Parliamentary Affairs Committee to replace control of Parliament by Cabinet

To abolish Executive Presidency, Joint Opposition proposes

by Daya Lankapura-December 13, 2014

The Constitutional proposals drafted by the Joint Opposition to abolish the Executive Presidency within a 100-day timeframe, envisages the formation of a Parliamentary Affairs Committee to manage the business of Parliament, political sources revealed.

This Committee will replace the present system of control of Parliament by the Cabinet.

Other than the Leader of the House, other representative of the Committee cannot be members of the Cabinet, according to the draft proposals, the sources said.

The document titled "Moving away from the adversarial system", says that in a consensus-oriented political system, the Parliament becomes the primary organ.

The Westminster Model is to be replaced by the Bundestag model - from a speaking Parliament to a working Parliament. All bills are to be considered by the Oversight Committees before the Second Reading, it has been further proposed.

The Annual Legislative Programme approved by Parliament is to be basis of determining the business of Parliament. The ratio for allocation of Parliament days between the Government and the Opposition will be -Government 6: Opposition 1: Private Members 1, which adds up to eight days, according to the proposals.

In addition, the Committees will be allocated four days, which means Parliament will sit for 12 days per month in comparison to eight days at present.

Under the sub title "Powers of Parliament", the proposals recommend:

* Legislative Power and Control of Finance.

* Exercise of Judicial powers through Courts.

* Control and Oversight of Executive.

All Members of Parliament, other than the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker will either be Ministers and Deputy Ministers exercising control over the government or Members of Oversight Committees exercising supervision over government and finances.

The Cabinet of Ministers will be collectively responsible to the House. The Oversight Committees will report to Parliament. The Ministers and the Chairmen of the Oversight Committees will be important in the exercise of executive power, the document says.

Sri Lanka state TV warned over election campaign bias

Agence France-Presse December 12, 2014 

Sri Lanka's elections chief warned state-run television networks on Friday not to broadcast programmes supporting President Mahinda Rajapakse in upcoming polls.

Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya said he had received complaints from independent monitors that the state networks were openly campaigning for Rajapakse ahead of the January 8 election.

"This is a serious hindrance to a free and fair election," the commissioner said in a letter to state broadcasters, a copy of which was seen by AFP.

Sri Lanka's two state-run broadcasters have the widest coverage in the nation of 20 million people.

The commissioner also asked the stations to seek his advice before broadcasting politically sensitive material and warned that station bosses should take personal responsibility for any transgressions.

President Rajapakse has been in office since 2005 and is seeking re-election for an unprecedented third term.

He called the election two years ahead of schedule after his party's popularity showed a 21 percentage point decline at local elections in September.

Rajapakse is facing a surprise challenge from his former health minister Maithripala Sirisena, who has mustered support from all the main opposition political parties.

Successive governments have used state media to discredit opponents and disseminate propaganda about the ruling party.

Local election monitors have also warned of massive abuse of state vehicles and personnel for campaign work of Rajapakse.

The opposition said it was collecting evidence of public officials engaging in ruling party election propaganda and planned to take court action.

aj/cc/ac

Journalists under surveillance

 Saturday, 13 December 2014 

It has now been revealed that photographs and video footage taken of journalists who ask questions at the governing party news conferences are being sent to Temple Trees.

When queried by a journalist regarding the matter, United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) General Secretary, Minister Susil Premajayantha has said that it was being done even without his knowledge.

Tiran’s Maubima Newspaper Urges Govt To Block News Websites

December 13, 2014 

The Maubima newspaper owned by businessman turned politician Tiran Alles, has called upon the government to censor and block news websites – which in their opinion – have been publishing false information in the wake of the announcement of Presidential polls.

Tiran

In its editorial published yesterday (12), the writer has claimed that various organized groups in foreign countries have been increasingly planting false news items in and have been circulating such misleading information through social media sites including Facebook and Twitter.

Though no credible source has been quoted, the editorial claims that certain members of these various ‘conspirator’ groups operating from foreign countries have been managing about 300 accounts by each person, which have then been deployed to mislead internet users by feeding them false information.

The writer has gone on to state that although the government has on previous occasions taken measures to censor and block certain news websites following disclosures made by the Maubima newspaper on the ongoing ‘web mafia’, no action has been taken so far concerning the increase of false information being circulated among local internet users in target of the upcoming presidential polls.

Against Majoritarian anti-Democracy

by Izeth Hussain-December 12, 2014

A plague on both your houses

– Shakespeare

There is much glib talk nowadays about the formation of a national Government after the January elections. It is based on the facile assumption that the coming together of the two major parties, the UNP and the SLFP, together with some minority ethnic parties, would amount to a national Government. But most Tamils don’t accept either of our two major parties as national parties: they see them rather as Sinhalese ethnic parties in all but name. 

Against Majoritarian Anti-Democracy by Thavam Ratna

Local body chairman and 4 members to join Maithri at tomorrow’s rally abducted – MaRa threatens by phone just before abduction

(Lanka-e-News -12.Dec.2014, 11.00PM) It is with deep regret that we have to break this deplorable news to the public that the beleaguered Rajapakse regime that has now realized even after offering colossal bribes in many millions it cannot avert its parliamentarians from crossing over to the common opposition has as a last resort decided to operate as an underworld gang – in their desperation have decided to abduct their own politicos.

Madawachchiya pradeshiya sabha (local body) vice chairman , Nalin Wijeratne and four other members who were to cross over to the common opposition at tomorrow’s (13) rally of Maithripala Sirisena at Madawachchiya have been abducted , and the abductors are heading for Kandy at this moment. This abduction has been carried out by an underworld murderous group under Hambantota Mayor Eraj Fernando better known as pisthola mayor (pistol toting mayor), who is a bootlicking stooge of Rajapakse murderers .

Medamulana MaRa prior to Nalin’s abduction had telephoned Nalin and threatened ‘if you join with Maithri , see what is going to be done to you.’ It is significant to note , along with Nalin the Vice chairman , and four local body members , there were also as many as 20 activists to join with Maithri at tomorrow’s rally . Following discussions with former minister Duminda Dissanayake , all arrangements were made for them to crossover .

Just a while ago , Nalin had with great effort spoken to a powerful opposition politico and told that he is being abducted with four other local body members.

Meanwhile , Kotikawatte local body chairman Solangarachi who joined the opposition also revealed at a media briefing convened by him yesterday that he is receiving death threats.

Presidential Poll And The Danger Of Being A Gentleman

By S. Sivathasan -

S. Sivathasan

People’s Power, Good Governance and the Opposition’s Target in Proper Balance

If the announcement of Presidential election ignited the fire for regime change, the next one month will fan the flame. In the first fortnight it will reach a crescendo and never diminish in the next. In the fever heat of the baptism of fire, a new political order wished for and prayed about can emerge. It is anticipated that the resounding will of the people and the decisive force of the international community will help bring it about. The forces that labored for the protection of the good, the destruction of evil and for the establishment of righteousness are coalescing into a single entity. With this hope, the vote that tilts will be for the opposition’s common candidate Maithripala Sirisena.

Social Contract

If Rousseau in his mature years of wisdom were to live in Sri Lanka now, what will he say? Citizens born free and wanting to be free, are found everywhere in chains. Even to the convinced and the converted he will belabor his theory that only with the consent of the people can a ruler rule. Implicit in the thesis is the exhortation to overthrow the regime when consent is lost. At this precise point of time duty and responsibility command the people of Sri Lanka to perform a sacred task – to engage their sovereign right to reinstate democratic governance. Responding to the call, they are poised to overwhelm the might of the state with the power of the ballot.

“Emerging Alternative President of Sri Lanka”

The above sub heading,the caption of an article of July 26, 2014 has evolved into reality by December 8.

“Rarely in history do we see leaders of various hues seeking to fuse together for a singular purpose. Rarer still is for a very wide political spectrum to secure a Presidency through a consensus candidate only to terminate it”, the writer had said. Why this determined bid? Because the body politic has become terminally cancerous under a malevolent dictatorship of the incumbent President. So passionate is the peoples’ urge to abolish thePresidency and to transit to civilised times. Unity, politically and ethnically is today a rare first, to effect a regime change, to cleanse the body politic and to institute a new order.Read More

How can a parliament of cross-overs deliver on the promises of the Opposition?

by Rajan Philips-December 13, 2014

Depending on who is saying it, there have been half a dozen or more characterizations of the forthcoming presidential election. I for one called it a presidential referendum and drew an uneasy parallel to the 1982 referendum. Two former Peradeniya academics with deep roots in the left movement have offered different takes on the election. According to one of them the coming election could be the most historic since the island’s first ever election under universal franchise way back in 1931. The other is not at all optimistic, and calling a pox on all of the country’s political houses, he sees nothing worthwhile happening after the election. Given a reactionary and chauvinistic choice between majoritarian Tweedledum and Tweedledee, he longs not for a monstrous black crow to scare them away, but for a rekindling of the fiery idealism that inspired the founding of the LSSP, no less, way back in 1935.

The next characterization is the one articulated by a rather roving academic and commentator with no fixed address, according to whom the two leading presidential candidates are worthy contenders, if only because he was able to meet them both separately and privately on the same day; and no matter what happens on January 8, no one can question the thriving state of Sri Lankan democracy because Ranil Wickremesinghe has been kept out of the fray!

The election is still malleable for multiple characterizations because neither of the two leading candidates has so far said anything to capture the attention, let alone the imagination, of either the political pundits or the voting publics. On the contrary, the election is being riddled by daily reports of tit for tat cross-overs, personal score settling and political banalities. It says something of the country’s political rot when the general secretaries of the two major parties can trade places and the parties continue as if nothing happened. In fairness, while there was some heroism and sacrifice in the original cross-over of Maithripala Sirisena, there was only clownishness in the copycat version of Tissa Attanayake. And then comes along Udaya Gammanpilaof the JHU, to provide another tit for tat response for the government side after the shame it suffered from Hirunika Premachandra’s cross-over to the opposition.

Both sides are paying more attention to making cross-overs happen than canvassing voters. Unlike under the first-past the post parliamentary system, the individual politician has no direct and immediate stake in representation at the electoral level. He is now merely the subcontractor harvesting votes for presidential candidates or political alliances at the district and provincial levels. The vote producing sub-contractors have neither party loyalty nor political principles. They will sell themselves to the highest bidder or the better prospector. The ongoing cross-over drama is a fight over stealing or retaining sub-contractors for gathering votes.

Since 2010, like under the UNP government during the 1980s, the present government has had a monopoly over the voting sub-contractors in the south, taking full advantage of the provincial councils in the seven provinces for vote harvesting without doing anything to make them work to fulfill the purposes they were created for. It is not a coincidence that in 2010, the only districts where Sarath Fonseka got more than 50% of the votes were the districts in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. And before that in 2005, Ranil Wickremesinghe lost the presidential election because the Tamil voters in the North and East were barred from voting by the LTTE.

This time the cross-over battles are heating up at the provincial and local levels in the seven provinces, while the Northern and Eastern Provinces seem to have been left out as if they are untouchables. It would be interesting to see if the two leading candidates will even campaign in the two provinces. Starting from the first presidential election in 1982, the two provinces and Jaffna in particular have made a habit of thumbing their nose at the incumbent contender. In 1982, the crowd in Jaffna went nuts when Vivienne Goonewardene, wife of Leslie and a niece of Philip, called President Jayewardene ‘rascal’! After last year’s Provincial Council election, President Rajapaksa may not be inclined to investing too much in Jaffna, or look for new sub-contractors. On the other hand, the President and the government are surely waiting to exploit any indication of support for the opposition common candidate in the North and East, for political mileage in the other seven provinces. That puts Maithripala Sirisena in an electorally difficult bind.

But there is no binding on sensitive political critics to stop them from taking Sirisena to task for not being overly forthcoming on issues affecting the Tamils and the Muslims. It is legitimate to expect presidential candidates to indicate how they would include and address the politically different concerns of the Tamils and the Muslims. In fact one of the arguments advanced by the Tamil advocates of the presidential system, at the time of its introduction, was that unlike a parliamentary prime minister, a nationally elected president will be obligated to address minority concerns because she or he would have had to depend on minority votes for victory. After 36 years, the presidential experience has been sour and bloody, and not at all sweet. The question today is about the executive presidency itself and not what it can promise to the minorities. The Tamil and Muslim questions will persist regardless of what happens on January 8, but what happens on January 8 could change the direction in which those questions will be pursued in the future.

The JHU’s Champika Ranawaka while playing down the effects of the cross-over of his colleague, Gammanpila, has rightly called for changing the political culture that fosters the practice of cross-overs. No one else in the opposition is talking about changing the political culture while promising changes of every other kind. Everyone else from Maithripala Sirisena, to Ranil Wickremesinghe, to Chandrika Kumaratunga, is busy celebrating cross-overs rather than being concerned about them. Given this climate, in the event the opposition manages to win the election, can the cross-overs in parliament be relied upon to implement the changes that Maithripala Sirisena is now promising? There is no right answer to this question except by treating the question as a practical question and finding the right answer by making sure that the parliament will deliver on what is being promised during the election. And the minimum that one can do to find the right answer is to exercise one’s vote. Standing on the sidelines or boycotting the election is not a moral political option.

Political instances, especially elections, do not wait for the maturing of political forces seeking progressive changes in society, or equal rights for minorities. Those in the trenches must grab whatever opportunity that comes along and they cannot afford to wait for the perfectly ripened situation and for the perfectly accomplished agency. The historical debate over reform and revolution has a long tradition from Rosa Luxembourg in the international context to Hector Abhyavardhana in our national context. Hector wrote perhaps unwittingly in 1976, two years before the presidential system was adopted, that the "issue is not where parliamentary government can lead, but whether it can be left to die." The issue today is whether Sri Lanka’s parliamentary system can be resurrected from the dead.

2014: Year in Review

by Groundviews 

- on 12/13/2014 

Groundviews published over 300 articles in 2014. Since its launch in 2006, the most amount of traffic to the website was generated over May this year, around the compelling content featured in the End of War: 5 Years On Special Edition. Selecting the most engaging content from this vast selection is impossible – all of the articles deal with issues often not covered at all by mainstream media in Sri Lanka, or only dealt with in passing.

2014 Year in Review by Thavam Ratna

Pension For Private Sector Workers; Maithri’s Promise is More Sensible Than Mahinda’s

By Hema Senanayake -December 13, 2014

Hema Senanayake

A pension is an arrangement that is designed to prevent old-age poverty.Maithripala Sirisena now promises to pay pensions for private sector retirees during their old age. He made this promise in a city call Hettipola during an address of a public rally held on December 12th.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has a different view. His view was documented in the government budget which was passed by the Parliament in a few weeks ago. He suggests that workers should save for the retirement and deposit it in Bank of Ceylon (or government bank) and he would ensure that the Bank would pay 12% of interest while the market rate of interest for deposits is much lower. The retiree must live on interest income. The plan is simple but economically it is the most ludicrous one I ever heard of.

For a moment forget about the President’s plan. Dr. P.B. Jayasundera the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance also has a plan. He knows well that 12% of interest rate which is a directive rate of interest based on whims and fancies of government bureaucrats cannot prevail for long. Therefore he suggests that workers should try to invest their savings in the Stock market and to make money during their old age. In fact this was what was done by EPF and ETF as institutions during past few years and have recorded severe losses by now.

Is the proposal made by Maithripala Sirisena a viable one? This must be the question that you have in your mind. Usually economic theory gives us more clarity to put new policies and programs in place. Hence, let us investigate the issue of old-age poverty with a little bit of economic theory.

At any given time, the economic system produces two kinds of products. Those are: (1) products for consumption and (2) products for the use of production (for example capital goods etc.).Read More

EU Monitors Rejected

By Waruni Karunarathne-Saturday, December 13, 2014

A request to consider election monitors from the European Union (EU) has been rejected by four Presidential candidates.

Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya told The Sunday Leader that he can only invite election monitors from the unions or forums only if the Department of Election or the country holds memberships of those unions.

He said that if he is to invite any other monitors from organisations which Sri Lanka does not hold a membership, he needs to obtain the consent of all the candidates who are contesting the election. “Four presidential candidates disagreed to invite the election monitors from the EU. Therefore, we will not be able to call upon the election monitors from the EU,” Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya explained.

Deshapriya said that he has invited election monitors from the Commonwealth as Sri Lanka is part of the Commonwealth and monitors from South Asia as the country is a member of the Forum of the Election Management Body of South Asia (FEMBoSA) and Asia Association of Election Authority (AAEA).

Last week local election monitors in a joint statement, called for a free, fair and violence free Presidential election and raised concerns over the prevailing conditions in the country.

The People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL), the Campaign for Free and Elections (CaFFE), Movement for Free and Fair Elections (MFFE), Mothers and Daughters of Lanka (MDL) and the National Polls Observation Centre (NPOC) said that it is a right of the people to be able to choose a candidate of their choice within the framework of a free and fair contest.

“Sri Lanka is presently in the midst of its seventh presidential election. As election observers, whose primary objective is to ensure a free and fair environment for elections, we are concerned about the prevailing conditions. It is a right of the people to be able to choose a candidate of their choice within the framework of a free and fair contest,” the election monitors said.The election monitors said that they had observed spontaneous and organised violence rising, unfettered use of state resources for election campaign purposes, unfettered use of publicity material including hoardings and posters in clear violation of election laws and the failure by the police to sufficiently deal with election related violations, and violence which is in contravention of the regular laws of the country in the run up to the election.

2015இல் நான் தோற்றால்...? ஆயர்களிடம் மனம் திறந்த மகிந்த

அதிபர் தேர்தலில் தாம் தோல்வியுற்றால், எந்த தயக்கமும் இன்றி அதிகாரத்தை ஒப்படைத்து விடுவேன் என்று சிறிலங்கா அதிபர் மகிந்த ராஜபக்ச கத்தோலிக்கத் திருச்சபைக்கு வாக்குறுதி அளித்துள்ளார். சிறிலங்காவில் அதிபர் தேர்தல் நடந்து ஐந்து நாட்களுக்குப் பின்னர், பாப்பரசர் பிரான்சிசின் பயணம் திட்டமிடப்பட்டுள்ள நிலையில், ஆயர்கள் மாநாட்டில் இதுகுறித்து கடுமையான வாதப் பிரதிவாதங்கள் இடம்பெற்றுள்ளன.

இந்த தேர்தலில் போட்டியிடும் இரண்டு பிரதான வேட்பாளர்களும், வன்முறைகளற்ற தேர்தல் இடம்பெறும் என்று தமக்கு வாக்குறுதி அளித்துள்ளதாக கத்தோலிக்கத் திருச்சபையின் கொழும்பு மறை மாவட்ட ஆயர் கர்தினால் மல்கம் ரஞ்சித் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

சிறிலங்காவில் அதிபர் தேர்தல் வரும் ஜனவரி 8ம் நாள் நடக்கவுள்ள நிலையில், ஐந்து நாட்கள் கழித்து ஜனவரி 13ம் நாள் பாப்பரசர் மூன்று நாள் பயணமாக சிறிலங்கா செல்லத் திட்டமிட்டுள்ளார்.

தேர்தலுக்குப் பிந்திய வன்முறைகள் இடம்பெற வாய்ப்புகள் உள்ளதால், பாப்பரசரின் இந்தப் பயணம் பிற்போடப்பட வேண்டும் என்று, கத்தோலிக்கத் திருச்சபையின் ஒரு பகுதியினர் கோரி வருகின்றனர்.

ஆனால், இரண்டு பிரதான வேட்பாளர்களும், வன்முறைகளுக்கு இடமளிக்கப்படாது என்று தமக்கு வாக்குறுதி அளித்துள்ளதாக ஆயர்கள் மாநாட்டில் கர்தினால் மல்கம் ரஞ்சித் தெரிவித்துள்ளார் என்று கத்தோலிக்க வாரஇதழான மெசஞ்சர், தனது இணையத்தளத்தில் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளது.

அவர்கள் இருவரும் கூறிய வாக்குறுதியின் மீது நாம் நம்பிக்கை கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்று கர்தினால் மல்கம் ரஞ்சித் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

“ஆயர்களால் பல கேள்விகள் எழுப்பப்பட்டுள்ளன.

தேர்தலில் யார் வெற்றி பெற்றாலும் சரி, யார் தோல்வியுற்றாலும் சரி, இருவரும், பாப்பரசரை விமான நிலையத்தில் வரவேற்க வேண்டும் என்று அவர்கள் வேட்பாளர்கள் இருவரிடமும் கேட்டுள்ளனர். தேர்தலில் தோல்வியுற்றால் என்ன நடக்கும் என்று சிறிலங்கா அதிபரிடம் ஆயர்கள் கேட்டனர். அதற்கு அவர், எந்தவித தயக்கமும் இன்றி, வெற்றிபெற்றவரிடம் பதவியை ஒப்படைப்பேன் என்று பதிலளித்தார்“ என்றும் கர்தினால் மல்கம் ரஞ்சித் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

Cardinal says candidates pledged no violence

December 13, 2014 

The Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith says the two main candidates in January’s presidential election have promised a violence-free vote, with Pope Francis scheduled to visit the country just days later.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith told the Catholic weekly newspaper Messenger that the bishops’ conference met with both candidates and received their assurances of no violence.

Pope Francis is to start a three-day visit on Jan. 13, five days after the poll. Some church officials are seeking a postponement, fearing there could be post-election violence because of the acrimonious campaign.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is seeking a third term in office, is facing his former health minister, Maithripala Sirisena, who defected from the UPFA government after the election was announced last month.

The Presidential Vote – Will The Pendulum Keep Swinging

By Granville Perera -December 13, 2014

The inaugural presidential campaign meetings are over. President Rajapaksa, true to his style showed off his forced support or otherwise with a ground full of people. Pressured or otherwise, the human deluge that filled the Salgado grounds in Anuradhapura had no parallels.

United National Party (UNP) Member of Parliament and opposition firebrand Pelisge Harrison representing Anuradhapura on the national list claims that there were 1108 busses that transported an estimated 26,000 members of the Civil defence force and their families from the rural areas of Anuradhapura and surrounding districts. Social media is full of videos that shown this human avalanche descending on Salgado ground from government sponsored busses. What matters at the end of the day is that they were physically present and President Rajapaksa pulled off, yet another media spectacle.

Common Candidate, Maithripala Sirisena kicked off with multiple meetings but the crowd and glitter was no match to that of the President, Mahinda Rajapaksa. Yet, the mood of the majority of Sri Lankans seems optimistic and the confidence levels of the general public for a Sirisena presidency should be a cause for concern for the Rajapaksa camp. The governments attempt to ridicule his “Modi” jacket is ludicrous, I for one assume that he is wearing a specially made bullet proof vest fearing a Gotabaya sniper. We may know the truth behind the “Modi” jacket – some day!.

The beautiful Hirunika Premachandra, as expected switched on to the side of “Sirisena Maame” and vowed to provide justice to her dead father who was assassinated in a street brawl with fellow SLFPer and parliamentarian, Duminda Silva. Silva’s memory loss probably will not be reversed until Hirunika is on the saddle, to avenge her father’s murder. Hirunika probably doesn’t have a file with the president, but all indications are that she would have plenty of videos and photos of her modeling days in London, which the Government will unleash at the first opportunity. She too probably is in possession of good material of the presidential siblings and we certainly are destined to be entertained.Read More

* Sri Lanka's trade deficit widens 141.7 percent in October 2014 
Fri, Dec 12, 2014, 09:17 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 12, Colombo: Sri Lanka's trade deficit widened 141.7 percent in October 2014 as the import expenditure significantly increased while the earnings from exports declined, the Central Bank said in its External Sector Performance Review released Friday.

The increase in import expenditure in the month was mainly due to the significant increase in imports of fuel and personal vehicles, the Central Bank said.

The trade deficit widened to US$ 851.7 million in October 2014, compared to US$ 352.3 million a year ago.

On a cumulative basis, trade deficit in the first ten months of 2014 increased by 4.3 percent to US$ 6.78 billion compared to the corresponding period in 2013.

Earnings from exports decreased by 13.7 percent, year-on-year, in October 2014 to US$ 898.5 million while the cumulative earnings increased by 9.7 percent to US$ 9.18 billion during the first ten months of 2014.

Expenditure on imports increased by 25.6 percent, year-on-year, to US$ 1.75 billion in October 2014, while on a cumulative basis, imports grew by 7.3 percent to US$ 15.97 billion during the first ten months of 2014.

In the month Industrial exports declined by 14 percent to US$ 663.4 million while Agricultural exports declined by 10.3 percent to US$ 231.1 million in October 2014 compared to the same period last year. Export earnings from tea declined 8.5 percent in October 2014 to US$134.3 million.
Textiles and garment exports declined by 8.7 percent to US$ 398.4 million in October 2014 compared to same period last year.

The increase in import expenditure in October 2014 was mainly due to the significant increase in imports of fuel followed by imports of personal vehicles such as motor cycles and motor cars for personal use. Despite the decline in refined petroleum imports, expenditure on fuel increased significantly due to increase in crude oil imports, the Central Bank said.

Earnings from tourism increased by 21.9 percent in the month to US$ 175.7 million and cumulatively increased 30.4 percent to US$ 1.775 billion for the first ten months of the year.
The rupee remained stable against the US dollar with only a marginal depreciation of 0.2 percent as at 09 December 2014.


By the end of October 2014, Sri Lanka's gross official reserves amounted to US$ 8.8 billion, while total international reserves, which include foreign assets of commercial banks, amounted to US$ 10.3 billion.

Anti-Corruption War: Western Ways Doomed To Fail In Developing Nations

| by Michael R. Czinkota and Anna Astvatsatryan*

( December 13, 2014, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) In November of this year, leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) vowed to implement an anti-corruption action plan. Although the proposed strategies might improve the situation for G20 member states, using the same toolkit will not work in the developing world. One needs to take into account culture, traditions and historical circumstances, when crafting anti-corruption strategies for the developing world.

Can developed countries expect to defeat corruption worldwide, when they still have very serious bribery cases domestically?

It has been more than a quarter century that industrialized countries began their anti-corruption crusade. International organizations and developed economies offer a standard toolkit of programs to fight corruption such as: changing education systems; enforcing legislation against domestic and foreign bribery, increasing transparency of the government, and combating money laundry. Every year, Transparency International produces the Corruption Perception Index (CPI). The latest report indicates that a one-generation effort dedicated to the reduction of corruption and bribery has, unfortunately, not led to major changes. Countries where bribes and corruption were acceptable twenty-five years ago have not shifted their positions in the ranking today. In these countries people still perceive bribery as a routine transaction. The top ten corrupt countries remain the same. These findings were based on the Global Corruption Barometer – a Transparency International survey that includes 114,000 people in 107 countries.

It is important to understand that countries with high levels of corruption are more likely to be governed by corrupt officials. Many businesses are either owned by government officials or their family members, or have other personal connections to the government.

According to a study at University of Texas, corrupt connections can negatively affect export capacity of a country. Major government connected companies in transition economies, are less likely to export, as they get more preferential treatment and artificial competitive advantage at home. In addition, these companies are used to the business practices specific to their home market and like to know all the major players. These biased conditions make them less competitive in the international trade; which therefore reduces their volume of exports.

High-level government corruption will also affect the outcomes of the majority of international projects. When in the early 2000’s, the Turkish Parliament investigated allegations of corruption of two former prime ministers, it looked like the beginning of a serious anti-corruption campaign. However, soon a decision of the Parliament cleared them of charges. This news raised eyebrows in the global community.

Some countries are not ready to participate in wide ranging anti-corruption actions and prefer to act on their own. China’s latest anti-corruption campaign has been criticized for being more of a weak attempt rather than а structured anti-corruption effort. The arrests of key members of the Communist Party have so far not been followed by deeper investigation. In addition, China raised a last-minute objection to the G20 anti-corruption plan by refusing to support the principles of transparency that would help fight against shell companies engaged in tax evasion and money-laundry. In 2014, China ranked 100th according to Transparency International, a drop of 20 places from last year.

In systems, where corruption is firmly established, it is oftentimes dangerous to be the whistleblower. For example, in the Czech Republic, 95% of citizens believe that corruption is prevalent at all levels of the government. However, there are no whistleblower protection laws, so many people are actually afraid of being persecuted for exposing cases of high-level corruption.

Culture and history can also represent big obstacles for fighting corruption. In India and Hungary, it is widely accepted to bribe a doctor or an official in order to skip the line and get better service. According to a study at the KOF Swiss Economic Institute in Zurich, in heavily regulated and burdensome entry markets, entrepreneurs often use bribes to facilitate the start of operations. Bribes are considered a greasing mechanism that helps accelerate business processes rather than do harm. De Jong and Bogmans of the University of Amsterdam found that in some countries, bribes are triggering imports, as they allow companies to bypass the waiting times and paperwork at customs. A study by Fisman and Miguel has found that diplomats from corrupt countries are usually getting more parking tickets, but are less likely to pay them. This is another illustration of how deeply rooted a cultural and historical mindset can be, and how it can manifest itself internationally.

Post-industrialized countries are still struggling with corruption and bribery within. In 2013, multiple organ transplant centers across Germany were placed under criminal investigation over allegations of wait list manipulation. This revelations of bribery and dishonesty staggered public trust towards the health care system. Can developed countries expect to defeat corruption worldwide, when they still have very serious bribery cases domestically?

When crafting strategies to defeat corruption both in developing countries and domestically, leading economies should focus more on culture, traditions and historical circumstances of each country. Building trust relationships between the businesses and individuals will create internal capacities to fight corruption, and develop understanding of the negative effects of corruption within developing economies.

Professor Michael Czinkota (czinkotm@georgetown.edu) teaches International Business at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. His main text, “International Marketing, 10th ed.” Published by Cengage.

Anna Astvatsatryan is a graduate student working on a degree in Communications. Her professional work is in the fields of marketing and international business.