Britain to push post-Brexit UK immigration controls back to Irish border

Northern Ireland secretary James Brokenshire says London and Dublin will share data to stop migrants using Irish border as backdoor into Britain

 Passengers head for passport control at Dublin airport. Photograph: Richard Wayman/Alamy

 James Brokenshire, right, with his Irish counterpart, Charles Flanagan, at talks in Dublin in September. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA

Henry McDonald Ireland correspondent-Sunday 9 October 2016

Britain is seeking to shift the frontline of immigration controls to Ireland’s ports and airports to avoid having to introduce a “hard border” between north and south after the UK leaves the European Union, the Guardian has learned.

The Northern Ireland secretary, James Brokenshire, has told the Guardian that London and Dublin will work to strengthen Ireland’s external borders in order to combat illegal migration into the UK once it leaves the European Union.

In an interview, Brokenshire said there was now a “high level of collaboration on a joint programme of work” between the two states to control immigration.

“We have put in place a range of measures to further combat illegal migration working closely with the Irish government,” Brokenshire said. “Our focus is to strengthen the external border of the common travel area [CTA], building on the strong collaboration with our Irish partners.”

The CTA is a unique arrangement that allows for full freedom of movement between people from Ireland and Britain on both islands.

After Britain’s vote to leave the EU in June, concern mounted that to control immigration, measures would have to be imposed on the 300-mile border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. Any such border controls would probably be seen as a violation of the Good Friday agreement and a provocation in a region that has only relatively recently put violence behind it.

Shifting the onus of immigration control to Irish entry points such as Dublin airport and Rosslare port would avoid this. However, it would also make a mockery of claims by the Brexit camp that leaving the EU would enable Britain to “take back control of its borders”.

Brokenshire said: “We are already working closely with the Irish government and other members of the common travel area to prevent people from seeking to evade UK immigration controls from entering via another part of the CTA. There is a high level of collaboration on a joint programme of work. This includes investment in border procedures; increased data sharing to inform immigration and border security decisions; passenger data systems enabling the collection and processing of advance passenger information; and harmonised visa processes.”

The measures will be aimed primarily at non-Europeans seeking entry into the CTA. Politicians on all sides of the divide on the island of Ireland have expressed concern that Irish border towns such as Dundalk could become the “new Calais” if people-traffickers trying to send migrants into the UK target the Irish Republic as a “jump-off point” into Northern Ireland.

Precedents already exist for this Anglo-Irish collaborative model: Indian and Chinese visitors are subject to a system whereby they apply for a single visa, valid for travel in both Ireland and the UK.

The joint Anglo-Irish border procedures will not be able to stem the arrival of EU nationals, as they will retain the right to free movement to live and work in the Irish Republic. However, this point is seen as moot: officials believe few EU citizens will want to come and work illegally in the UK after Brexit. “The numbers would be very small,” said one diplomatic source familiar with Brexit discussions.

The Fine Gael-led coalition government in Dublin has confirmed it is in negotiations with London to better share intelligence to tighten immigration controls for people from outside Britain and Ireland.

Ireland’s foreign minister, Charles Flanagan, said he welcomed Brokenshire’s commitment to an invisible north-south border and agreed on the importance of an intelligence-led approach to curbing illegal immigration across the Irish border.

Flanagan said: “In terms of the threat of illegal immigration through the border, the sharing of information is vital, as is the sharing of systems and the use of digital technology. These are means by which we can ensure that any adverse impact is minimised. The object of our engagement is to maintain the common travel area.”

However, he stressed that upgrading immigration controls between the UK and Ireland would, from Dublin’s perspective, have to be negotiated alongside the country’s EU partners.

“I caution that this will be a decision not just by the UK or Irish governments but ultimately also by the 27 EU states. I have been impressing on my fellow 26 EU foreign ministerial colleagues the importance of maintaining what is now an invisible border. I have to say there was among them a deep understanding of theconsequences for the peace process of the reimposition of a heavily fortified border,” he added.

Brokenshire said that Brexit would neither destabilise the power-sharing institutions set up under the Good Friday agreement nor provide any propaganda boost for hardline dissident republicans opposed to devolution in Belfast.

“Political stability and prosperity in Northern Ireland has been hard fought over many decades, and we will not do anything to undermine it,” he said. “There is no reason to think that the outcome of the referendum will do anything to undermine the rock-solid commitment of the UK government and the people of Northern Ireland to the settlement set out in the Belfast agreement and its successors.”

The Northern Ireland secretary insisted that he did not even want to see customs checks on the border when the UK triggers article 50 and finally leaves the EU.

“The open border for people and businesses has served us well and no one wants to see a return to the borders of the past. It is a high priority for the government that we do not see border controls coming into place. There is a very strong commitment from the Irish government as well as ourselves to see that that does not happen.”

India under pressure on HFCs as world seeks third climate accord

A boy catches fish in a dried-up pond near the banks of the Ganges river Allahabad, June 4, 2015. REUTERS/Jitendra Prakash/Files

By Alister Doyle and Valerie Volcovici-Sun Oct 9, 2016

India will face pressure to speed up its plans for cutting greenhouse gases used in refrigerators, air conditioning and aerosols when governments meet this week to hammer out what would be a third key deal to limit climate change in a month.

About 150 nations meet in Rwanda, from Oct. 10-14 to try to agree a phase down of factory-made hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will be among those attending.

A quick phase-down of HFCs could be a big contribution to slow climate change, avoiding perhaps 0.5 degree Celsius (0.9 Fahrenheit) of a projected rise in average temperatures by 2100, scientists say.

But India wants a peak in poor nations' rising emissions only in 2031, to give industries time to adapt. More than 100 other nations including the United States, the European Union and African states, favour a peak in 2021.

"It really does matter how early the agreement kicks in," said Jake Schmidt, of the U.S. Natural Resources Defense Council, which reckons India's proposal would add the equivalent of almost a year of global carbon emissions to the atmosphere.

"We must get enough time before the phasing out period starts. We are very clear," Indian Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said on Oct. 1, according to the Times of India.

Use of HFCs, which can be 10,000 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as greenhouse gases, is already declining in many rich nations.

An HFC accord would be the third big step this month to curb global warming after the 2015 Paris Agreement for a global shift from fossil fuels gained enough backing to enter into force and governments agreed a deal to limit emissions from aviation.

President Barack Obama, hailing the Paris Agreement at the White House last week, said HFCs and aviation would also help "build a world that is safer and more prosperous and more secure".

The U.S. president has been keen to secure global climate agreements, meant to limit rising sea levels, droughts, floods and heatwaves, as part of his legacy.

Last month, 16 governments including the United States, Japan and Germany and private donors such as Microsoft founder Bill Gates agreed an $80 million fund to help an early phase down of HFCs, hoping to persuade developing nations to sign up.

Many industries are already moving.

"Unlikely as it may seem, a global HFC phase-down is backed both by leading environmental groups and the industry that makes and uses these chemicals," said Frank Maisano, of the U.S. Air-conditioning, 

Heating and Refrigeration Institute which represents companies such as Carrier Corp or Honeywell.

"We and many others in the industry have started to phase out HFCs. But the process is not completed," 

said Daniel Frykholm, spokesman for Sweden's Electrolux which wants to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 from 2005 levels.

The HFC talks are part of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which succeeded in cutting the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to help protect the ozone layer, which shields the planet from ultraviolet rays that can cause skin cancer.

But the HFCs that have often replaced them, while better for the ozone layer, are powerful greenhouse gases.

(Reporting By Alister Doyle; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

I Know You Will Make It Through Your Struggle With Depression

  By Brittany Krystantos-10/06/2016 

"I am not good enough."

x

"Nobody understands me."

"I am not smart enough."

"I am stupid."

"I am not pretty enough."

"I don't want to be in school. I'm so upset."

It all starts there. There are little seeds planted into all of our minds, at an early age, that can make us wonder, "What would the world be without me?" Really, ask yourself this.

If you think ending the pain in your heart requires ending your life... I want you to push that thought away.

I am 18 years old, and I can relate to you. We all have our stories, our rivals, our struggles, our journey. Just like you, I've had times when I was just starting high school. They called us the "Minor Niners." I became very depressed. Getting out of bed was the hardest part.

Day after day I made excuses to stay in bed.

"Mom my stomach hurts."

"Mom, I have a cold."

"Mom, I have a fever."

(You know the trick where you put the thermometer under hot water, and when your parents come into your room, you say: "Look, I'm sick?" Well, that was my go-to until my mom stopped believing it. Even then l continued to come up with one excuse after another because the pain in my own heart was so bad.)

Dark thoughts. Negative feelings. Heavy chest. Zero energy. Depression, it's called?

I came SO close to ending my life. I was sitting in the bathtub when I thought "The world may be better without me."

You feel disconnected and unsure of your purpose here, and let me tell you I felt the exact same thing.

But in that moment my life changed. I came to the realization that I wanted to live the best life ever. Almost like a thought came through: "BRITTANY. There is so much more to life." I wanted to come out and be able to say I've lived the best life.

I didn't understand why Bob (fake name) didn't like me back. I didn't understand why my friends would laugh at me, and how I couldn't be myself around most of my peers. I didn't feel happy or excited for the next day. Slowly, I wasn't able to form the fake smile any longer.

I get your feelings. You feel so unimportant. Like nothing you do is right. You feel like you're judged for something you can't change. You feel like you can't trust anyone, even your parents of all people. You are told you're too young to make a difference, and I disagree completely!

If you think ending the pain in your heart requires ending your life, because it seems easier, I want you to push that thought away.

Think about people you will leave behind. The life you could had lived.

You think you "need" to end it. You feel misunderstood. You feel disconnected and unsure of your purpose here, and let me tell you I felt the exact same thing. I say this in my book: "Your community, dressed in black, will gather. They'll have tears running down their faces and they'll be wondering what they could have done differently to save you."

So, let me tell you again, do you think nobody will be affected? Life wants you to continue to ride the challenges and the world needs your beautiful presence. Don't end it, it won't do anything good, remove that thought completely and continue to live this life. It's your time to shine.

You are more then welcome to check my book out or contact me if ever needing advice or a friend to vent to. Read my book, I Am Not Your Average Teen, for more about my journey.

You may think you can't do it, but I know you can!

If you or someone you know is at risk please contact your nearest Crisis Centre or call Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 to speak to a counsellor.

Frame Of Mind is a new series inspired by The Maddie Project that focuses on teens and mental health. The series will aim to raise awareness and spark a conversation by speaking directly to teens who are going through a tough time, as well as their families, teachers and community leaders. We want to ensure that teens who are struggling with mental illness get the help, support and compassion they need. If you would like to contribute a blog to this series, please emailcablogteam@huffingtonpost.com

First journalist to come under Good governance regime censorship

by Kelum Shivantha

( October 8, 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Renowned journalist Bandula Pathmakumara alleges that he is the first journalist to come under the good governance regime censorship.

He made this claim, participating in the inauguration ceremony of the first youth national newspaper in the country “APPLE”.

Pathmakumara further said he had hosted the ‘Mul Pituwa’ program on Swarnavahini for nearly 12 years.

However he said that he had to leave the programme with the victory of the good governance regime.

It was Swarnavahini that stopped his programme – Karu

When we contacted Deputy parliamentary and Media Minister Karunaratne Paranavithana regarding the public allegations made by Bandula, he denied any involvement by the government in the removal of Bandula from the Mul Pituwa programme.

He said as Swarnavahini is a private media institution, and the decision to remove Bandula was taken by the management and the had no hand in it.

When inquired from Swarnavahini management regarding the removal of Bandula, they claimed that as the programme was running for many years, its ratings had dropped and Bandula was removed with the intention of making changers.

Call halt! Retrace steps to post independence constitutional arrangements

by Gnana Moonesinghe-October 8, 2016, 5:16 pm 

 

When do we call halt to the disjointed and timid attempts at making ethnic peace? Resolutions, recriminations, institution building, discussions on truth and justice, on accountability, on right to self- determination, on integration, on unitary or federal system or devolved powers, fine tuning on how much or how little of power sharing should be on offer - all of this pursued without even an intelligent understanding of the concept of pluralism. For years and years the powers that be and the representatives of the ethnic minorities have been stumbling over these issues with no conclusive parameters acceptable to all the contenders. In this rather static situation the best choice may be to retrieve the status quo as it was before the issues facing the North and South became acrimonious, before the emergence and exploitation of the issues that lead to conflict and before armed violence seemed the only way out of the impasse.

At a time when a new constitution is in the making, it is crucial to focus on some of the features that will help to create a strong commitment to make pluralism work. However it is not necessary to look for innovative new structures while a wealth of experience can be sought in the model of the unitary state with a well structured local government system the country has lived since Independence and prior to the various innovations that have been installed. The structures of the post- independence era would be adequate to implement the President’s call for ethnic harmony as a precondition for national development and welfare of all Lankan people.

During the critical years of the ethnic war devolution to enable power sharing was introduced as a problem solver, a long time demand of the minorities. This institutional arrangement was hoped will enable the minorities to manage their own affairs. It is now over two decades since the Provincial Council system has been in operation; hence it is time to ask the question as to what extent the introduction of the PCs had helped in easing tensions amongst the ethnic communities?

A researched response is that in fact, it has created many additional areas of dispute and that the PCs are not any closer to reducing ethnic tensions and grievances, big or small.

Although the call for devolution was to satisfy ethnic power sharing needs, devolution through the Provincial Councils was introduced to all the other provinces in order to maintain a sense of uniformity. This innovation has made no difference to the well being of the minorities or to that of the majority community. In the North the PCs perhaps appeased the ego of the politicians while for most of the time the PCs in the other areas remain an echo of the Central Government with some impact observed when the PCs have a political complexion different to that of the government at the Centre. In the North it seems that the power struggle for leadership and political and emotive posturing takes precedence over the urgency to make effective utilization of the powers vested for the benefit of the people in the PCs.

The ethnic problem has been critiqued perhaps with some degree of legitimacy as the power struggle for leadership as much as of realpolitik. The LLRC too commented on the "collective failure of the political leadership on all sides" for the continuing ethnic and political turmoil. Instead of searching for positive initiatives that would help in forging unity for nation building, the culture of obstruction was used by both the leaders from the majority and the minority communities which had been and is counterproductive to the interests of the respective communities to move towards equity status for all. Most leaders have not understood that "farsighted policies pay huge dividends; short term patronage politics have immense costs." (Zakaria). This approach has put the nation in a conundrum.

A structure that merely replicates the Centre should have no place in the institutional arrangements of a country. Provincial Councils are an expensive arrangement the country can ill afford. Successive governments despite paying lip service to devolution, in their mental makeup remain with the unitary state operated mode. With this observation in mind observe the Central government’s reluctance to release some of the powers to the Provincial Councils and its exaggerated concerns over national security under a devolved scenario.

Time does not stand still. The youth who were in the forefront of the demand for devolution have become middle aged. Identity and culture, the two major issues since globalization have become less potent; the youth of today are increasingly becoming a part of the world cultural scene through social media, music TV etc. Cultural identity has become a "niche product for the elderly".(Zakaria) If this is understood the country can move on to find youthful leaders who will pressurize for national commitment to democratic principles, ethics in governance and the recognition of a plural society within the unitary state. Pluralism is not antithetical to a unitary state which has sometimes been claimed as the flip side of Sinahla nationalism. Most nations have a mix of people based on race, religion, language, caste etc. Very few countries can claim to be monogamous in its demographic composition. It is time we understood this as a matter of reality and moved on.

Leaders and intellectuals can help to bring the people together and put a stop to the prevailing environment of opportunistic policies and communal signals that continue to divide.

This is indeed an appropriate time to shed the top down approach and elicit from the people their views on their needs and their aspirations as there is bound to be changes in people’s perspective following the end of war. The fear syndrome of the Tigers is kept alive in the South mostly for electoral and personal advantage. No doubt in the South also the war would have had its impact and peoples’ perspective regarding the minorities may have changed and become more positive and friendly. The present point in time must make it possible to distinguish between the Tigers and violence and the average Tamil citizen.

Speaking directly with the people will help to assess the level and tempo of support given to the Tigers by the Tamils, as individuals. Was support given freely or under duress? Or, if over the years, enthusiasm for the Tigers took a downward slide, (obviously passively) in disapproval of the harsh tactics used by them. The influence of the diaspora on the minorities need to be investigated; is the excessive phobia around the diaspora merely a media creation, or if in reality they merely represent a migrant group seeking identity for themselves in their land of domicile and are no longer relevant emotionally to the ground situation amongst the minorities. On the contrary can they be used to contribute to the advancement of the people in the war affected places. These questions need answers if future strategies for reconciliation are to be successful.

It is time to understand that the difficulty to integrate the people is not because of shortcomings in structures or institutions but a direct consequence of the shortfall in policies and strategies adopted by successive governments.

People for their part have demonstrated their capacity to work together during times of crisis with their fellow citizens. In times of crisis the spirit of humanity and humaneness had been abundantly displayed. During the 1983 riots, during the tsunami, and during the recent floods people had reached out with assistance without discriminating over race or religion or language. If people can handle thus during times of crisis then with a little guidance from the leaders such attitudes can be replicated during other times as well. People need to be empowered with the sense of morality to make value based opinions and decisions.

If appropriate policies beneficial to the people are introduced resistance to cohabitation will be greatly reduced. During the 70’s the government restricted the imports of onions and chillies which benefitted the local producer to earn better prices. The Jaffna farmer benefited the most and remained grateful to the government for the windfall in income. At the Presidential election in 1982, Jaffna opted for the SLFP candidate Hector Kobbekaduwa over and above their candidate Ponnambalam and the UNP. The Tamils did not hark back to the negative phase of the SLFP government whose policies affected them adversely. They decided to move on. Why not others among them?

At the time of Independence and for many years after Sri Lankans lived in relative harmony under a unitary system of government with well planned local government structures in place. The Local government system that Sri Lanka had at the time of independence served the interests of the people at the micro level, in the village, in the towns and in the metropolis. The elected members performed their functions having taken office solely to provide voluntary service to the people. The culture of amassing wealth using elected office was unknown, so were the perks of office such as vehicles, allowances and security cover. In the VC elections contestants were elected for their standing in the estimation of the local people, their political affiliations remained irrelevant. The interests of the people were served without the expenses of duplicating the central government structures at the periphery.

People want to live in peace in an environment of trust and respect for each other. If democratic values of equality of status and opportunities and meritocracy, right to speech, association and freedom of movement, independent judiciary respect and adherence to human rights, free and fair elections and unwavering commitment to the constitutional provisions are made available, reconciliation for integration will be that much easier for having a fair playing field. Housing, education, health, jobs and opportunities for improved livelihoods are the main concerns of any community. Peace and security concerns must be kept in the realm of objective review while civil authority during times of peace remains supreme.

A call for national identity is not one that is meant to override other identities or make all to be assimilated as "mimics of the Singhalese". It must be understood that we the citizens owe allegiance first to the nation on whose soil we live and then to our race and religion giving all due respect for such identities. National pride must come first and thereafter individual and community based identities. The way forward would be for policies and strategies to be taken for the benefit of both the Sinhalese and the minorities to forge friendship. However, a fundamental decision has to be taken as to whether the communities in the country want to live as citizens of one nation or divide or forever hold the threat of self- determination as an option which would be like having Damocles’ sword hanging over peoples’ heads. Compromise and faith in humanity despite bad experiences in the past is the path to unity. This will be a good try to forge friendships keeping the past travails as an object lesson - a lesson to be well learnt by all.

Justifying Teachers Beating Children: Angry Child Rights Expert Says Maithri Tapping Into Teacher Vote Bank

October 9, 2016

While a senior official attached to the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) took on a more softer stance to the recent justification by President Maithripala Sirisena on the importance of parents needing to understand what drives a teacher or a principal to beat a child, a child rights expert hit out at Sirisena terming his recent utterance as an attempt to gain more popularity and votes from the teacher population.

Sajeeva Samaranayake, Deputy Chairman of the NCPA said that the recent statement made by the President was more or less the ‘perspective’ of the teachers. “This is important because in a school, children, teachers and parents must all learn to listen, respect and value the perspectives of each other,” he told Colombo Telegraph.

Maithripala Sirisena

He went on to add that the duty of the NCPA as a child rights institution is to draw attention to the perspectives of children. “What do the children who are at the receiving end of corporal punishment say?,” he asked. Samaranayake noted that child rights is about learning and understanding that the powerless and voiceless also have something important to say.

“I am quite sure that the President also understands this. What he was doing is drawing attention to one side. We must not over-react and jump to conclusions on the general issue,” he said.

However, a visibly irked child rights expert who wished to remain anonymous claimed that Sirisena was merely trying to increase his popularity and vote base among the teachers. “It is important for the head of state to be aware of world standards set by the United Nations. The Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC ) came into existence in 1989, and the Sri Lankan Government ratified it in July 1991. I am sure the President was in Parliament at that time,” he said.

In the CRC article 28 (2) it specifically states: States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that school discipline is administered in a manner consistent with the child’s human dignity and in conformity with the present Convention.

The child right expert went on to castigate the President on ground that as a leader, he cannot afford to be ignorant on such matters. He also blamed Sirisena’s unprofessional advisors for being the reason behind Sirisena’s recent absurd utterance. He said that it was important that the President obtained the services of proper advisors who were professionally qualified and also had the necessary experience.

“I think there are two facets to his ill-advised statement; one is that he indirectly wanted to hit out at the UN, and the second is that by giving such statements, Sirisena had the opportunity to take advantage from the teacher voter bank,” he said.

Meanwhile, Samaranayake noted that while it is evident that society is violent, it was important to encourage teachers not to hit children and instead attention must be paid to develop their environment including attitudes and skills. “If not they will simply shift to psychological aggression against students. This may not leave visible marks but is sometimes more damaging to children. The point is to listen to children,” he said.

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Land Rights Activists Honored

Oct 08, 2016

Human rights lawyer, two electronic media journalists and seven groups of land rights activists received ‘appreciation awards yesterday (Oct. 7) from People’s Alliance for Rights to Lands (PARL).

Lawyer Lakshan Dias Vikalpa Website journalist Sampath, Sirasa TV reporter Rumesh , land grabbing victimized and farmers’groups in Panama, Kalpitiya, Mullikulam, Valikamam, Irudeniyaya., Sampur and Badulla were honored for their marvelous  contribution to protect land rights during last decades at the award ceremony held at Lakshman Kadiragamer Centre in Colombo.

Sajeewa Chamikara, Herman Kumara and Chinthaka Pradeep expressed their views on development plans and victims of land grabbing at the event.
PARL is an umbrella Non Government Organization which works in the field of land rights in the island.

Talking to Lanka News Web  Punchirala Somasiri, convener of Panama Lands Protection Movement  said that nation al Cabinet has been taken a decision to return 340 acres back to the framers. But government authorities not ready to return our agricultural lands.

“We never stop our struggle until we take back our home lands,”  he said after the award ceremony.

- By Lawrence Ferdinando - Colombo

The present government’s three legs and its predecessor’s $30,000 champagne taste 

by Rajan Philips-October 8, 2016, 7:15 pm

In any creature or contraption, three legs will pose a balancing problem while moving. Two legged ones move lifting one leg at a time, the four legged ones lift two of theirs diagonally,and we tie one leg each of pairs of children to run three-legged races. In a sense, the Maithripala-Wickremasinghe government is a three-legged government, with the President and the Prime Minister tied at their ankles on some issues while trying to walk separately with their free legs on other issues. You can see why the government moves awkwardly and even tumbles embarrassingly so many times. My use of the leggy metaphor today is to say something different, i.e. to speak to three matters on which the government is trying to find its footing(s) and make progress at the same time. They are reconciliation, the economy and trade, with three corresponding files on the constitution, the 2017 budget and free trade. Free trade has several files in search of a million jobs, the most contentious being the file on India and the ECTA.

Besides two, three and four, there were three other numbers that were in the news last week that have some relevance to the state of our politics and its morals, not to mention the march "towards a civilization state". There was Usvatte Aratchi’s number – Rs. 53,226.68, the totalexpenditure of the Gal Oya Project Evaluation Committee in 1969. Then there was the report on sandwiches at Rs. 1,250 apiece to be served at a recent Police party in Colombo. The third number reported on the front page in last week’s Sunday Island is the whopping US$ 30,000.00 to uncork a bottle of champagne in New York for the Rajapaksa entourage to celebrate their imagined conquest of the UN in 2014, the last year of their prodigality. "What a rise, my countrymen", you might say, from Rs. 53,000.00 to US$ 30,000.00 in 45 years.

Last Monday, The Island carried an article by GL Peiris where he tried to make self-serving political mileage out of the launching of Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara’s new book, "Towards a Civilization State." All Sri Lankans respect Dr. Amarasekara’s unique contributions to the celebration of Sinhalese national culture and ethos, but few will countenance GL Peiris taking mileage out of Dr. Amarasekara’s latest addition. It will not be out of place to ask Peiris how he would square the great traditions of Emperor Asoka and ancient Sinhalese kings with the upstart tastes of a government of modern pretenders that he served so compliantly as Foreign Minister.

From champagne to challenges

The $30,000 champagne indulgence of the Rajapaksas has been contrasted with the apparent frugality of President Sirisena’s UN visits as well as his other foreign travels. There should be no surprise in this as this is how it should be. In the past, Sri Lankan political leaders regardless of their political affiliations, and even failings, were generally known for their austere ways both in personal and public lives. They did not indulge in extravaganzas at public expense. It could be said that President Sirisena, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, and Leader of the Opposition Sampanthan, all belong to that austere tradition, but the same cannot be said of most of the other members of the government and of parliament. Their indulgences may not carry a single price tag of 30,000 dollars, but that alone is not enough for good governance. There are other challenges to overcome than the mere temptation to drink champagne in New York.

The economy and the budget are recurrent challenges that torment all governments. As I noted at the outset, the present government has two other priority challenges: reconciliation/constitution, and free trade with India and others. The budget is due, as it must be, in November. The government has set tight deadlines for the other two as well. A few days ago, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe announced in New Delhi that he and Prime Minister Modi have decided that the proposed Economic and Technical Co-operation Agreement (ETCA) must be concluded by the end of the year. The report of the Steering Committee on constitution is expected any time and that will open another Pandora’s Box to keep everyone busy.

The Prime Minister made another announcement a week ago, this time from Auckland, New Zealand, that the government is "working on scrapping the Executive Presidency", and that there is ongoing discussion as to whether the powers of the executive presidency "would be fully transferred to parliament, or a combination of National Legislature, Senate and Provincial Councils." It is useful to know the PM’s thinking on important national issues even if he reveals it from outside the country. Interestingly, the PM’s statement came as a response to a question by a Sri Lankan New Zealander if Mr. Wickremesinghe would contest the next presidential election. For the UNP, the creator of the executive presidency nearly 40 years ago, scrapping it seems easier than winning it.

The PM has a surprising new ally in JHU’s Champika Ranawaka who is also the Minister of Megapolis and Western Development. The JHU has been strongly opposed to abolishing the executive presidency in the recent past, and prevented a unanimous agreement on this matter for Maithripala Sirisena’s common candidacy platform at the presidential election in January 2015. On the occasion of the JHU’s 13th annual convention, Mr. Ranawake has conceded that "we (JHU) are not against abolishing the Executive Presidency." But if it is one step forward with the JHU, it could be two or more steps backward with others in the south and in the north. For every action in the north there will be more than two reactions in the south, and the recent protests in the north are being seen by observers as attempts to scupper the government’s constitutional agenda.

It must not be very amusing to the PM to have to answer questions in parliament about the statements of NPC Chief Minister Wigneswaran in Jaffna. But it is equally not amusing to the war-affected people in Jaffna that in spite having all the goodwill in the world and its own promises, the government has not done enough to address their postwar difficulties. Practical steps are needed to return land to the dispossessed; to help them with housing using local effort and resources, not Indo-Belgian steel and contractors; and to restore their livelihoods in farming and fishing. Without these actions and their results, the people will be indifferent to constitutional initiatives, and will be susceptible to provocations by political fortune hunters.

It is no secret that Chief Minister Wigneswaran is being manipulated by individuals whose organizations have not been able to gain an electoral foothold in Jaffna in 50 years. Fifty years is not a figure of speech, like fifty-fifty, but right on the mark because it was in 1965 that a Ponnambalam last won an election in Jaffna. The government being all-constitution in Colombo with no action in Jaffna will just make it possible for hitherto electorally fringe individuals and organizations to become newly elected sources of unnecessary nuisance.

Social Market Economy

The gap between the government’s intentions and the people’s experience is not just in the area of national reconciliation and constitution making, but in other areas as well, especially in economic matters and trade initiatives. The government’s biggest failure is in recognizing this gap and dealing with it strategically. What is needed goes beyond sophistications in the modes of political communication. What is needed is to address the three-legged makeup of the national government. The understood purpose of the national government is to consolidate the UNP and SLFP MPs in parliament while letting the two parties contest the elections separately. That is to say, a convenient arrangement that ties the two parties at the ankles in parliament with free legs to do whatever they can in the electorates.

But what might be safe enough for the Local Government (LG) elections could backfire spectacularly in a national referendum on the constitution. And how can a government that is becoming chronically weary of LG elections, muster courage for a national referendum even if it produces the best-drafted constitution to sell? As well, the rising anti-free trade sentiments can hardly provide a conducive climate for a referendum on any matter.

There is also the matter of ineptitude. The fiasco of the current (2016) budget is a good, or bad, example of the government’s collective ineptitude despite the presence of individual capabilities. A budget that was passed with two-thirds majority in a divided parliament became the most amended and altered budget in history. Hardly a single proposal in the budget could be implemented without second guessing and reconsideration, including the intervention of the Supreme Court. The time for the 2017 budget has arrived and the government can hardly claim that it has implemented any of the policies of the current budget.

Now, even the preparation of the 2017 budget is a matter of concern. Two weeks ago, Nimal Sanderatne in his weekly column on economic matters expressed his concern over too many cooks spoiling the soup. It could be worse if they are also bad cooks. It is already a budget by committee even before it goes before the committee stage in parliament. The Prime Minister and the President have set up two ministerial committees for the preparation of the budget, the latter specifically for the purpose of providing input on SLFP policies. But none of the parliamentarians with background in economics appear to be on either committee. And in the current (2016) budget, the Finance Minister did not quite follow the policy framework, if he followed any framework at all, that was laid out by the Prime Minister in parliament in advance of the budget. So, what is cooking this time?

In addition to the performance gap and the ineptitude, a third area of concern is about the social dimension. Where is the ‘social’ in the "social market economy" that Prime Minister Wickremesinghe is so enamoured with? In New Delhi, the Prime Minister extolled the virtues of removing "tariff and non-tariff barriers that are denying enterprises the opportunity of gaining access to the latest technology and know-how, and depriving our consumers of the best quality of goods and services." The liberalization of trade and the economy over the last four decades has not produced uniform benefits, especially for the people who have to work in the economy to qualify as consumers of "the best quality of goods and service." The concerns of the working people need to be addressed as a condition of any or all new trade initiatives.

More importantly, the working people must be prepared to be worthwhile recipients of "the latest technology and know-how", which requires adequate investment in appropriate education. There is an emerging argument among economists who see the need to prepare for a future of slower economic growth worldwide. The new focus for job creation in the future, it is argued, should be more in the area of education spending than physical infrastructure spending. Sri Lanka needs that more badly than any of its comparator countries in Asia. A new education initiative should be as far reaching as the free education initiative introduced 70 years ago. Making a positive critique of the initiative at that time, Dr NM Perera pointed out the inherent weakness of the free education project insofar as it was not geared to matching the provision of education to employment opportunities and requirements. The mismatch remains even as the proportion of investment in education has been falling well below the requisite levels.

Has CBSL Facilitated Another Scandal ? – Arbitraging & Increase In Money Supply

By Hema Senanayake –October 9, 2016

Hema Senanayake

The country must be unified to stop paying homage to political leaders elected to power or thrown out of power. They must be respected for what they have done or what they have been doing for the country. The character of the nation must be to stand up against any wrong doing professes by any leader. It is because of this character that Mr. Arjuna Mahendran had to leave the office of Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) even though Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe strongly stood by him.

CBSL which is erroneously listed under the purview of Prime Minister is on the spot light again. As a result, P.M. himself is under the same spot light. It may be true that Prime Minister is clean but it has no meaning if his professional judgement is wrong in administering the institutions which comes under the purview of the Ministry. Out of those institutions which come under his purview, the central bank is the most important one. Here, in this article, we are going to investigate a serious monetary mismanagement done by the central bank under the watch of Prime Minister.

Arjuna Mahendran

Previously, it was about a bond scandal purportedly done under the watch of Governor Arjuna Mahendran byPerpetual Treasuries Limited(PTL) of which the main man was the son-in-law of the former GovernorArjuna Mahendranhimself. This time it was again about PTL abusing the temporary payment settlement mechanism of CBSL in order to boost the company’s profit. There is nothing wrong if a company tries to increase its profits. But it is wrong if CBSL happens to be a partner in helping any primary dealer like PTL or even a commercial bank to make undue profits jeopardizing the monetary system. All these have now been revealed by a leaked internal document of CBSL.

In the year 2015, PTL posted a profit of Rs. 5.1 billion and it is an increase by 430% in compared to the previous year. Auditor General has once again confirmed that the government has incurred a loss amounting to Rs. 1.6 billion from the most infamous bond scandal by accepting bids of PTL with higher interest rates. In general some body’s loss is somebody else’s profit. If the government lost money, PLT would have made undue profit. Most of the rest of the PTL profits might link to the abuse of CBSL payment method set up for the primary dealers. Earning undue profit is a point that people should concern, but the nation must have a bigger concern if such practice leads to the gross mismanagement of monetary system. I think it has happened. Let us investigate it.

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