A New Land — Reshaping Sri Lanka’s Destiny

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Aritha Wickramasinghe- 03/23/2016

On March 15, a momentous day for Sri Lanka’s future passed by in silence. The twenty-member Public Representations Committee (“ PRC“) on Constitutional Reforms accepted its last public submission to feed into a new national Constitution. The PRC sought inputs from all across Sri Lankan society, in an island-wide exercise that included public sittings, oral submissions over the phone and even receiving comments on Facebook. For the first time in living memory, Sri Lanka asked its own citizens to decide the future of their country.

Sri Lanka is currently on its fourth Constitution since 1931, its third since independence from the British Empire in 1948, and second since it declared itself a Republic in 1972. Whereas the first and second Constitutions of then Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was known prior to 1972) were formed on the basis of public consultations and helped established a peaceful and prosperous nation; post-independence Constitutions of Sri Lanka were promulgated on the people by governments. They stand today as examples of failure in constitution-making — eventually turning the pearl of the Indian Ocean into its teardrop.

Since the end of its brutal civil war in 2009, and the resurgence of democratic governance after President Maithripala Sirisena’s historic election in January 2015, Sri Lanka has been pursuing a nation-building programme. Led by its astute and technocratic Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, Sri Lanka understands it needs restructuring if its governing structures are to last. As Prime Minister Wickremasinghe himself said, “Sri Lanka needs a Constitution for the 21st century” that meets the aspirations of all her people, a Constitution that enshrines the proud democratic traditions of her history, a Constitution that leaves no one behind.

One of the final submissions to be received by the PRC, on its closing day, called for the constitutional process to “bear testimony to the inherent dignity of LGBTIQA people in Sri Lanka” and to recognise that “all Sri Lankans are equal in their liberty and their dignity”. This landmark appeal, by a collective of individuals, was in addition to unprecedented submissions received from all districts in the island calling for the express inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in the equality and non-discrimination provisions of Sri Lanka’s proposed Constitution. A number of submissions also called for the supremacy of the proposed Constitution and to remove the arbitrary powers of politicians to derogate individual liberties. All of these calls were in light of the fact that Sri Lanka remains amongst the 78 jurisdictions worldwide that continue to criminalize same-sex sexual relations between consenting adults.

During its periodic review by the UN Human Rights Committee in October 2014, the Sri Lankan Government stated that LGBT persons are protected from discrimination. They argued that Article 12 of the present Constitution implicitly protects persons from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. However, Sri Lanka’s submissions ignored the impact of Article 16 of its current Constitution, which reads that “all existing written law and unwritten law shall be valid and operative notwithstanding any inconsistency” with the Constitution, giving supremacy to existing laws (including its 19th century laws that criminalize homosexuality) over constitutional interpretation and precluding judicial review. Article 16 therefore effectively invalidates the equal protection implied towards LGBT persons in Sri Lanka under Article 12.

For too long Sri Lanka’s LGBT community have been excluded from the recognition and protections that they deserve. A community made unequal under the law by criminalization. The present PRC process, however, clearly demonstrates that Sri Lankans of all sexualities and gender identities are committed to fairness and to preventing the same injustices from repeating themselves whilst reshaping our nation.

Our political leaders have consistently failed to make Sri Lanka the inclusive, peaceful and prosperous country that it was meant to be. At its time of independence, the island nation was a model of peaceful transition to self-governance and a symbol of hope to many. However, short-sightedness, prejudice and our inability to respect those different to us have left a fractured society, scarred by a generation of civil war.

But this year, Sri Lankans have the chance to take their destiny into their own hands. A chance to reshape our country so that we do not repeat the mistakes of our past. By enshrining the fundamental dignity of each Sri Lankan into our Constitution, we have the chance to create a new Sri Lanka — a Sri Lanka that is better for everyone, whether you’re Sinhalese or Tamil, a man or a woman, gay or straight.

Follow Aritha Wickramasinghe on Twitter: www.twitter.com/aritha

A Crisis off the Radar: Teachers in Jaffna

We stayed with the system although it was more rational to pursue one of the options proposed that would have led to greater satisfaction and increased opportunities for our students.

by S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole

Population Loss and Tamil Schools

( March 24, 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The loss of population in Jaffna is evident in the number of parliamentary representatives we have, dropping from 11 recently to 7 now and perhaps ready to drop to 6 if the trend continues. What, however, is not recognized is the drop in school-going children, a trend matching the drop in number of MPs. When school-going children diminish, schools need to be shut down. That in itself might not necessarily be a bad thing if it is rationally done. But it is not. The loss of MPs might have political implications and our attention is focused on that. But the loss of school quality is a bigger disaster for the community.

A church nursery in Thanniootru is being shut down for lack of students. An appeal was made to me to pay personally the three teachers Rs. 5000 a month each – an impossible task for me, after 8 months of unemployment after returning to Sri Lanka on the promise of a red carpet welcome from the President through a special speech in parliament. The schools are seen as a place to give jobs rather than to educate children. Worse, with women willing to work at Rs. 5000 a month (a half of what I would need to pay a cook in Jaffna), teaching as a profession is diminished.

Nallur CMS TTC and Practising School

Consider the Church Missionary Society’s Nallur CMS Practising School and the Teachers’ Training College (TTC) down Chemmany Road. My father, Vicar of St. James’ Parish, was also the school’s and college’s Chaplain and Manager, while my mother was a Lecturer in Mathematics at the TTC. The Practising School was where committed Lecturers taught young people the craft of teaching, so they could continue in an honoured career as Trained Teachers. The School was the laboratory for the Teachers’ College. The school gave excellent education to those in the neighbourhood (like myself) because they employed the best teaching methods to pass out as trained teachers. The school has produced many lecturers, doctors, engineers and accountants. The Practising School was a thriving hub of several hundred students then. Not one teacher was a graduate, yet the quality of education was excellent.

Takeover

Then the government nationalized the two Church institutions, only to immediately shut down the much needed Teachers’ Training College. Both Lecturers and Teacher-students were moved – to Irupalai for women and Colombogam for men. The latter too was ultimately shut down. This was an incredible loss to the education system, which is continuing to show its effect in our schools.

A condition of the takeover was that the institutions should continue to be put to the same use, and if not, be returned to the Church. The TTC premises now function as the Department of Education. Under the law, they need to be returned to the Church because they are not used for their original purpose. The Church has not demanded the premises back because even if she ran the TTC from them, there are no church schools in which to employ the trained teachers coming out.

With the flight in population, the school has a severe drop in numbers. It has 95 students in the 11 grades up to O.Level and 23 teachers; a student:teacher ratio that would be the envy of a rich country! Reducing teachers is not an option in our vision of government as a job bank. Grade 1 had only 2 new students enrolling in January and 2 further admissions since. The school’s O.L. results that came out recently were a disaster. Out of the 10 students who sat, only 4 qualified for the A.L. The government resources needed to sustain this system are disproportionately large, yet with poor outcomes in the education of these students.

Rather ironically, the excess of teachers does not make for good education although most teachers are graduates. Students see some recent school products making Rs. 2000-2500 a day in Colombo’s building sector, which is a lot more than the Rs. 36,000 per month their graduate teachers make. Teacher salaries are this low because the market is flooded with unproductive graduates in fields no one likes to specialize in and are there to keep university lecturers in their jobs. There is no incentive to study.

Closing the School

The school is a different from the TTC. If the government closed this former Church-run Practising School the way they are closing schools established by the state in Jaffna, the Church might ask for the premises back, with good ideas about what educational enterprise to launch from there. The land itself is extremely valuable. So first, for the first time, a fence was put up between the two institutions a few years ago. How the dividing line was decided on is anybody’s guess since the two institutions under the Church were seamlessly one. In addition, plans are afoot to take some of the land on the school side of the fence for the Education Department and in exchange build some building for the school for conferences. With 4 students in Grade 1, the seminars will be empty in a beautiful hall.

Other schools that deserve to be closed remain open because folk of the locality insist on keeping them open or because education department officials like their continued fat budgets.

Inefficiency thrives and goes hand in hand with poor teaching.

Attitude to Work: the Agriculture Example

Our education system seems to be rooted in inefficiency where giving jobs is more important than funding jobs that involve real work. For example, in the year 2004, in a UGC discussion it turned out that at that time it took Rs. 250,000 a year to train an agriculture graduate and Rs. 200,000 a year to train a doctor. This was because of the large farms that go with an agriculture faculty.

Since the same pool of students from the A.L. vie for medical admission and do agriculture, dentistry or vet science only when denied medical admission, it was suggested that we were better off giving medical admission to all the agriculture students! But that, someone pointed out, the medical folk would object to, since it would depress their salaries. It was also felt that agriculture is important to national development. But most agriculture graduates are unemployed. Most graduates of the recent University of Jaffna batch, for example, are doing a master’s degree at Peradeniya, sustaining the university system as a place where unemployed people can delay the inevitable while lecturers earn less in fees. Others go for employment in other sectors. It was clear that we do not need an expensive agriculture faculty at every university to meet national needs. Yet, it was politically impossible to prevent every university from dreaming of its own agriculture faculty. Keeping agriculture lecturers in employment seemed more important than sending agriculture students to read medicine at lower cost to the state and meeting a real need for more doctors.

A UGC colleague suggested that if our medics would object to taking in more students, then taking the Rs. 1 million we spend on each agriculture student and giving it to them to pay and study in India (which was within the admission rates then) seemed to make more sense. But that also was shot down as a political impossibility!

We stayed with the system although it was more rational to pursue one of the options proposed that would have led to greater satisfaction and increased opportunities for our students.

Restoring Respect for Teachers

That agriculture model is what we seem to be using with the Jaffna schools. Whether we like it or not, schools have to be closed. Such closings should be rational and not for the purpose of keeping the unemployed in seeming employment, retaining the fat budgets of Education Directors, or avoiding the return of Church lands.

Having excess staff is a bad idea since the lack of work for teachers leads to unfortunate attitudes to work. Instead it is better to retain the better teachers and pay them more than labourers. The work of a teacher must be made a respectable undertaking once again.

UK launches 'Professional Development Framework' for Sri Lankan police

 

23 March 2016

The United Kingdom has launched a new 'Professional Development Framework' for Sri Lankan police this week, with the British Deputy High Commissioner stating it would aid the “transformation to a more democratic society, strengthening the rule of law and helping build stability”.

The new framework was launched in addition to an existing training program run through the Scottish Police College, which has seen British training of Sri Lankan police for the last three years.

The Professional Development Framework will “help the Sri Lankan Police provide and receive modern and dynamic training,” said Deputy High Commissioner Laura Davies. “A modern, effective and efficient police force, serving the community and part of the community, has a huge role to play in Sri Lanka's transformation to a more democratic society, strengthening the rule of law and helping build stability in a country still suffering the after effects of a long and terrible conflict,” she said.

The High Commissioner went on to state that “dealing with the causes and legacies of conflict will enable Sri Lanka to build the stronger, more stable and more prosperous country that all its people so richly deserve and that the UK so sincerely wishes for it”. “The development of a professional, civilian police force, guarantor of law and order, and offering protection and assistance to all communities is a central element to this.”

The United Kingdom has a long and notorious history of training Sri Lanka’s police units, including the infamous Special Task Force, which is linked to massacres of Tamils and egregious human rights abuses. 

The STF is accused of conducting numerous massacres including the killing of five students in Trincomalee in 2006, the massacre of 17 aid workers of the French NGO Action Contre La Faim (ACF) and the murder of 10 young Muslim men in the same year. Reports of killings stretch even further back with STF officers also accused of killing 83 Tamils in Kokkadichcholai on January 27 1987.

No member of the STF has ever been prosecuted for any of the killings.
Last year a report by the International Human Rights Association Bremen stated that the unit was formed after intensive advice from British security experts. See more here.

The unit was being expanded in 2013 with the then commander stating Sri Lanka had the provision for 10,000 STF troops.

See a feature on the STF, its origins and ethos, written in 2001, below.

An elite believing in terror as their creed (25 July 2001)

Also read the full text of Ms Davies speech delivered this week below.

Professional development should be at the heart of what all of us do every day - both for ourselves and for our organisations. Without it, we atrophy, wither and become irrelevant. With it, individuals and organisations grow, adapt and aspire.

The Professional Development Framework we are celebrating today will help the Sri Lankan Police provide and receive modern and dynamic training. The legislation makes it possible for the National Police Academy to award diplomas and certificates. This is essential to build the "Professionalism through Wisdom" that is the Academy's motto and also to ensure Sri Lanka has the police force it wants and deserves for the 21st Century, serving communities across Sri Lanka. It is particularly symbolic to be launching this framework on Police Heroes Day.

The British High Commission has been a long-term supporter of the development of the Sri Lankan police. We have worked with the police and the Government, supporting their vision for a transformed police service. And we have partnered with academic and civil society organisations who share the same vision and determination. Community policing and training development have been the two central themes of our engagement. We remain very active supporting Sri Lanka's move towards community policing, a journey which started for us with the Scottish Police College and now continues with The Asia Foundation.

With the Scottish Police College, our focus over the last three years, has the development of police training both at the College and the Academy. The Scottish Police College's expertise in police training is recognised worldwide.

This partnership has been transformative. For example:

- All recruit training at the Sri Lanka Police College has been revised and modernised. It now meets international standards and sets new recruits off to the best possible start to their careers;

- A new Leadership and Management branch has strengthened capability and capacity at senior levels within the police service;

- A new Crime and Law Enforcement Branch provides specific training in crime scene management and evidence gathering.

The Professional Development Framework is the culmination of many years of work. It has been a real team effort, possible through strong and positive relationships and sustained dedication on all sides. The strong support of the Inspector General of Police and the Deputy Inspector General in charge of training have been particularly critical, and I salute them for their vision and determination.

I'd also like to praise the work of the Scottish Police College. They have shown determination and sensitivity in equal measure to develop a training programme that meets the needs of the police service and the people of Sri Lanka. The launch of the Professional Development Framework today is both a major milestone and testament to their commitment to Sri Lanka.

A modern, effective and efficient police force, serving the community and part of the community, has a huge role to play in Sri Lanka's transformation to a more democratic society, strengthening the rule of law and helping build stability in a country still suffering the after effects of a long and terrible conflict.

All post-conflict countries face significant challenges. Dealing with the causes and legacies of conflict will enable Sri Lanka to build the stronger, more stable and more prosperous country that all its people so richly deserve and that the UK so sincerely wishes for it. The development of a professional, civilian police force, guarantor of law and order, and offering protection and assistance to all communities is a central element to this.

The British Government has been a steadfast partner in pursuit of this goal, and we will continue to be so.

Here at the High Commission, we will continue to support the development of the Sri Lankan police service. Today is an important milestone towards that shared objective. We look forward to continuing our close co-operation with the Honourable Minister and his team at the Ministry of Law & Order, the Inspector General of Police and civil society organisations in Sri Lanka. 

Thajudeen murder: CCTV camera video footage depicting Namal to be sent abroad for final analysis

-2 more months time requested to complete investigation -

(Lanka-e-News -24.March.2016, 4.45PM)   It is necessary that the  CCTV recording pertaining to the murder of Wasim Thajudeen , the rugby player , which depicts Namal Rajapakse be sent abroad for confirmation  via  scientific analysis and this is in its final stage, the CID told court.

The state counsel Dilan Ratnayake on behalf of the Attorney General (AG) made a request to Colombo additional magistrate Nishantha Peiris today (23) to grant two months time, since  more time is needed to conclude the investigations into the murder of Mohomed Wasim Thajudeen. He also revealed that profound investigations are on going.

The CID while submitting a further report to the court said, since  2016/02/28 until today ,  11 persons including police officers have been interrogated at length , and based on the revelations made in those  statements , further investigations are continuing. The CID also revealed to court , although the court gave an order to the Registrar of  Sri Lanka Medical council to forward a report after  probing  into the disappearance of parts of Thajudeen’s  body –the heart and bones that went missing after those were taken for examination by the medical officers  including former specialist judicial medical officer Ananda Samarasekera who conducted the preliminary post mortem examination, so far that report has not been furnished .

The initial steps have been taken to analyze  the CCTV recording , and the cost towards that is being determined. Thereafter , as a final step the CCTV recording shall be sent overseas for analysis, the CID further informed  court.

In addition, a court directive dated 2016/03/ 03, was obtained and  the court  issued an order to Douglas Devananda M.P. to obtain the hard disc of the CCTV camera installed in his  office situated at  121, Hick road, Colombo 5. In response to that however ,    a letter has been forwarded  certifying , by that time there were  no CCTV camera facilities at Devananda’s office, the CID intimated to court.

The magistrate after considering the submissions ordered that the investigations shall be expedited and a report on the progress be  furnished on  the 12 th of May – the next date of hearing.

 (Our thanks to Siranjani Kumari of the Dinamina)

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by     (2016-03-24 11:21:59)

Eknaligoda case: Sandhya says BBS, MR disrupting probe

2016-03-24
Sandhya Eknaligoda, wife of missing Journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, yesterday charged Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera, MP Wimal Weerawansa and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa of disrupting the investigations into her husband’s disappearance. 

Addressing a news conference, she said Mr. Rajapaksa and the others frequently visit the imprisoned army personnel who were arrested in connection with the disappearance, influencing the case. 

“Gnanasara Thera even threatened me on several occasions. It’s uncertain who are behind them,” she said. She requested the President, Prime Minister, the UN and relevant authorities to intervene into the matter claiming that her life was in danger.  

Desperate Rajapaksa Group Resorts to Ritual Cursing to Overthrow Sirisena

Rajapaksa group smashing coconuts cursing the Sirisena regime | EPS

By P.K.Balachandran-24th March 2016

COLOMBO: Legal and political means having failed to save former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa from the numerous corruption cases against him, his followers have, in sheer desperation, resorted to the traditional Lankan weapon of “ritual cursing” to destroy the tormentor.

According to University of Princeton Anthropologist Prof. Gananath Obeysekere,  “ritual cursing” in Lanka involves the smashing of coconuts in select Hindu shrines called “Devales” and a closed door session with a sorcerer who recites “poisonous verses”, called Vas Kavi.

The Joint Opposition Group (JOG) in parliament, which Rajapaksa heads, smashed 100,000 coconuts at the Seenigama Devale on February 6 with the media present in force. The mass smashing of nuts was of led by MPs Dinesh Gunawardene, Bandula Gunawardene and C.B.Ratnayake.

But the ritual was ineffective. It was said that the deity of the shrine, Davol Deviyo, was angry, because the coconuts had not been acquired legally, but were looted from plantations.

To undo the moral damage and keep up the political tempo, a group of Rajapaksa loyalists led by Bandula Gunawardene smashed coconuts at the Ammaduwa Kudakataragama devale in Ratnapura district on February 13. Seven days later, Bandula Gunwardene, along with MPs Salinda Dissanayake and Kumara Welgama, smashed coconuts at Aiyanayake devale at Singakkuliya in Kurunegala district.

Although Rajapaksa got no legal relief, his March 17 rally at Colombo was a resounding success. His pugnacious speech was a shot in the arm for his demoralized followers. “Coconut smashing seems to be working,” said a hopeful  follower.  

Ranil’s Friend Bowls Doosra: Observer Sports Editor Out LBW

March 24, 2016 

Callistus Davy the Sports Editor Sunday Observer has been sent on two months paid leave for a reporting blunder at the conclusion of 137th Battle of the Blues Royal Thomian Big Match, sources close to the Chairman Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited told Colombo Telegraph.

The veteran scribe counting over 25 years experience in sports journalism had carried an incomplete story in the Sunday Observer following Royal College’s remarkable victory. The story was written by Sports Journalist Ranjan Anandappa.

Nevertheless it is speculated that the reason behind the decision was because of Davy’s negligence in carrying a photograph of Chief Guest and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe handing over the D.S. Senanayake Shield to the winning Royal College captain. An Editor said “he carries the picture of the winning moment which as an editor he is entitled to”.”I am not sure if it was negligence or because President’s son Daham Sirisena was also on stage by forcibly making himself there. If they had to crop the picture to drop Daham from the scene, it would have caused much more problems for the Editor from President Sirisena’s side. He would have been caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. I think he played a forward defensive stroke here, but perhaps the doosra bowled by Premier Ranil’s friend trapped him in front of the stumps” he said.

However, when contacted a source close to ANCL Chairman Kavan Ratnayaka told Colombo Telegraph “He made a major blunder, So he was sent on leave. With paid salary etc.. He will be taken back in two months. The next day report on the Royal Thomian has no end and it ends somewhere in the middle, abruptly. That’s the main reason we took this decision.”

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Video:Right to Information draft bill presented in Parliament

THURSDAY, 24 MARCH 2016


The Right to Information draft bill was presented in Parliament by Media Minister Gayantha Karunathilake today (24th) morning.

The debate on the bill will be taken up on a day to be decided by the Party Leaders.

The Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said the bill was presented to Parliament after the draft was approved by the provincial council. However, Northern, North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councils have added amendments to the draft.

The Chief Whip of the Opposition JVP Parliamentarian Anura Dissanayaka proposed that the amendments added by provincial councils should be tabled.

Intellectuals have blamed the government for not giving an opportunity to carry out a dialogue in the society regarding the bill.

Right to Truth Day

Today, March 24th, is International Day for the Right to Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims.

• by Groundviews 
• - on 03/24/2016 

It’s an opportune moment to recall an exhibition from 2015, curated byGroundviews and in collaboration with Artraker (United Kingdom).

Watch this space: Framing the past, untying the future – an exhibition featuring Sri Lankan art and work from the Artraker “Art of Peace” series, theatre and public discussions – was an attempt to interrogate how we see the past in order to envision a better future. The exhibition was held from 11 – 17 August 2015 at the Park Street Mews, Colombo.

Read the Curator’s Note to the exhibition here.

Visited by over 1,000 people over 7 days, ‘Watch this space’ featured keynotes and presentations by Radhika Coomaraswamy, Nalaka Gunawardene, Mohamed Hisham, Dushyanthi Mendis, Tissa Jayatilaka, Vangeesa Sumanasekara, T. Shanaathanan, Selyna Peiris, Ruhanie Perera, Abdul Halik-Aziz, Saskia Fernando, Chulani Kodikara, Niran Anketell, Rohan Edrisinha, Jake Orloff, Thisuri Wanniarachchi, Chandragupta Thenuwara and Deanne Uyangoda.

Panels and keynotes were anchored to the following topics:

• Media and transitional justice
• Sights of violence, sites of memory: Reframing the past
• The art of memorialisation
• Transforming politics for transitional justice
• Writing transitions: Changing and changeable texts.

As noted in the description of the panels held as part of the exhibition,

“…Through this exhibition, insightful and evocative Artraker artwork from Syria, Myanmar, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries was juxtaposed with carefully curated art from Sri Lanka, coupled with a theatrical production by the Floating Space Theatre Company, titled ‘Forgetting November’. Watch this space: Framing the past, untying the future is an attempt to use art that results from, reflects upon or responds to violence as a platform to foster meaningful conversations around what kind of a future we need in Sri Lanka.

Recognising that no real future can be constructed without reference to or learning from the past, Watch this space: Framing the past, untying the future offers frames through which to see the impact of violence, and the deep-seated challenges around memorialising.”

Complete podcasts/recordings of all the panels and keynote addresses can be accessed here.

Details of the exhibition, posters and related photos can be accessed here.

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Foreign Ministry restructuring a big farce?

Mar 24, 2016

Soon after 2015 January 08 Yahapalana government came to power one of the promises that  leaders of the Government gave was to ‘create a professional service and post qualified persons on overseas assignments’ and ‘appointments, both local and foreign, would be based on a scientific basis.’ After assuming the Foreign Minister portfolio for the second time Mangala Samaraweera went on record saying that Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry and the Foreign Service will be modelled after the Singapore Foreign Ministry and the Singapore Foreign Service. 
This is an insult to a service that has been there since the independence of the country. It has been successful governments and the self serving politicians that have ruined the Foreign Ministry and the Foreign Service.

True to his word Samaraweera sent a team of officers to study the system in Singapore to and implement a similar thing in Sri Lanka. When doing so he missed two points. One is that you cannot simply pluck a system or a model from a foreign country and plant it in Sri Lanka. Other one is that for Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry and Foreign Service to become like in Singapore, the political system and the politicians should be like in Singapore. We need not spell out that Sri Lankan politicians and the political system is a far cry from Singapore. Most of our politicians would be behind bars if they were in Singapore.

Samaraweera got the team to do a report made changes and wanted it implemented. The Foreign Secretary sent a circular in February informing the changes to the Divisions in the Ministry. Here lies the problem. Inquiries made by Lanka News Web revealed that restructuring has not been done keeping the long term interest of the country but on ad-hoc basis. The recommendations made by the team that went to Singapore has been overruled and changed. Divisions have been created to cater to whims and fancies of favourite officers, mostly Rajapaksa loyalists. America and Canada, both bilateral desks, have been removed from the West Division where it always was a part of and have been attached to the UN Division, a multi lateral Division. The excuse can be given that it is because of the UNHRC resolution. Then the question should be whether our relations with the two countries are based only on the resolution. Foreign Ministry sources very clearly state that this was done to cater to the personal agenda of a very powerful mid level lady officer and an Ambassador who is a retired career officer. Both were die-hard Rajapaksa and Sajin Vaas loyalists before the rainbow revolution and from 2015 January 09 became Yahapalana die-hards. Creditably a Division called overseas residents/citizens of Sri Lankan origin has been created. But the person who has been appointed to head it, another Sajin Vaas lackey, is very well known within the Ministry and among the journalists for his inability to verbally communicate clearly in any language. Other new Divisions include Ocean Affairs, Strategic Security & Climate Change and Policy Planning. Inquiries revealed that only the name boards have been given to new divisions without giving the areas of work.

Lanka News Web reliably learns that despite Samaraweera wanting to implement the changes Foreign Secretary Chitrangani Wagiswara is dragging her feet to scuttle it. She has made the whole of the Foreign Service come to a standstill by appointing R. L. Ratnapala as Director General Overseas Administration last year despite the protest by career officers. Ratnapala who was made Chief of Protocol by Sajin Vaas carried tales and got plum postings. He is well known for catering to political appointees while victimising career officers. Despite his unpopularity and colourful past Wagiswara went ahead and appointed him. Lot of career Ambassadors were waiting for the Heads of Missions meeting to be held to complain about Ratnapala. Upset that his role has been cut down due to the restructuring together with Wagiswara Ratnapala is hampering the restructuring efforts. He is also hampering the workings of the HR Division by undermining the newly appointed Director General thereby putting into difficulty not only the officers in Sri Lanka but also career officers serving overseas. A senior Foreign Ministry source said ‘on paper the restructuring is taking place. But in reality nothing is happening. Looks like the Secretary is not keen to make the changes.’

Ad-hoc restructuring of the Foreign Ministry to make the presence has been favoured by some of the previous Foreign Ministers. During the time of Rohitha Bogollagama he had a program at the Post Graduate Institute of Management of Sri Jayawardenapura University and a workshop at Blue Waters Hotel in Wadduwa with mandatory participation by officers. Government money was spent but whether any worthwhile outcome was received is questionable. We all know that Bogollagama was most of the time out of the country during his term of office.

Much was expected from Samaraweera when he took office. Sadly he has not done justice to the trust people and the officers placed in him. Today he has become a prisoner of the Rajapaksa turncoats who have been given prominent places in the Ministry. Officers are disillusioned of Samaraweera as under his stewardship good professional officers are side-lined and victimised, junior incompetent tale carrying officers are given very senior positions and the likes of relations of politicians, business persons and party loyalists are given plum overseas postings. Lanka News Web has regularly exposed this in the recent past. Samaraweera seems to be only paying lip service to the so called restructuring of the Foreign Ministry. It would be well for Samaraweera to remember what happened to Bogollagama at the end and make sure this time round the restructuring of the Foreign Ministry is not a big farce