Dayan Jayatilleka’s Oracle

By Somapala Gunadheera –February 7, 2017

Somapala Gunadheera

Dayan Jayatilleka (DJ), the rolling stone that appears to gather no (dogmatic) moss as it rolls, has made a prophesy at the Nugegoda Rally, as claimed by him in the Daily Mirror last week. DJ prophesizes a political “Titanic” and admonishes, President Sirisena that he should eject Prime Minister Wickremesinghe before it hits an iceberg and sinks.

Leaving the possibility of a political Titanic for later consideration, it will be useful to discuss DJ’s comments on the PM, which are leading to the disaster as he claims. “PM’s policies, personal style and the aggressiveness of his loyalist UNP hawks have become alienating and polarizing factors all around the political compass. The PM is radioactive; a hate symbol; the target on the back of the Sirisena dispensation, the SLFP and the UNP itself”. One cannot dismiss this charge offhand. But if the forecast is valid, it can be avoided by considering the validity of DJ’s reasons for the charge and taking positive action to correct the faults, if applicable.

Speaking for myself, I felt disappointed by the PM’s personal style and the aggressiveness a few months ago. His interventions in Parliament sounded rude and offensive, unbecoming to his position. But of late, he has corrected his tone and attitude, may be under professional advice. One cannot also deny that ‘loyalist UNP hawks have become alienating and polarizing factors all around the political compass”. That fault also can be corrected by honest introspective reflection and a Cabinet reshuffle that appears to be long overdue. The charge that ‘the PM has a crisis of legitimacy’ and that ‘the bond scam has blown a hole below the watermark of his incumbency’ also rings a disturbing bell in the public mind. The devious route that the relevant investigation is taking has become a joke and the sooner that matter is finally disposed of is the better for the Government in power. These corrections would naturally remove the hate symbol on the PM, if any.

“Governmental dysfunction and deadlock leading to disinvestment and implosive collapse” is also a matter that should receive close attention. The root of dysfunction appears to stem from the attitude to entrust functions to a few selected favourites and hope for the best. There seems to be no managerial coordination, supervision and targeting. The ‘deadlock leading to disinvestment and collapse’ can be prevented by positive and pragmatic action on the ground. RW has a tendency to keep rattling on future plans to disbelief and ridicule. It appears to be an extension of the ‘bracelets syndrome’ in his youth. An ounce of investment on the ground is worth a ton of boasting about imaginary plans in the pipeline. The challenge is to see that investments become visible to the public eye and that they are credible. Unfortunately, investments made with much fanfare and celebrity participation have led to embarrassment. The Volkswagen factory at Kuliyapitiya and the Horana tyre factory are clear cases in point.

However, I do not believe that DJ’s admonition to President Sirisena that he should eject Prime Minister Wickremesinghe is a workable proposition. MS’s presidency is only an impeachment motion away under the present power configuration in Parliament. He can be removed from power more gracefully and plausibly than the ejection of Her Ladyship Shirani Bandaranayaka from the seat of Chief Justice. Of course, a split in the current coalition might result in the loss of the two-thirds majority of the Government but even after a breakup in the current coalition, RW will retain enough seats to continue in power. Judging from his restraint, tactful course corrections and self-negation, it is clear that MS is more aware of his vulnerability than anybody else. Being a hardboiled politician, he would know that for him to jump out of the coalition is to jump over the Nilvala Bridge. That automatically rejects DJ’s admonition to eject the Prime Minister.

Although the current rate of performance is obviously below par, I do not believe that the “Titanic” would hit an iceberg and sink in the long run, if only the government resorts to course correction and effective governance even at this late stage. That calls for efficient delivery on several fronts.

Many leading opponents of the regime in power are accused of grave crimes but not a single of the charges against them has been proved in a court of law, so far. People are getting tired of seeing VIPs of the last regime being arrested and re-arrested in a row and being remanded. It is true that charges involved in these cases normally call for time in the investigation. It is for the Government to cut short these delays by law reform and assignment of efficient prosecutors to handle them. If the legal system could be vitalized to finalize a few sample cases in quick time and if the cases end up with the conviction of at least one or two leaders of the past, the tide against the Yahapalanaya is bound to turn. That would automatically put the current rubble-rousers on the defensive and create space for the rulers to show positive results.

As much as expediting the cases against persons opposed to those in power, it is necessary to do the same in the case of those with the Government, if they are accused of wrong doing. The bond scam comes to mind here. May be that those who are accused will be proved innocent after investigation. The duty of the rulers is to arrange for prompt investigation so that the impugned may come out of the cloud at the earliest opportunity. The Government does not have to worry about insiders taken to task for their crimes, crossing over. They will only bring embarrassment to their destination and glory to Yahapalanaya. There will be many volunteers competing to replace them.

Reviving the decadent economy is a prime duty of those in power. Any amount of blame placed on the management of the economy by the predecessors will not help here. They have been displaced for their faults. The newcomers have been brought in to correct them. The situation is reminiscent of Andare who took a bet to carry a rock stone asking his challenger to lift it on to his shoulder. The greatest need of the time is income generation and poverty alleviation. That calls for more and more investments. It is important to ensure that such investments do not compromise the country’s future. The demand for vitalizing the economy cannot be met by trivial increases in fines and the price of sweep tickets. While the output from these ventures is negligible, they result in the alienation of hordes of supporters who helped to bring the regime into power.

National reconciliation is another priority. That can be brought about by ensuring equality to all the citizens of the country. Economic and cultural discriminations against the minorities in the past have taken a heavy toll. The resulting conflict has led to the death of thousands on both sides and to a stagnant economy. However, much circumspection is required to solve this problem, given the tendency of power hunters to rouse the masses on this explosive issue and upset the apple cart. Nevertheless the sooner the mindset of the people is removed from favouritism, discrimination and separatism, the better it would be for a united and prosperous Sri Lanka.

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கேப்பாபுலவு மக்களின் போராட்டத்துக்கு யாழ் பல்கலைகழக மாணவர் ஒன்றியம் ஆதரவு

Tuesday, Feb 07, 2017

முல்லைத்தீவு கேப்பாபுலவு பிலக்குடியிருப்பு மக்கள் தமது சொந்த நிலத்தை கையகப்படுத்தியுள்ள  விமானப்படையினர் அதனை விடுவிக்கவேண்டுமென கோரி விமானப்படை முகாமின் முன்பாக  சிறுவர்கள், குழந்தைகள் , முதியவர்கள் ,பெண்கள், என  கடந்த மாதம் 31 ஆம் திகதி தொடக்கம்   முன்னெடுத்துள்ள தொடர் கவனயீர்ப்பு போராட்டம் எட்டாவது நாளாக இன்றுவரை தொடர்கின்றது.

இந்நிலையில் போராட்டத்தில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ள மக்களுக்கு ஆதரவு வழங்கும் நோக்கிலும் இந்த போராட்டத்துக்கு இன்னும் பல இளைஞர்களை திரட்டி ஆதரவு வழங்கும் நோக்கிலும் யாழ் பல்கலைக்கழக மாணவர் ஒன்றியமும், ஆசிரியர் சங்கமும் இன்றைய  தினம் கேப்பாபுலவு மற்றும் புதுக்குடியிருப்பில் போராட்டத்தில்  ஈடுபட்டுள்ள மக்களை சந்தித்து தமது பூரண ஆதரவை தெரிவித்தனர்.

யாழ் பல்கலைகழக ஆசிரியர் சங்க தலைவர் பவன் மற்றும்  மாணவர்  ஒன்றிய  தலைவர் அனுஜன் மற்றும் யாழ்  பல்கலைக்கழக கலைப்பீட ஒன்றியத்தலைவர் ரஜீவன் தலைமையில் வருகைதந்த விரிவுரையாளர்கள் மற்றும் மாணவர்கள் போராட்டத்தில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ள  மக்களை  சந்தித்து தமது ஆதரவை வெளியிட்டதோடு, இராணுவத்தால் ஆக்கிரமிக்கப்பட்டுள்ள நிலங்கள் அனைத்தும்   விடுவிக்கபடவேண்டுமெனவும்  கேப்பாபுலவு மக்களின் சொந்தநிலங்களை மீட்ப்பதற்கான போராட்டம் நியாயமானது எனவும் தெரிவித்து மகஜர் ஒன்றினையும் மக்களிடம் வாசித்து காட்டினர்.

அத்தோடு போராட்டத்தில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ள மக்கள் உரிய தீர்வு கிடைக்கவில்லையெனில் தமது உயிரை மாய்த்தேனும் இந்த போராட்டம் வெற்றிபெற உழைப்போம் என தெரிவித்துள்ளதை மறுத்த யாழ் பல்கலை கழக கலைப்பீட மாணவர் ஒன்றியத்தலைவர் ரஜீவன் உயிரை மாய்ப்பதால்  அரசாங்கமோ இராணுவமோ மக்களின் உணர்வுகளுக்கு மதிப்பளிக்கப்போவதில்லை என்றும் இவ்வளவு காலமும் மண்ணுக்காக எத்தனையாயிரம் உயிர்கள் மடிந்தபோதும் பணியாத அரசும், இராணுவமும் இதற்கு பணியாது எனவும் ஏற்கனவே கடந்த வருடம்கூட  கைதிகளின் விடுதலைக்காக தனது உயிரை ரயில் முன் பாய்ந்து விட்ட செந்தூரன் எனும் மாணவனின் கோரிக்கைக்கு கூட இதுவரையில் செவி சாய்க்காத இராணுவம் இதற்கு அடிபணியாது எனவும் தெரிவித்ததோடு உங்களின் போராட்டத்துக்கு எமது பல்கலைக்கழகம் எந்நேரமும் ஆதரவாகவே இருக்கும் என்பதனையும் எதற்கும் அடிபணியாது உங்களின் போராட்டத்தை நடத்துங்கள் எனவும் தமது ஆதரவை தெரிவித்தார். 

இனி வரும் நாட்களில் யாழ்ப்பாணத்தில் அனைத்து பல்கலைக்கழக மாணவர்களும் இணைந்து இராணுவத்தால் கையகப்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ள தமிழ் மக்களின் நிலங்கள் அனைத்தும் விடுவிக்கப்படவேண்டும் என்பதற்க்காக குரல்  கொடுக்கும் விதமாக பாரிய ஆர்ப்பாட்டம்   முன்னெடுக்கவுள்ளதாக தெரிவித்தனர்.  

மேலும் இந்த மக்களின் போராட்டம் வெற்றிபெறவேண்டுமெனில் அனைத்து தரப்பினரும், அனைத்து மக்களும் இவர்களுக்கு ஆதரவினை வழங்கவேண்டும் என்றும், முக்கியமாக இளைஞர்களின் ஆதரவு  அவசியமானது எனவும் தெரிவித்தனர்.

Puthukudiyirippu families in ongoing land protest

-05 Feb  2017

Families from Puthukudiyirippu, Mullaitivu, have been protesting since February 3rd, demanding the return of their lands.

SRI LANKA: WIGNESWARAN EXPRESSES DOUBT OVER SUMANTHIRAN ASSASSINATION REPORTS

07/02/2017

CV Wigneswaran, the Chief Minister of Sri Lanka’s Tamil-majority Northern Province, expressed doubts if the assassination story involving the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) senior parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran was an attempt by the government not to reduce the presence of military in the north.

Wigneswaran, the hardline Tamil chief minister, said those arrested for the alleged assassination attempt on Sumanthiran were taken into custody on charges of possessing narcotics.

“They have not been charged with attempting to murder a parliamentarian,” Wigneswaran said.

He said it gave rise to suspicion that if the motive was to keep the military in the Northern Province, claiming it would be risky to remove them from the former war battered regions.

Sumanthiran in response today said he could not verify the truthfulness of the assassination plot, yet Wigneswaran’s statement was wrong.

He said he did not press the suspects to be arrested and detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) as he did not want them arrested under the PTA.

At least four former LTTE cadres were arrested late January for allegedly planning to kill Sumanthiran.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa blamed the current government for relaxing strict security measures he had deployed in the north and east of the island after he had militarily ended the LTTE’s separatist campaign which lasted over three decades.

Repealing the PTA and reducing the military presence in the north and east are among other key demands of Tamil groups to achieve reconciliation with the Tamil minority.

Press Trust of India

Private Mini-Hydro: Energy Generation Or Willful Destruction?

By Sriyantha Perera –February 7, 2017

Sriyantha Perera

In an article published in Ceylon Today titled “Small Hydropower Developers Cry Foul”, dated Sunday January 29, Thusitha Peiris and Anil Makalande of the Mini Hydro Developers Association have made baseless allegations that Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka (RPSL) is a foreign funded NGO aiming to destroy the hydropower sector.

Such accusations made through the media with no facts to prove their veracity are clearly an attempt to distort the facts and mislead the public.

I established RPSL as a volunteer environmental organization in 2010 as our motherland had a lack of participation by individuals on a volunteer basis to protect the remaining forests, waterfalls and wildlife. We have carried out small projects successfully with the means of limited funding, such as native tree planting projects in the wet zone, trash cleanup and awareness projects, reporting environmental issues through media and pushing the government authorities responsible for protection of the environment to act on urgent issues.

RPSL is a volunteer-based environmental organization supported and funded by concerned citizens of Sri Lanka. Funding has always been an issue for us as we are intentionally not tied to any NGO, whether local or foreign. Our strength lies in our people who care about the country and will stand up to protect the last remaining rainforests and water rights for our future generations.

Therefore Mr. Peiris and Mr. Makalande of the Mini Hydro Developers Association are welcome to look at our bank account and transactions if they are so concerned, before making false allegations to mislead the public.

The protestors who participated on January 25 in front of the Central Environmental Authority against the mini-hydro mafia comprised volunteer activists, concerned citizens, and over 200 hundred villagers whose lives are affected adversely. The participants arrived of their own volition and at their own expense, out of genuine concern to protect the water rights of villagers, farmers and wildlife.

The Mini Hydro Developers Association’s move to ‘play the NGO card’ at this time shows their shocking desperation to protect their business interests at any cost. I vehemently reject their allegation on behalf of our volunteer based organization and on behalf of those who unselfishly gave their time and energy to speak out against the destruction of Sri Lanka’s waterfalls, streams and rivers.

Here are some facts about the ground situation.

Ecological and Social Impact Due to Private Mini Hydro Projects

Mini Hydro plants have a severe negative impact on the environment, society, agriculture and tourism sectors. Diversion of water away from the natural streams through concrete channels for several kilometers, near complete obstruction of waterfalls, construction of diversion channels within protected forest reserves such as Dellawa rainforest in Sinharaja rainforest complex, have all created an ecological disaster.

At Anda Dola, a tributary of Gin Ganga in Galle District more than 6 km of stream will go dry due to diversion of water for the construction of a mini-hydro plant. Villagers no longer have the right to water for consumption and agriculture. Many endemic and endangered freshwater fish such as Barred Danio (Devario pathirana) and Ornate Paradise fish (Malpulutta kretseri) living in these waters also lose their habitat and are pushed towards extinction.

In Belihul Oya valley within the Nuwara Eliya District, more than 500 acres of paddy fields and hundreds of farmers are severely affected due to Deegalahinna, Medapitiya and Manakola mini-hydro projects.

While the approvals given by Central Environmental Authority (CEA) and Irrigation Department state an unobstructed opening should be kept at all times to release a small amount of water downstream as environmental flow, many sites such as the Hulukelidola mini-hydro plant in Kalutara District have built controllable gates that open when Government officers come for inspection and close as soon as they leave. At other sites, these openings for environmental flow are being blocked to extract the last drop of water for the mini-hydro plant in order to maximize the profit at the expense of water needs of people and wildlife living downstream.

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Why Sri Lanka failed in “Socialism” — CIA viewpoint

Unaffordable Socialism in Sri Lanka

(February 7, 2017, Boston — Hong Kong SAR, Sri Lanka Guardian)  “Sri Lanka is a no-growth welfare state, which until recently could get by with minimal foreign assistance. This situation is changing, in part because of  Colombo’s  chronic neglect of its key agricultural sector,  in part because of the higher costs of  Imported oil and grain,” a declassified CIA paper noted.

“Rice production, which increased steadily during l 965-70, has failed to increase further since 1970. The country’s heavy dependence on imported grain and petroleum and its inability to expand exports have forced stringent controls on nonfood imports and an increased reliance on short-term foreign loans”, it added.

“The government shows no signs of shifting toward growth-oriented policies. Failure to generate growth has worsened widespread unemployment and has eroded welfare programme”, the paper monitored.

The declassified paper is reproduced below;

Socialism_SriLanka_CIA.pdf by Thavam Ratna on Scribd

Policy on medical education: Means and ends

Tuesday, 7 February 2017

It is always helpful to identify the purpose, or end, of anything that government does. It was very useful to identify the purpose of our aviation policy in discussions of the SriLankan-Mihin fiasco that was eating up three times the resources we were spending annually on Samurdhi. The means (the airlines) had to be looked at in relation to the ends (affordable international passenger and cargo transport services at adequate levels of quality).

Medical education is provided because we need enough physicians to supply the demand for curative and preventive medical services throughout the country. Supply is inadequate for demand now. As the population ages, demand will increase.

The only rationale for spending taxpayer money is the above. There is no valid justification for spending taxpayer money to reward people who did well at a particular examination or to make their families happy unless it serves the end of providing high-quality medical services to the people. The means that most efficiently serve the end must be chosen over those less efficient. 

What is the best way of ensuring an adequate supply of doctors?

There is no reason to make any fundamental changes to the functioning of medical faculties in Government universities. The best performers at the GCE (AL) examination should continue to be offered admission to Government medical faculties according to the order of merit as at present. The only difference is that the costs of their education would be billed to a tertiary-education account.

The considerable amount of taxpayer money spent on a medical student at a Government university will be publicly available. The Government will guarantee bank loans up to that amount for any student who wishes to enrol in an accredited private medical school.

All medical graduates, public and private, will be offered opportunities to serve in Government medical establishments. Depending on the difficulty of the postings and duration, the amount owed to the Government by graduates of Government medical schools will be forgiven. Work long enough in tough enough places, education will be completely free. If the beneficiary does not wish to work in a rural area or leave the country, he will be obligated to repay the balance in in the tertiary-education account.

Graduates of private medical schools who undertake duties in rural areas will also have their loans forgiven based on the same formula used for Government graduates. They may still have financial obligations if the private educational establishments charge more than what it costs to train a graduate in a Government establishment. But they would still be ahead of where they are now. And the people of this country, the taxpayers, would have received the service they paid for. 

Focus on the end not the means

When we focus on the means (supply of Government medical education), we lose sight of the end. Government medical schools were not established to help realise the dreams of young people who want to become doctors. Their purpose is to contribute to the overall goal of providing the taxpayers of this country with adequate medical care.

The above proposal focuses on that end. The taxpayer is not served by providing an expensive medical education to a young woman who leaves our shores because of marriage. She should have that freedom, but should have to pay the costs incurred on her behalf.

Unlike in the present arrangement, another student who got a few marks less at a particular exam in a particular year would not be deprived of the opportunity to realise her dream by obtaining an education from a private medical school.

The taxpayer money would be better spent. More dreams would be responsibly realised and our people would receive better medical care.

What has happened to the autopsy report into Welikada murders?

Feb 07, 2017

The ‘Yahapaalana’ regime too, is trying a cover-up within the judicial system, making it a mere promise at the election platform it has given to punish those responsible for the Welikada genocide, one of the crimes against humanity committed openly during the Rajapaksa regime that can be proven with evidence, reports say.

Between 09 and 10 of November 2012, the STF and the military murdered 27 inmates. As prison records were destroyed in the incident, it is suspicious if any inmates had fled during the carnage. There is many evidence of how a clash was intentionally started and using it as a pretext, inmates were handpicked, told to stand against the wall and shot. However, nobody knows as to what had happened to the setting-a-thief-to-catch-a-thief style investigation reports of the Rajapaksa regime. The present government appointed a committee in January 2015 and its final report was handed over to prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and justice minister Wijedasa Rajapaksa on 09 June in that year, but nothing further seems to have happened.

Former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is directly responsible for this crime, but it is clear the ‘Yahapaalana’ regime will not take legal action against him. Distorting its good governance label, it only strikes political deals with the Rajapaksa camp and does nothing to serve justice. Despite repeated inquiries by the police and the CID, the autopsy report is yet to be released. Our question is as to who is preventing the release of the autopsy report, and as to who has mediated to save Gotabhaya, Anura Senanayake and the other criminals.

Will keep a close watch until justice is served on behalf of the victims…..

Halt Religious Indoctrination: 18 Should Be Made In Law The Age Of Ordination To Clergy

By Ruwan Laknath Jayakody –February 8, 2017 

Ruwan Laknath Jayakody

Ismail Aslama, a seven-year-old male child of Muslim parentage, is no more. He is now Rathnapure Siri Sudarshanalankara/Sudarshanalankaram. The conversion took place recently when his father, Hameed Ismail, brought him to the Dimbulagala Forest Monastery (Aranya Senasanaya – there is also the Dimbulagala rock) and subsequently Chief Incumbent of the Monastery, Millane Siriyalankara ordained him as a monk in the Buddhist faith. The boy’s mother is abroad (working as a housemaid in the Middle East) and allegedly reported to be missing (or perhaps not in touch). According to Siriyalankara, the child is now residing alongside children from different ethnic groups such as Sinhala, Tamil and Veddah children who have been ordained into the sasana/sangha (monkhood/clergy). The indoctrination complete, consent be damned, all seems well in the earthly kingdom of organized and institutionalized religion. The scourge of poverty and parental neglect of children has once again reared its ugly head.

In 2001 June, within a house with a well-manicured lawn in an affluent suburb of Houston, Texas, United States (US), a cast and crew of Biblical characters were found dead. They were namely Noah Jacob, John Samuel, Paul Abraham, Luke David and Mary Deborah and were between the ages of six months to seven years. Some of them lay prone, floating face down in a bathtub while some lay in it supine like overturned puffer fish, marinating in a boggy murk of their urine, feces and vomitus, bloated and snug in their amniotic grave, and still some more lay supine on a bed (sister in the crux of a brother’s arm and the arm of the brother slung over her protectively), all physical forms of the elfin like cherubim tattooed with a stigmatic rictus of contusions. Cause of death: asphyxia by drowning. Was the tragic and unfortunate incident, a case of death by misadventure, in this instance one due to overzealous skinny dipping gone awry? What it eventually turned out to be was a killing/murder for the purpose of obtaining eternal salvation for the deceased. The flotsam and jetsam, damned to eternal life. The family dog caged, the husband, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration engineer called at work, the mother of the dead, a registered nurse and high school valedictorian proceeded to confess of her flesh and blood and of youthful innocence snuffed.

Of interest to the Sri Lankan case mentioned above is the fact that their infanticidal and filicidal yet loving and sacrificial (“I didn’t want my kids to go to hell.”) mother, who for years had been on the long days’ journey into madness, a clinical case of severe post-partum major depressive disorder with psychotic features and suicidal and homicidal ideation, during a disoriented and cryptic rambling made as a series of responses to questions posed by a psychiatrist while in Police custody, made mention of her children stumbling and of a burdensome feeling of guilt of having placed a stumbling block on their path. In a particularly satanic verse she is quoted as saying “It was the seventh deadly sin. My children weren’t righteous. They stumbled because I was evil. The way I was raising them, they could never be saved. They were doomed to perish in the fires of hell.” The Bible in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke is littered with references to the fate befitting those who cause little ones to stumble – thrown to the sea necklaced with a noose of millstone. All is not so well in the earthly kingdom.

What, one may ask was the stumbling block placed on their path and what if at all is the parallel between the two narratives of delusions? The parallel is religious belief.

In both the cases, religion has proven the stumbling block. All religions theistic or otherwise, such as Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, are a volatile mélange of superstition and dogma. Should the right to think freely or to exercise free thought be sullied by being taught what to think instead of how and worse still being taught drivel which stunts and maims cognitive action, is prejudicial to the imagination and stifles independent thinking, not to mention giving birth to paralyzing neuroses? In the case of the latter, the vividly perceived consequences of concepts of sin and karma, truth and falsehood, right and wrong, (fire and brimstone), have for centuries held back individuals from giving expression to their destinies and from turning their natural curiosity piqued by education and wanderlust inwards towards traipsing the terra incognita of their inner life of the mind and the heart and the outer world. Children have a right to be protected from thus and all are duty bound regarding such.

Religion is the bully at the pulpit, the totem which is the main culprit behind the thought process of telling individuals what to think, usurping passion by breeding masochism through prostration, veneration, submission and subservience, all the while providing the illusion of choice whilst feeding the potion of faith. That religion is the foundational basis of ethics and the bedrock of morality has been confidently proven as being not only a historical fallacy of fact but also a logical fallacy. Morality and ethics existed prior to the formation of religions and religions at a later date sought dominion over such matters. Also of note is the fact that all religions do not say the same. There are a plethora of inconsistencies and incompatibilities between them. Some of it is simply bad ideas and crooked are its ways. Temples, churches and mosques and the like are apothecaries of dogma and superstition.

However, this does not vindicate not teaching religious texts which have much in the way of literary and aesthetic value (in for an example iconography) and socio-cultural and anthropological interest in terms of religious rituals, traditions, heritage and practices, to appreciate their meanings and participate in either requires no belief in a religion. Being educated of and being in full possession of the facts surrounding such including information about available alternatives (studies in comparative religion) are helpful in this regard.

What is the impact of religion on the child’s right to education?

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New audit system to evaluate customer satisfaction soon

2017-02-07

A new citizens’ participatory audit system to assess the services provided by local government bodies to their constituents would be implemented before long, the Auditor General’s Department said yesterday. 

An audit report will be released based on the feedback received from the residents and other individuals who seek the services of local government authorities in addition to financial reports and management standards of the entity.

 Speaking at an event organised by the Colombo Municipality to discuss the responsibilities of working towards a better audit report, Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe warned local government entities that they would no longer be audited on their financial reports alone. 

“One of the main concepts of good governance is how an individual receives the service he or she seeks. It is of no use having good reports if they are unhappy with the service provided,” he said. 

Speaking of the Colombo Municipality's somewhat positive audit report after more than four decades, the AG explained that many of the issues on the audit report was connected to arrears in rates the municipality had to receive. 

“Many public sector employees fall into the vicious circle of blaming, they don’t take measures to change and update the system,” he said. 

Speaking of auditing in recent times, Mr. Wijesinghe said the 19th Amendment to the Constitution had widened the scope of auditing to include not merely financial reports but also management structures and even the green initiatives by government institutions. 

The focus on the environment would make it near impossible for the CMC to receive similar positive reports in the future as it had to take concrete measures to resolve the garbage issue in Meethotamulla. 

Meanwhile, Commissioner V. K. A. Anura who spoke to the media after the event said the municipality had arrived at a short-term solution to the garbage issue. Refusing to provide specifics of the project, Mr. Anura said groundwork of the venture was complete and that it would be initiated in two months time. 

Meanwhile, Assistant Auditor General (Western Province) T. Premalatha who also addressed the gathering said the CMC had the potential to multiply its revenue. 

She pointed out that 188 government organisations were yet to pay Rs. 528.4 million to the CMC as rates, and that they were just 17 per cent of the total number of properties that had dues in rate payments. 

However, the municipality was to receive a staggering Rs. 2,566 million in arrears as of December 31, 2015, with Rs. 852 million from properties which were over the Rs. 500,000 benchmark. 

Furthermore, the municipality did not charge arrears from all properties within its city limits. (Nabeela Hussain)

Vituperative comments made by Finance Minister against Central Bank officers 

By Legal Eye -Tuesday, 7 February 2017

I was extremely surprised and disappointed by the serious allegations made by the Minister of Finance on 24 January during the debate relating to the purported bond scam, against the Deputy Governor and Secretary to the Monetary Board and a few other officers of the Central Bank.

The Minister alleged that these officers are henchman of former Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal and went to the extent ofmaking the grave accusation that one such officer issues emails to the persons who are not entitled to receive such emails from the Central Bank.

As children, we were taught the principle that issues inside should not be made public i.e. ‘athulginipitathatanodew’.I am at a lost to understand why the Minister of Finance under cover of the Parliament (Powers and Privileges) Actmakes abusive and derogatory comments without taking any initiative to remedy an unacceptable situation if such a situation really exists within his authority.

In terms of the Gazette Order made under Article 44 of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 1897/15 –18 January 2015, relating to the Assignment of powers and functions of Ministries, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka comes under the purview of the Minister of Policy Planning, Economic Affairs, Child, Youth and Cultural Affairs.

Therefore, the Minister of Finance has no authority over the Central Bank. Hence, an erudite Minister of Finance who had genuine and valid concerns about the conduct of Central Bank officers should  have intimated to the relevant Authority that is, Minister of Policy Planning, Economic Affairs, Child, Youth and Cultural Affairs (Prime Minister)that he should initiate action through the Monetary Board under the Classification, Control and Appeal rules of the Central Bank to take necessary disciplinary action against any officer of the Central Bank who acts in contravention of the accepted and expected norms of conduct as Central Bank officers.

It appears that the Finance Minister had been misinformed by some interested parties or the Minister himself had been angry with those Central Bank officials for revealing the actual facts relating to the Bond Scam at the COPE hearings in spite of threats and abuses by some members by exposing the real culprits of the bond scam and estimating the actual financial loss to the public a result of this scam.The Central Bank officials concerned are not in a position to challenge the Minster’s accusation in the absence of non-revelation of their names by the Minister.

There are presently three Deputy Governors and all three Deputy Governors would not be motivated to contribute their best to the Central Bank without being aware of these allegations and whether the accusations are directed towards them.

The following matters are set out for the purpose of making known to the general public the background relating to the workings of the Central Bank in relation to some of the allegations made by the Minister of Finance.

Accusation regarding depreciation of rupee

W.A. Wijewardena, the former DG, has already explained the theory as well as the determination of value of rupee in international markets; I will give below the Central Bank’s role in determining the external value of the rupee.

A committee namely Market Operation Committee (MOC) comprising of more than ten senior officials of the CBSL meets at 9 a.m. every day to determine the rupee value for the day.

The Committee carefully considers the following variables before making a recommendation for approval of the Governor on the desired level of the rupee value for the day.

I. Global money market movements, (International demand and supply of foreign exchange)

ii. Domestic foreign exchange movement or forex movement (i.e. domestic demand for foreign exchange required for imports, loan repayment, and other capital outflows, etc. and supply of foreign exchange earnings from exports and loans received, and other capital inflows, etc.)

iii. Domestic money market (domestic credit and interest rates) and

iv. Growth rate in the country

The MOC decides whether to allow the market or the Central Bank to decide the rupee value or to intervene in the market to keep the rupee value within a manageable level. Since the demand for foreign exchange exceeds supply of foreign exchange mostly due to current account deficit (imports minus exports), the value of rupee is vulnerable to depreciation unless the Central Bank intervenes by releasing foreign exchange from its reserves to bridge the gap between the demand and supply of foreign exchange.

Once the committee has agreed on the level of rupee value for the day, it is submitted to the Governor for his approval. Therefore decision with regard to the value of the rupee on any day is a collective decision of the MOC and the Governor of CBSL and not of the three officers.

Therefore, it is clear that if the rupee value is to be stable, current account as well as (exports minus imports), the Balance of payment of the country should improve or the Central Bank should have sufficient reserves to meet the gap between demand and supply of foreign exchange. Therefore given the present supply/demand situation in the forex market it will be difficult to stop the rupee depreciation particularly due to the critical level of foreign reserves.

However it is evident that at present none of these variables is conducive for the rupee to be stable without being depreciated and the Central Bank cannot stop the rupeefrom depreciating in view of the critical level of foreign reserves.) Therefore it is highly unethical for the FM to accuse three officers of MOC of the Central Bank for responsibility of depreciation of rupee in spite of his being awareof the real facts behind the issue.

Having a relationship with former Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal and giving information to Opposition members

The officers referred to by the MF are well reputed and respectable professional officers with integrity. They have revealed nothing but the truth to the COPE regarding the bond scams even under strong pressure and humiliation from some members of the COPE.

It was no secret that the COPE was able to identify the culprits due to revelations by these brave officers in addition to the report by the Auditor General. Since this information is in the public domain, the Opposition members did not require information from anybody to participate at the debate.

The FM seems to be angry with these senior officers of the Central Bank as their evidence at the COPE meeting did not exonerate the culprits. Even if any information relating to the bond scam had been passed on by any officer of the Central Bank to members of the Parliament to identify those responsible for the scam, they could not be faulted.

If the authorities decide to hold an inquiry in regardto any matter relating to the past bond issues by the Central Bank, the FM  can be assured that these officials would come forward to give evidence and that they will not cover up for anybody.

The Central Bank has a well-prepared Manual, akin to the Establishment Code which governs Government servants, and the chapter containing the Classification, Control and Appeal Rules setting out the disciplinary procedure applicable to the Central Bank staff defines an “act of misconduct” as follows:

(ii) ‘Act of misconduct’ includes any act which is detrimental or prejudicial to or is against the interests of the Bank, and or is, in the opinion of the Head of Department or the Relevant Authority under Part C of these Rules (as the case may be), an act not becoming of an employee in the Central Bank service; and includes drunkenness or being under the influence of liquor or in a state of intoxication.

The Relevant Authority in relation to very senior officers of the bank is the Monetary Board and it is the duty of the Minister of Finance, if he is of the view that any Central Bank officer is acting in a manner not becoming or acting against the best interest of the country, to inform or direct, through the Prime Minister (under whose purview the Central Bank falls) to initiate action against such officers without making comments which would bring down the prestige and the image of the Central Bank.

Undesirable comments against Central Bank officers would adversely affect the image of the Central Bank in the eyes of the institution such as the International Monetary Fund and other international lending institutions.

It has to be reiterated that what was and what is expected from Yahapalana Government is not hurling vituperative abuse/disparaging remarks at persons who  attempt to do an honest job to the best of their ability in demanding circumstances, but to take corrective action without making excuses for lapses or actions of their own making wittingly or unwittingly.

It is objectionable that the Monetary Board which comprises of five senior professionals has not made any statement to protect the Central Bank and the good name of its officers.  Indifference and apathy towards the protection of the Central Bank by the Monetary Board could adversely affect the morale and the productivity.

The citizensare concerned with the profound inability to arrest the systematic erosion of faith in good governance. Hence, it would be salutary if the Ministers who make uncomplimentary comments about senior Central Bank officers as well as the Auditor General which are unjustified, to pause, take stock and correct course.

Incidentally, the Sunday Times of 5 February carried a news item that the Finance Minister has suggested to the Monetary Board the appointment of ‘an outsider’, i.e. a person other than a Central Bank officer as the new Deputy Governor. The Minister of Finance gets the authority to give concurrence to the appointment of a Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, despite the fact that the Central bank falls under the purview of the Prime Minister, because of Section 22 of the Monetary law Act quoted below for easy reference. 

22. Appointment of Deputy Governor

The Monetary Board shall, with the concurrence of the Minister in charge of the subject of Finance appoint one or more Deputy Governors who shall perform such duties and exercise such powers as may be assigned to them by the board.

If the President is advised that a Gazette Order has to be made under the Assignment of Ministers’ Functions (Consequential Provisions) Act No. 29 of 1953 to the effect that wherever the words ‘Minister of Finance’ appears in the Monetary law Act such phrase be replaced with the words‘the Minister to whom the Central Bank of Sri Lanka is assigned under the Assignment of powers and functions under Article 44 of the Constitution’ the inconsistency or the conflict that is presently applicable in relation to the affairs of the Central Bank could be obviated.

Due consideration has to be given to this matter early to arrest further deteriorations of the morale of the Central Bank officers to discharge of their functions and duties.

Special Zone for production of medicinal drugs to be established 

by Zacki Jabbar
recently in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland-

February 7, 2017, 12:00 pm

At the World Economic Forum Opening Ceremony : From Right, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheik Hasina. At extreme left are the Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan.

Special Zone for production of medicinal drugs to be established.docx by Thavam Ratna on Scribd

Alleged Money Launderer Lokuwithana Gets Jail Free Card Courtesy Malik Samarawickrama

February 7, 2017

Nandana Jayadewa Lokuwithana, the Dubai based Sri Lankan businessman, more popularly known as ‘Mariott Lokuwithana’ who is accused of money laundering has received a ‘Jail Free Card’ courtesy his new found friend, Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama, highly places sources told the Colombo Telegraph.

Nandana Lokuwithana

“As part of the deal, Samarawickrama has assured Lokuwithana that the FCID investigation against him over his money laundering activities has been shelved,” the source said. He noted that this was all part of the ‘package’ promised to Lokuwithana by Samarawickrama.

In January, the Colombo Telegraph reported how Samarawickrama openly flaunted regulations by submitting a paper to the Cabinet Committee headed by Prime Minister Ranil Wicremesinghe to get Lokuwithana’s land deal for the Horana tyre factory approved.

“This is all part of the package that has been granted by Samarawickrama, who has also given orders to the law enforcement authorities not to pursue Lokuwithana’s money laundering case,” the source pointed out.

Lokuwithana is known as the front man of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, and own the Dubai Marriot Hotel, Steel Corporation as well as the controversial tyre factory for which the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone in Horana recently.

While in power, it is reported that Rajapaksa had invested heavily on properties in Dubai through Lokuwithana, who reportedly hails from Nattandiya, and was introduced to Rajapaksa by his one-time loyalist, Sajin Vass Gunawardena. Lokuwithana bought the Ceylon Heavy Industries and Construction company (CHICO) (Sri Lanka’s former Ceylon Steel Corporation) for US$ 77 million at the invitation of the Rajapaksa regime. In the Panama Papers, Lokuwithana is connected to one entity by the name of ‘Nilona Fashions’ which was incorporated in December 2000 and is within the jurisdiction of Seychelles, incidentally another hotspot where the Rajapaksa’s are alleged to have hidden their assets.

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