money swindling, illicit land transactions, luxury tourist hotel deals, mega project scams and stock market pump and dump schemes among others, they claimed.

One can write a separate book on the ten year Rajapaksa era economic misdeeds, economists pointed out.

They added that if Gotabaya comes to power, he will be definitely reversing course on corruption, tamil persecution, and Sinhala ethnic triumphalism might finally be happening with a new government.

Since the Rajapaksa's defeat in the last presidential polls, family members and close associates of the former president have faced corruption allegations, including maintaining secret bank accounts overseas.

Some of them, including then Minister of Economic Development and Mahinda Rajapaksa's younger brother Basil, were arrested.

Former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa was also interrogated by the police. His sons meanwhile are said to be linked to the murder of a popular national rugby player. The Rajapaksas however, have denied the charges.
     
Accepting the misdeeds of the Rajapaksa regime and also putting the blame on others, Gotabaya further noted that all governments that came into power were accused of corruption charges but highlighted that the current government was accused the most in terms of allegations of corruption.

He further added that he would bring corruption to an end with the help of technology no matter the status of the corrupted individuals.

However, Gotabaya now has a responsibility to explain to the public on the manner in which he intends to end corruption using technology and what he is going to do in relation to his own corruption and the hundreds of corrupt practices of the Rajapaksa regime.

"Though Sri Lanka – Canada bilateral trade is modest, surging Lankan exports to Canada could turn it around. “Annual Canada-Sri Lanka trade values at present show an unexploited trade potential that needs to be explored,” said Minister of Industry, Commerce, Rishad Bathiudeen to High Commissioner of Canada to Sri Lanka David McKinnon while hosting him for a courtesy call recently.

Minister Bathiudeen and High Commissioner McKinnon discussed Sri Lanka and Canada’s shared desire to continue to expand bilateral trade and commercial ties. According to the Department of Commerce of Sri Lanka, the total Canada-Sri Lanka trade in 2018 stood at US $ 436 Mn, a near 10% increase from the previous year.

Sri Lankan garment exports to Canada are on the rise, and rubber and other by-products such as tyres, coconuts and sea food are also rapidly diversifying the export product mix.

 A variety of high-quality Canadian products, notably wheat and lentils, make their way to households across the country, and contribute to the diversification of imports to Sri Lanka.

Although modest, some notable Sri Lanka-Canada collaboration includes high-tech production facilities for garments, agriculture value addition such as plant extraction and essences, sea food processing, and ICT partnerships. Other Canadian trade connections to Sri Lanka include sophisticated building technologies, engineering, architecture, financial services, and clean technology.

Chairman of the Elections Commission (EC) Mahinda Deshapriya has said he will reveal the names of presidential candidates who have fielded “puppet” candidates in order to gain access to more facilities than they are entitled to during elections.

Deshapriya has told a press conference that applications sent by four candidates for the placement of officers had come from one single address and that one candidate had fielded five other candidates for his support - two others have fielded three each.

“We could have limited the ballot paper to 25 members if this did not happen,” the EC Chairman has explained.

“Some candidates sign agreements with other candidates and such candidates seek coverage from the media. If this situation continues for one more week, we will have to reveal the names of those candidates who support the fellow candidates,” he has noted. 

The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday attacks is to hand over its final report on Wednesday (23) to parliament and it is learnt that the Committee has identified key officials who must be held accountable over the deadly attacks.

The PSC has also noted some strong recommendations.

The report has made recommendations related to both national security and reconciliation as well as communal harmony, it is learnt.

PSC member MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa has told The Sunday Morning that the PSC report has identified several officials who must be held responsible for the lapses in the national security mechanism.

“We have found several officials including politicians, who have to be held accountable for the failures in the security apparatus,” Dr. Jayatissa said.

He has further noted that the PSC was not in a position to recommend action against those found responsible for failing to prevent the attack.

“We have recognised that the national security system needs to be strengthened as well as the reconciliation process expedited,” he has said.

Dr. Jayatissa had added that with regard to reconciliation, it has been recommended that ethnic harmony, co-existence, and matters relating to reconciliation be incorporated and introduced from the school level.

The Speaker’s Office has stated that the government will present a vote on account to parliament next week to allocate government expenses for the first quarter of next year.

The vote on account to be presented by Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera on Wednesday (23) to parliament for the period from January 1 to April 30 will seek approval for Rs. 1,474 billion.

The vote on account will also seek approval to limit obtaining loans to Rs. 721 billion during the first quarter of next year.

The debate on the vote on account will take place on October 23 from 10.30 am to 6.30 pm.