China's Xi signs Venezuela resource deals on LatAm blitz

Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a raft of oil and mineral deals with Venezuela on Monday (July 21), his latest stop on a Latin American tour showcasing China's growing influence in the region.

 22 Jul 2014

CARACAS: Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a raft of oil and mineral deals with Venezuela on Monday (July 21), his latest stop on a Latin American tour showcasing China's growing influence in the region.

During his four-country visit to what is often considered America's back yard, Xi has reached out to resource-rich countries such as Venezuela and Argentina at a time when they are often shunned by the United States and Europe.

In Venezuela, he visited the mausoleum holding late president Hugo Chavez, an inveterate antagonist of the US, and signed 38 deals with Chavez's successor, Nicolas Maduro.

The deals spanned a range of sectors from oil to infrastructure and included $4 billion for a joint development fund, US$691 million to explore Venezuela's gold and copper reserves and an agreement to develop the countries' third joint satellite.

"Venezuela has become one of the top countries for Chinese investment... our seventh oil supplier and fourth Latin American trade partner," Xi said in Caracas.

The Venezuela visit comes after the Chinese leader agreed to an US$11-billion currency swap with Argentina and extended much-needed investment to President Cristina Kirchner, whose cash-strapped government, locked out of capital markets since defaulting on its debt in 2001, is staring down the threat of another default.

Xi kicked off his tour last week by proposing a new US$20-billion infrastructure fund for Latin America, underlining the fast-growing Asian giant's increasing interest in the region.

He also launched a new US$50-billon development bank along with the other emerging powers of the so-called BRICS group - Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa - at a summit in Brazil.

The move, which creates an alternative to the Western-dominated World Bank, was hailed as contributing to "a new international order" by Cuban President Raul Castro - Xi's host at the next and final stop on his tour.

But although Xi has spent his trip rubbing elbows with leftist leaders who tend to view the United States with a critical eye, his tour is less about ideology than business, said Venezuelan political analyst Carlos Romero.

"China's political and economic expansion is pragmatic in character. It's not about ideology or competition with the United States, but a Chinese policy of looking long-term for natural resources in different parts of the world," he told AFP.

"China knows Argentina and Venezuela hold huge natural resource deposits, particularly two they are desperately searching for to fuel an economy and a society like China's: oil and food in the case of Argentina, and oil and gas in the case of Venezuela."

The partnership comes at a welcome time for Venezuela, which is in the midst of an inflation crisis and struggling under a pile of unpaid debts to foreign firms.

China, the second-largest market for Venezuelan oil after the United States, pays for its average 640,000 daily barrels in part by writing down the US$17-billion debt Caracas owes it.

Both countries have said they want to increase oil exports to one million barrels a day in the coming years.

Chinese trade with Latin America has grown rapidly in recent years, reaching US$261.6 billion in 2013. China is now the second-largest trading partner of many countries, including Argentina and Cuba, and has been Brazil's largest since 2009.

In 1990, China ranked just 17th on the list of Latin American export destinations.

Beijing has also ramped up investment in Latin America to about 20 percent of its total foreign direct investment of US$90 billion last year.

This is Xi's second visit to Latin America and the Caribbean since taking office in 2013. Last year he toured Mexico, Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago.

- AFP/de

New ‘national front’ by Tamil parties

Meaningful Advertisement - Union is Strength !!!

 Sunday, 20 July 2014 

While further promoting the Tamil National Alliance, Tamil parties have decided to obtain the support of leftist parties in the south and with the participation of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people, to form a national front.

The decision was reached at the general meeting of the EPRLF that concluded today at Weerasingham Hall in Jaffna.

TNA leader R. Sampanthan, EPRLF leader Suresh Premachandran, NSSP leader Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne and several others were in attendance.

Sampanthan said on the occasion that there was no enmity with any Sinhalese and Tamil people nor Tamil politicians would never demand a separate state.

All are calling for a lasting political solution to the problems of the Tamil people in the north and the east, he said.

EPRLF leader Suresh Premachandra said the TNA should be strengthened before the next elections.

Since the problems of the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people cannot be solved individually or internationally, a national front comprising southern leftist parties and Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people should be formed to find a solution, he said.

Dr. Karunaratne told the meeting that he would extend fullest support to the national front to be formed by Tamil groups.

The Fight for the Freedom of Information

Jeff Cohen discusses several freedom of information issues, including a new campaign encouraging whistleblowing, the case of journalist James Risen, and net neutrality -   

July 21, 14

 

ANTON WORONCZUK, TRNN PRODUCER: Welcome to The Real News Network. I'm Anton Woronczuk in Baltimore. And here to give us a report on recent freedom of information and media issues is Jeff Cohen.

Jeff Cohen is director of the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College, and he's the cofounder of the online activism group RootsAction.org.

Thanks for joining us, Jeff.

The Fight for the Freedom of Information by Maria Anderson

Tamil, Muslim, Up country leaders team up at EPRLF Conference

Team Building - Inspirational - United We Stand Divided We Fall

Sunday, July 20, 2014

The 34th Conference of the EPRLF (Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front) is  to be held on 20 July 2014, at Weerasingham hall Jaffna. TNA leader R. Sampanthan, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader and Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem and Upcountry People Front leader Radhakrishnan, Party leaders  Selvam Adaikkalanathan, Dharmalingam Siddartan, Democratic People Front leader Mano Ganesan, Nava Sama Samaja Party Secretary Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne, United Socialist Party secretary Siritunga Jayasuriya will attended the conference, Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran said.

The party representative conference was held at Sri Lanka Vendhan Art College Hall on 19 July 2014, attended by  300 delegates from  8 districts of the Northern and Eastern Province. The national, regional and international political situations, future program to settle the ethnic conflicts, programs to strengthen the Tamil National Alliance and several key issue will be discussed and the election of the new Central Committee and working committee is also to be made.

The conference  is expected to emphasize the unity of the Tamil National Alliance but also to create unity among the Tamil, Muslim and Upcountry organizations, Suresh Premachandran said.

Aren’t We Wasting Time With UN & Five Big Powers ?

By Kusal Perera -July 21, 2014

Kusal Perara

When I sat to spread my anger from end to end in this short write up, UNSG Ban-ki Moon was on his way to the “region”, meaning to those countries around Gaza. He was to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Doha, Qatar, to “see if the truce could be revived” as reports said. Qatar Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani is said to play conduit between Hamas, the armed Palestinian group dominating Palestinian politics and the International community. Hamas has said an emphatic ‘no’ to the conditions proposed by Egypt, for a truce. Egypt, now under military rule, is allegedly funded by the US.

Meanwhile a UN statement said that Ban-ki Moon will be in Middle East over the weekend “to express solidarity with Israelis and Palestinians and to help them, in co-ordination with regional and international actors, to end the violence and find a way forward”. Like US President Obama, Ban-ki Moon will also recognise Israelis and Palestinians as equally worthy of his support. He proves, he is equally with the “criminal” and the “victim”. That’s a little more covert than Obama. The first US President of African descent, after a string of 43 White Presidents, Obama has no qualms supporting Israel, the same way as his predecessors. He had told media, that he defends the right of Israel to defend itself against “Hamas” rockets. That his friends and allies back him on that. In passing he says he is concerned about civilian casualties and Israel should avoid civilian casualties. “Obama” is thus a shorter reference for “high end, empty rhetoric”.

As Obama said, all EU power kegs, Briton, France, Germany at least, stand for Israel’s “right to defend itself”, which is Israeli “right to dislodge Gaza residents, turning them into refugees” with a heavy death toll of Palestinian men, women and children. Briton therefore keeps selling arms and weapons to Tel Aviv. With British arms in use, the death toll in these 14 days of brutal Israeli attacks on Gaza, have run a high of 445 plus with UNICEF records last week indicating at least 73 as under 18 years of age and most, were little kids.

.                                                          Read More

GOVERNMENT'S CREDIBILITY WILL BE STRENGTHENED THROUGH UNIFORMITY OF ACTIONS--JEHAN PERERA

Created on 21 July 2014

The government’s decision to invite three eminent international legal experts on human rights and war crimes to advise its Commission of Inquiry into Missing Persons was unexpected. It caught even senior cabinet ministers by surprise. The government had been steadfast in denying that serious human rights violations and war crimes took place from the commencement of such allegations more than five years ago. So far all inquiries conducted by the government have reaffirmed the government’s position that no such offenses took place. But as those have been a case of the military investigating the military and exonerating the military, the inquiries have not been internationally credible.

Government's Credibility Will Be Strengthened Through Uniformity of Actions--jehan Perera by Maria Anderson

An Alternative Analysis Of Aluthgama

By Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri -July 21, 2014 

Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri

Ethno-religious identity groups are formed in a structurally antagonistic pattern through specific historical processes.  The Buddhist and Hindu revival movements which emerged in Sri Lanka in the middle of the 19^th Century are the bases of present ethno-religious groupings.

Sinhala ethnicity is defined in opposition to, or structured against, Tamil and Muslim ethnicities.  Sinhala ethnic sentiment is, therefore, hostile towards Tamils and Muslims.  ‘Structured against’ does not mean that as individuals and in the context of day-to-day interactions, we Sinhalese consider Tamils and Muslims our enemies.  But there are deep rooted perceptions that Muslim agglomerations will invariably endanger the Sinhala ethnicity. Similarly Tamils are viewed as those perpetually planning to divide the country in collusion with South India and the Tamil diaspora.

This is a tinderbox that could give rise to a conflagration any time: any time when political elites use these tensions to gain political power and the personal benefits that come with that power.

Was Aluthgama a random incident?

The easiest path to the top in Sri Lankan politics lies through one of the two major parties.  Those who take alternative paths, such as persons in the smaller political formations, have to find new ways of attracting public attention and gaining political traction. Promoting universally accepted values such as social justice, equality for all, and democracy was one such way.  This was the modus operandi of left wing political parties such as the Lanka Sama Samaja Party.  This strategy does not divide society vertically.  Promoting universal values is ineffective in yielding immediate individual or political gains. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the comprehensive defeat of the JVP insurrection in 1989 marked the end of the road for this strategy.

                                                                        Read More  

11 year old girl raped on 11 consecutive days and another 9 years old too victim at the hands of 7 naval soldiers Karainagar : all bestial culprits released
(Lanka-e-News- 20.July.2014, 11.00PM) Lanka e news is in receipt of reports pertaining to the attempts that are being made to suppress an incident where a 11 year old girl had been held captive and raped for 11 continuous days , as well as another 9 year old ,by a group of naval soldiers in the north.

When the 11 years old girl was going to school along a jungle route ,a group of naval soldiers of the Karainagar naval camp had brandished a knife , threatened and abducted her. One individual who witnessed this incident had also been threatened that if he reveals he will be killed.

The victim who was abducted while going to school was released at school closing time on condition that she will be murdered if she utters a word about this to anyone. Seven naval soldiers have been committing this crime on this helpless hapless innocent child for 11 consecutive days . This bestial crime was discovered when her home was visited to inquire why she did not come to school for 11 days. Indeed another relative of hers , a 9 year old girl had also fallen victim similarly at the hands of naval soldiers. 

This region is still under military administration , and law has not been enforced duly against the naval soldiers, while the police too on the other hand had behaved funnily as though the girl had committed rape on the soldiers .The victim is now hospitalized. Meanwhile her sister and mother had been warned to accept monies and keep silent in this regard.

In any case , Oorkatithurai police have produced the 7 soldiers day before yesterday (18) in the Magistrate court for children , when the court had immediately held n identification parade . Curiously and unlawfully , these culprits were presented for the parade in the naval uniform and with the cap. In the whole world, it is only in MaRa Kangaroo courts identification parades of suspects are conducted permitting the suspects to cover their heads. Moreover, only the 11 years old victim was presented to identify and not the 9 year old victim. The 11 years old girl had stated that she cannot identify the head covered suspects . Lanka e news however is in receipt of reports that the girl did not identify because her family was threatened with death if the victim identified them at the parade.

The magistrate ordered that the naval soldiers be placed in remand custody , but in the afternoon the case was called up again before the acting magistrate, and the soldiers were enlarged on bail citing the grounds that the suspects had not been identified . This release sent a wave of rude shock among the legal circles , for it is only a senior lawyer of the court who takes the acting magistrate role and temporarily .Hence the suspects who had been given an order to remand by a chief magistrate is not countermanded by an acting magistrate. Therefore , in this instance ,an acting magistrate overriding the order of a chief magistrate was tantamount to an obvious mockery of justice. This type of jiggery- pokery affecting sacrosanct laws has now become a common practice in the present Kangaroo courts of MaRa. 

In this connection , the media of the south distorting the true picture reported only the remanding of the naval soldiers, and being released on bail later. While the unscrupulous and sordid media of the south are laboring to suppress and distort the truths about the bestiality of the culprits and the brutality of the crimes, the Lanka teachers association had released a communiqué : 

An 11 year old girl of SundaraMoorthy Nair school, Karainagar had been subjected to rape for 11 successive days. Since the parents of the child had been threatened with death they are scared to talk out. The Association which claims the parents are silent because of intimidation and threats , had lodged a complaint No. PG/14/07/484 with the Child protection authority to conduct an uninterrupted investigation with full transparency.

நிலத்தை இராணுவம் அபகரிக்க முஸ்தீபு!- காணி அளவீடு மக்கள் எதிர்ப்பு!- கிளிநொச்சி மக்கள் கவனயீர்ப்பு போராட்டம்

[ திங்கட்கிழமை, 21 யூலை 2014, 09:25.08 AM GMT ]

யாழ். மாவட்டம், வடமராட்சி கிழக்கு, மருதங்கேணி பிரதேச செயலாளர் பிரிவில் உள்ள வெற்றிலைக்கேணி கிராசேவகர் பிரிவில் உள்ள 800 ஏக்கர் நிலத்தை இராணுவ முகாமிற்காக படையினர் உதவியுடன் நில அளவையாளர்கள் அளவீடு செய்ய முற்பட்ட வேளை இக்காணிகளின் உரிமையாளர்களும், பொதுமக்களும், மக்கள் பிரதிநிதிகளும் தலையிட்டு நிறுத்தியுள்ளனர்.

யாழ். வடமராட்சி கிழக்கு, மருதங்கேணி பிரதேச செயலாளர் பிரிவில் உள்ள வெற்றிலைக்கேணி கிராசேவகர் பிரிவில் புல்லாவெளி, தட்டாஞ்சேனை, மண்டலாய் மற்றும் கிளிநொச்சி, பச்சிலைப்பள்ளி பிரதேச செயலாளர் பிரிவில் உள்ள கோவில்வயல் கிராமசேவகர் பிரிவில் உள்ள வயல் விடுதி கிராமத்தையும் உள்ளடக்கிய சுமார் 800 ஏக்கர் பரப்பளவுள்ள காணியை இராணுவத்தின் 533வது பிரிவுக்காக நில அளவையாளர்கள் அளக்க முற்பட்டவேளை இக்காணிகளுக்கு சொந்தமானவர்களும் மக்களும் மக்கள் பிரதிநிதிகளும் தலையிட்டு நிறுத்தியுள்ளனர்.

குறித்த இடத்திற்கு பா.உறுப்பினர் சி.சிறீதரன், வடமாகாண சபை அமைச்சர் ஜங்கரநேசன், வடமாகாணசபை உறுப்பினர்களான பசுபதிப்பிள்ளை மற்றும் பரஞ்சோதி ஆகியோரும், வல்வெட்டித்துறை நகரசபை உபதலைவர் சதீஸ், கரைச்சி பிரதேசசபை உறுப்பினர் சுப்பையா, பச்சிலைப்பள்ளி பிரதேசசபை உறுப்பினர் சுரேன், ஊடகவியலாளர் சுரேன் உள்ளிட்டவர்கள் சென்று நேரில் மக்களுடனும் நில அளவையாளர்களுடன் கருத்தறிந்துள்ளனர்.

மேற்படி இந்தக் காணிச் சொந்தக்காரர்களிடம் காணி உரிமைக்கான ஆவணங்கள் இருப்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.

எனவே இராணுவத்தால் தமிழ் மக்களுக்குச் சொந்தமான காணிகள் அபகரிக்கப்படுவது தொடர்ந்து கொண்டே இருக்கின்றது.

i

மேலும் படிக்க...

Incredible but true : Secretary Hettige gave orders to release navy rapists on President’s instructions..!
(Lanka-e-News- 21.July.2014, 1.30PM) It is no less a person than Medamulana Mahinda Rajapakse , the President of Sri Lanka(SL) cum commander in chief of the three forces who had interfered with the legal processes and given the barbaric unlawful order through his Parliamentary coordinating secretary Kumarasiri Hettige not to enforce the law against the naval soldiers who raped an 11 years old girl for 11 consecutive days, and another 9 years old girl in the north , according to reports reaching Lanka e news inside information division.

After these brutal incidents ,on both occasions , Hettige had phoned the police of Kayts and informed that if the 7 soldiers are remanded , the morale and determination of the forces will be eroded , and therefore to release them.

Similarly the President has via Hettige given orders to SSP R.D.P Wimalasena in charge of Jaffna and SP Senanayake in charge of Kayts to release them. Accordingly , Senanayake and Wimalasena have given instructions to the OIC of the crimes at Kayts police , SI R.K.B. Senaratne to act to release the criminals, though unlawfully.

This crime was recorded in the grave crime register under 13/2014 dated July 18th as ‘abduction of and gang raping an under-aged girl.’ It is common knowledge that when reporting to court it must be supported by a report of the judicial medical officer. However when reporting the suspects (the naval soldiers) to court under B report B/64 /2014 , a JMO report had not been furnished.

The 7 naval soldiers who were produced in court on the 18th on charges of committing rape on an innocent helpless 11 years old girl were of the Karainagar naval camp . Their names are as follows :

1. Ajith Kumar
2. Rupasinghe Arachchilage Chamara Indika
3. Nadheera Dilshan Ratnayake
4. Kudabalage Jayaweera
5. Indika Kumara Vithanarachchi
6. Ranasinghe Sumith Subash
7. Vikum Senage Piyasiri Dissanayake

These soldiers had been engaged in mobile patrol duty at Ureddikulam, Oorkatithurai, Karainagar town, and Kayts and had been serving in the navy camp in Karainagar for long time. The OIC of the crime division of Kayts police SI R.K.B .Senaratne produced the 7 suspects in court on a B report ref. B/64/2014 based on the indictment “the aforementioned 7 suspects allegedly abducted the under aged girl and gang raped her . They are being produced in the honorable court based on a statement made by the victim”

Indeed , the victim was produced in court without being supported by a medical report of a judicial medical officer (JMO) which ought to have been obtained after producing her before the JMO . Just to say in court that rape was suspected merely based on the victim’s statement without a JMO report was reportedly on a plan to make the prosecution weak , and enable the suspects to be granted bail , following unlawful instructions issued by the President.

As revealed by us in our earlier reports , the suspects were produced for an identification parade on the 18 th in their official uniforms and caps .The victim did not identify any of the culprits in uniform in this parade and ,because she and her family were under death threats- on the 17 th night a Navy team had arrived at their house and held out death threats.

It was stated this crime story has been concocted to clear Jaffna of the forces ,and ‘though it was reported that the threats had been recorded , we have not received such a recording.’

In any event the chief magistrate ordered that the 7 suspects be remanded . However, later a lawyer of the court was made to mount the bench and act as the magistrate who released all of them on bail.

To what extent justice has been made a mockery and travesty ,was illustrated when all the suspects in such a heinous crime of rape of an under aged girl were allowed to be released on a puny cash bail of Rs. 250.00 each and three personal bails. 

In regard to the gang rape on the 11 years old girl , in order to manipulate the release of the criminals , laws were improvised and justice degraded to a mockery , whereas in the incident where a 9 years old girl who was also a helpless victim of a similar heinous crime of rape by the naval soldiers , the law was not enforced at all.

It is a pity the present Navy Commander Vice admiral Jayantha Perera who took up this recent appointment in the presence of his two proud daughters had brought shame on the whole female race to which his own daughters belong by merely transferring these rapists under him (7 naval soldiers) who allegedly committed a most heinous crime of gang raping an innocent 11 years old daughter belonging to another parent like him , to the Galle naval pool as a punishment . He never gave thought to the fact that the victim belongs to the female race his own daughters belong.

UN Team on SL to have sittings at 3 places overseas

Monday, 21 July 2014 

The UN team, which has been put together to investigate allegations of human rights violations and war crimes against the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), will be holding hearings in New York, Geneva and Bangkok, UN sources told Express here on Saturday.

The team constituted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), would of course seek permission to hold sittings in Sri Lanka. But it is unlikely to get it as the Lankan government has rejected any international probe.

Sources said that Tamil expatriates and Lankan Tamil rights groups which are very active in North America, Europe and Australia, would testify at New York, Geneva and Bangkok. Tamils living in Lanka would be interacting through telephone, video conferencing and skype. Rights groups in Lanka might organise such interactions besides travelling abroad to testify.

There is no law in Sri Lanka to bar any citizen from testifying before a UN body, but government ministers have publicly warned that those bad mouthing Lanka at the UN inquiry would be dealt with. In the absence of a witness protection law, witnesses could be subjected to intimidation as has been the case in Lanka so far. However, as the proceedings of the Lankan government's own Disappearances Commission show, witnesses could brave threats and testify fearlessly.

To protect witnesses against intimidation by pro-government groups, the UN team might keep their identities secret for 20 years as the earlier Darusman panel on Lanka did.

But the Lankan government could challenge the veracity of the testimonies used by the UN team on the grounds that the identities of the witnesses are shrouded mystery, as indeed it did in the case of the stinging Darusman report earlier. To counter the UN investigation, the Lankan government has started its own investigation into the charges of rights violations and war crimes by expanding the mandate of the existing Disappearances Commission. The UN and Lankan commissions would be working contemporaneously. But while the UN commission would not be able to get many Lankan Tamils resident in Lanka's war affected areas to testify, most of those testifying before the Lankan panel would be living in the war affected parts of the island. The Lankan panel's report is therefore likely to have greater credibility. This could provide Colombo with a good instrument to discredit the UN investigation.

Asked if the foreign advisors to the Lankan panel (Sir Desmond de Silva, Sir Geoffrey Nice, and Prof David Crane, could be counted upon to give 'government-friendly" advice, a source said that the terms of appointment had clearly stated that they shall tender advice only when the panel seeks their advice. Also, President Rajapaksa has reserved the right to appoint more advisors.

"The Island" daily pointed out on Saturday, that while the Lankan government has revealed the composition of its panel, the UN OHCHR has not revealed the composition of its panel fully. The latter has only revealed the name of the Coordinator and those of three experts or advisors. Thus, the Lankan government seems to be more transparent. Colombo might well ask how the UN panel could be taken seriously when its composition is shrouded in mystery.

The UN panel will have very little time to do its work. lt will have to gather fresh evidence (from four different places in the world), write the report, send it to the Lankan government for its comments, and submit the final draft report by January so that it could be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2015.

The Lankan panel, on the other hand, has a less cumbersome and time consuming procedure.

Exposing the ‘Seychelles Strategy’ 

An interview with
Dr. Harsha de Silva-July 19, 2014

by Maheen Senanayake

I was lucky. He didn’t have anything else in his diary for the remainder of the day. Upstairs and over a cup of tea we began.

It’s been three and half years and one report. What is happening at the Public Accounts Committee?

Exposing the ‘Seychelles Strategy’ by Maria Anderson

The Public Service Omission

Editorial-Sunday, July 20, 2014

Details contained in the report of the Public Service Commission — the body responsible for the disciplinary conduct of public servants or now known as government servants — are published in this issue on Page 4 today.Set up during the pre-Independence era, today’s Sri Lanka Administrative Service was formerly known as the Ceylon Civil Service. The Public Service Commission (PSC) was then the insurance public officials had against politicians. The CCS officials were accused of being mere pen-pushers who held ARs (Administrative Regulations) and FRs (Financial Regulations) as their ‘Bible’, but no one could deny they were a highly respected lot.

Their status and complexion gradually changed as time went by. In the 1960s, for the first time, a person from outside this elite circle of trained administrators was made Permanent Secretary of a Ministry. It opened the door for ‘outsiders’ and political appointees to take charge of the administration of ministries. Today we have businessmen who are fully involved in running their businesses and funding politicians, as secretaries of Ministries. That is how one chink in the armour 30 years ago can dent an entire body suit.

That the country’s Administrative Service is in the doldrums and that its members are no longer the servants of the public but of the ruling party is not just the general impression of the public, but sadly, a stark fact. If the rot began with that single appointment, the 1972 Republican Constitution brought the entire service — and the PSC — under the direction of the Cabinet of Ministers. ‘What you can do badly; we can do worse’ seems to have been the motto of that Government. In 1978 the PSC came under the newly created Executive President.

In 2001 however, the 17th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution tried to reverse the downward spiral. Amidst a public outcry against the increasing politicisation of the public service, this amendment tried to put some spine back into it by placing the PSC under an independent autonomous Constitutional Council. That move was short-lived as the 18th Amendment (18A) buried the 17th Amendment (17A) concept of an independent PSC and re-introduced a PSC that was wholly appointed by the Executive President.

The PSC members do not seem to think that theirs is a role any different in ensuring a “dedicated Public Service for the nation’s excellence” as they themselves refer to their vision. Their mission they say is “to establish and promote an efficient, disciplined and contented Public Service to serve the public with fairness, transparency and consistency”.

They argue that neither Parliament nor the media could challenge their independence even if appointed under the 18A and add for good measure “there was not a single case in point in this regard with substantial evidence”. They go further. In their report they say that the silence on the part of the media to criticise the PSC can be taken as a compliment to their work. They are, no doubt, entitled to pat themselves on the back, but one might ask them if they only subscribe to the state media.

To reinforce their argument they point to a singular case (though this is not mentioned in their report) where they decided against the wife of a Cabinet Minister being appointed to a high government post and add that the Supreme Court held with their decision. They say that the Attorney General’s Department even refused to appear for them in this matter and they had to retain private lawyers.

There are some home-truths about the Public Service in their report worthy of highlighting. They refer to the “low ebb” at which Government Departments and Ministries have knowledge of disciplinary procedures and the management of disciplinary matters. They say that carrying out disciplinary action has often been put on hold because of delays on the part of these government agencies in tendering observations, recommendations and incomplete reporting. “The ultimate outcome is the postponement of the final decision,” the PSC report states.

In the olden- golden days of the Public Service, no department or ministry would dare dilly-dally on a PSC communication. Does the callousness shown today to a directive from the PSC showcase the lack of seriousness it is taken with by the Public Service itself. In one instance, the report refers to a news item in a daily newspaper (somewhat contradicting its earlier claim) over the delay in implementing an amended Service Minute of the Government Medical Service and says that the minute was “lying idle” in a tray at the Health Ministry. It berates the secretary of the same ministry for vacillating in publishing a Government decision in the Gazette. This nearly led to a strike by the GMOA (Government Medical Officers’ Association). Again, all this was after the media highlighted the matter.

If the public service itself does not take the PSC seriously, the fact of the matter is that under the 18A, neither does it command the trust and respect of the public. If one may take a recent random case as an example, the traffic policeman who resigned from his job over an altercation with a deputy minister did not think it fit to go to the National Police Commission or the PSC. Why, because he has to go to either of them via his own department, and he had lost confidence in the Police Department, which is totally politicised.

Furthermore, the PSC has no investigative powers. It can only rely, and act on, reports forwarded to it through the respective departments and ministries. There is no provision for it to undertake independent inquiries. This is a huge lacuna. It is akin to the Bribery and Corruption Commission that says it cannot investigate anything relating to either bribery or corruption unless there is a formal complaint made to it. At least it can investigate after that. Not so the PSC.

A new team, with some old faces, has now been appointed to the PSC. The outgoing members concede that they have been subjected to political interference from time to time, but insist that they have not been influenced by it. It is almost too good to be true.  This is the National PSC. The Provincial PSC established under the 13A is another story; though not so different. There, the Governor – who is an appointee of the President — names the members of the Commission. To shake off the public distrust in Commissions that are appointed by an Executive President and serve at his will and pleasure, is, though, easier said than done.

SL external debt sustainability: Intervention by Practical Economist keeps the debate live

July 21, 2014 

Practical Economist’s re-entry to the fray
In a welcome move, an economic analyst writing under the penname ‘Practical Economist’ has responded (available at: http://www.ft.lk/2014/07/16/a-view-of-sri-lankas-external-debt-situation-with-neutral-glasses/) to this writer’s previous articles on Sri Lanka’s external debt sustainability highlighting the misleading conclusions of a press release issued by Central Bank’s Public Debt Department or PDD due to data incompleteness.

SL External Debt Sustainability Intervention by Practical Economist Keeps the Debate Live by Maria Anderson