FIRST DRAFT TO BE PRESENTED ON THURSDAY

by Manjula Fernando-20 May, 2018

The first draft of the new Constitution will be presented to the Steering Committee on Thursday, May 24, after much interruption, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, M. A. Sumanthiran told the Sunday Observer in an exclusive interview.

The presentation will take place after the expert panel, advising the steering committee, concludes and finalises the draft during its meeting due to be held tomorrow.

“It will not be the final draft, because yet there are areas we need to reach full consensus. The contentious points are the Executive Presidency and the electoral system,” Sumanthiran said.

With regards the Executive Presidency, Sumanthiran said that they are willing to compromise and that they are not seeking for a complete abolition.

Although laws were passed accommodating a new electoral system, which was a 60/40 MMP (Mixed member proportional representation), its first use at the recently concluded local government elections has sprouted more practical issues.

Consequently, many political parties voiced their concerns and the need to revert to the old system or bring in further changes to ensure stability in governance.

An optimistic Sumanthiran said the steering committee should “complete this process in a month’s time and present a final report and a draft to the constitutional assembly.”

At the last meeting of the Steering Committee in December 2017, the Expert Panel advising the Steering Committee was asked to make a draft of the constitution based on the interim committee report and the outcome of the debate that took place in the constitutional assembly. The Secretariat along with the experts committee has been in the process of drafting the constitution since then.

In reply to whether TNA is hopeful and optimistic about the process with only eighteen months more for the sitting government, he said they were very optimistic of seeing a new constitution. “It is a process that Parliament unanimously adopted. We think it was the intention of the parliament, not only the sitting government. In 2016, the process was on track. The Committees were appointed, the steering committee also had an interim report ready. Unfortunately, after some time certain political parties started back peddling,” he said.

The constitution drafting process started on January 9, 2016, with the presenting of a resolution in Parliament to set up a constitutional assembly to work on a draft for a new constitution. The resolution was passed unanimously in March 2016, after amendments to some text phrases.

“However, the SLFP delayed bringing out the draft interim report. They had second thoughts on the matter, and they did not help finalise the interim report for a long time.

Finally, they brought it out with their comments (Party positions). With that, other political parties wanted to include their positions. Now these party positions have been annexed in the interim report,” Sumanthiran said. After five days of debate, the whole report was discussed exhaustively and the whole process was overshadowed by the announcing of local council elections last October. The government said the process will recommence after the election. “The election result brought about serious issues within the coalition government,” he said.

The post-election period was overshadowed by Cabinet reshuffles, a no confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and later sixteen members crossing over to the Opposition. Between February 10 and now, there was no progress.

However, the process is now slowly but steadily starting with the TNA being hopeful that the process will see its end.

SRI LANKA: REPARATIONS BILL: WHY THE SECRECY?

20/05/2018

The ninth anniversary of the defeat of the scourge of a bloody separatist terrorist campaign that enveloped this country for three decades passed without much ado yesterday (May 19). Yet battling with the continuing demand by some foreign governments to hold the security forces that ended that scourge to account, the Government has now presented a comprehensive draft outlining what has been proposed as reparations for the victims of that virtual ‘civil war’.

Read the draft bill as a PDF:Sri Labka Reparation Bill draft May 18

Our front page story refers to the Government’s plan which was kept somewhat secret and handed over to the RTI Commission by the Department of the Attorney General representing the Office of the Prime Minister only a few days ago (Tuesday, May 15) during the hearing of an RTI appeal.
Promised by the Government as part of its transitional justice package to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Resolution 30/1 (UN HRC 30/1), the Reparations Bill was announced as ready many moons ago. Though shared with those in the know in Colombo, the general public, its intended targets, remained in the dark. It took an RTI request by a persistent information seeker who went all the way to the RTI Commission for it to be publicly released. This shows how difficult it is to get information that must naturally be in the public domain.

The Bill itself indicates confusion in respect of RTI disclosure. On the one hand, it provides for an Information Officer and a designated officer to be appointed in terms of the RTI Act, No 12 of 2016. On the other hand, it also imposes a duty on the Office, its members and others to preserve confidentiality on matters communicated to them in confidence, ‘notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any other law’. The bar on confidential information will not apply where a person giving the information has consented. This is better than the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) Act where families of victims have complained that, even if consent is given to making information public, the OMP is not bound to do so.

But why does the Government feel that its transitional justice mechanisms, (next will most likely be a Truth, Reconciliation and Justice Commission) must be shielded from RTI? The RTI Act itself protects confidential information given by third parties or when privacy is invaded. So why provide for separate exceptions? The public interest may apply to release information under RTI cases certainly. But if that is a concern, is the Government saying that the public interest should not apply in these cases?

Meanwhile, the Reparations Bill proposes monetary and non-monetary relief for victims including those affected by conflict in the North and East or in connection with political unrest or civil disturbances. Presenting it to the Cabinet on March 5, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had explained that this is meant to help victims of war, families of police and security forces and civilians in what were then known as ‘border villages’. That inclusiveness is welcome as the scourge of terrorism and the State’s efforts to defeat it, has resulted in grief and pain for thousands across all communities, not one community alone.

But who will give the money for all of this? How will a cash-strapped Government take on the major spending required for the purpose? Hampered by over-ambitious promises made in Geneva sans adequate local foresight and with a deteriorating economy, will victims actually be helped or is this merely to appease the international community? We will see the answers to these questions soon enough.

Editorial, The Sunday Times.

Demilitarisation

President Maithripala Sirisena is seen at a war heroes memorial day observance

 2018-05-21

he end of the war anniversary this month is once again polarizing the country. The losses are again being counted along ethnic lines, reinforcing notions of “war heroes” and “martyrs”. Remembering the war and the dead in this manner is providing few lessons and avenues towards seeking a peaceful and just future.   
 With the changing political dispensation in the South this year, a new constitution to address the issues that underlie the conflict are no longer in sight. In side stepping the issue of a political settlement, the doors are widening again for majoritarianism and jingoism in the South.   
 In the North, the Chief Minister and his speech at the remembrance in Mullivaikkal last week have reiterated the problematic discourse of genocide. This narrative of genocide denies the history of ethnic co-existence in this country, including during war-time, and seeks to construct an exclusionary and separatist future.   
 Among the many issues we should have addressed over the last many years, here I touch on the issue of demilitarization. Indeed, we are yet to have a national debate on the role of the military after the end of the war.   

" Sadly, funds and finances are far more willingly allocated for war-making than reintegration 
and reconstruction  "

Defence expenditure

 While any country after a war should downsize its military, demilitarization is much more than that. In any event, reducing military numbers necessarily involves reintegrating the men and women in uniform with opportunities for civilian employment. But such opportunities for employment remain limited. The same goes for ex-combatants, including from the LTTE, who continue to be ostracised from local employment.   
 The families of the dead and disappeared have lost breadwinners. Their trauma of loss is amplified as many of them struggle to eke out a living. In this context, national efforts to rebuild their economic life, through employment and income generation have been lacking.    If one takes the national budget, defence expenditure still tops the list. Why is it that we have not thought about financing programmes with a part of those funds to reintegrate soldiers through education and civilian employment? Meanwhile, not even a minuscule fraction of the Tamil diaspora funding that came during the war has been channelled for post-war development of the North and the East. Sadly, funds and finances are far more willingly allocated for war-making than reintegration 
and reconstruction.   

Militarised institutions

 As we learned all too well during the years after 2009, militarization can take many forms, including the usurping of civilian institutions by the military. The merging of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) with the Defence Ministry characterized the institutionalization of militarized urbanization under the Rajapaksa Government. While the UDA was separated after regime change, military funded farms and pre-schools continue in the North to this day.   
 The security sector creeping into civilian institutions is not confined to the North. In recent weeks, steps have been taken to expand the role of the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) in the higher education sector. Pushed through or not, these efforts to bring urban, rural and educational institutions under defence are worrying signs of a militarized mind-set.   

Occupied land

 As in many other parts of the world, militarization in Sri Lanka is very much linked to muscular nationalism. Post-war politics continue in that nationalist vein. There has been little self-criticism and reflection about how nationalist politics polarizes and oppresses, particularly women while claiming to protect them, and pushes generations of youth towards war and destruction. In the post-war years, nationalist mobilizations in tandem with end of war remembrances and opportunistic electioneering, have kept communities insecure.   

"Remembering war-time loss and destruction must go hand in hand with calls for material changes; from demilitarizing institutions to setting post-war development priorities and initiatives"

 A recent report in The Hindu (18 May 2018) included data on the spread of military occupied lands in the North and the East, and is reproduced here. Much of the discussion on demilitarization, in the North in particular, has been about military occupation. Despite the swathes of land still under the military, significant areas have been released in recent times; including the Myliddy Fisheries Harbour in 2017 and 683 acres in Palaly last month. Furthermore, people’s struggles have been crucial for demanding land releases. Last month, the displaced people of Iranatheevu, an island off Kilinochchi occupied by the Navy for decades, took it upon themselves to return and reclaim their own.   
The government needs to release more military occupied land, particularly in Jaffna where land is scarce. In Jaffna, close to 15,000 families, ten percent of the households in the District, are absolutely landless. However, even the release of military occupied lands is unlikely to change their situation. Indeed, these landless families displaced multiple times during the war are the most deprived in northern society, but they do not even qualify for the post-war housing grants by the Government.   
 The very actors who strongly advocate for the release of military occupied land, rarely talk about landlessness in the post-war North. Ironically, Tamil nationalists raise concerns about the presence of the military but ignore the predicament of the landless and the marginalized, the very people who were cannon fodder during the war. In the South and the North, territorialism and militarism are occupying the minds as well.   
 Remembering war-time loss and destruction must go hand in hand with calls for material changes; from demilitarizing institutions to setting post-war development priorities and initiatives. However, in these fraught times of nationalist resurgence, we have to emphasize changing the mind-set in the country towards demilitarization.     

Tamils in the North remember their lost kin

A ‘betting’ on borrowing, too?

By N. Sathiya Moorthy-May 20, 2018, 10:20 pm 

The shoe now seems to be on the other foot, and it is former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is heard telling the nation that the successor-Government of three-plus-years is on a borrowing-spree. According to him, Government foreign commercial borrowings since January 2015, when the Sirisena-Ranil duo took over office, stood at $ 19.5 b, and Sri Lankan Rs 6 trillion.

As if he was responding to Rajapaksa’s charge, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that the forex reserves were adequate and was expected to go up to $ 11 b. If anything, he claimed that the country was blessed to have them in power as the current Government has managed debt-servicing (flowing from the Rajapaksa era credit?) adequately.

Wickremesinghe has acknowledged that the economic recovery in the US has made dollar-costly for all developing nations and Sri Lanka was only one of them. As if to rub in the point effectively, Joint Opposition (JO) parliamentarian Udaya Gamanpilla of the Pivithuru Hela Uramaya (PHU) has put the nation’s additional debt-burden owing to rupee-depreciation at SL Rs. 863 b.

However, the immediate question is not about the US economy or the boom out there, or even about the debt-burden. Instead, it is about how all of it is going to affect the nation’s economy, especially costs and prices in an election year. Or, what answers the Government has for all of it and more, in the coming weeks and months.

The fall side of the rupee-depreciation is that imports, especially of the unavoidable oil and other petroleum products will shoot up, at times indeterminably. Even without the dollar-boom, petroleum prices were shooting up over the past several months. Now it could be worse, and cannot get better overnight.

The sad part is that this Government did inherit a debt-burden that it has managed well. So could well have any other Government in its place – if not better. The worst part is that the Government also began with a better oil-price regime world-wide, but did not seem to have done anything for the nation to benefit from. Like the predecessor, the indulged in profligacy and did not use up the advantage to provide for the rainy day – which is already upon the nation.

If nothing else, the nation expected better finance management from the present-day UNP rulers than any other – more so from PM Wickremesinghe. This is apart from the inevitability of high-end corruption of the ‘bonds scam’ kind, where again they have been caught with their pants down. Something is more than rotten in the State of Sri Lanka than earlier, and the nation is getting to see increasing proof of it, with each passing month thus far – and possibly each passing week and day, from now on.

Waiting and watching

Contrasting with the Rajapaksa diatribe now was UNP Opposition Leader Wickremesinghe, who was all along waiting and watching -- when the former’s regime was pushing the nation into what he has since been saying was a ‘debt-trap’.

Any party or leader in UNP/Ranil’s place hoping and wanting to replace the ‘ineffective’ Rajapaksa regime on an early day – and with that the ‘debt-trap’ too – would and should have acted with greater alacrity and responsibility.

A may have now come for some quick-thinking bookie (they all are, and that is why they are in the business) could open money-wager on which of the two regimes – Rajapaksa’s or Ranil’s – have pushed the nation into a worse debt-trap than the other. It may also be a quick way for someone to make quick money, given the way the real value of the money in the hands of the common man with fixed and limited earnings are falling through a bottomless pit the nation’s economy has become – over the past several years and decades, of course!

In the normal course, they were expected to alert the Government of the day and caution the nation. Instead, like everything wrong that the Rajapaksas were doing on the political front, they let it go, thinking as it would only add electoral brownie-points for them. It could not have, and did not do, either while the rest of the Rajapaksa mis-governance backfired on them very badly in the twin-polls of 2015. This one has waited for the Ranils of the world to take over power to fire on them, instead.

In context, Rajapaksa cannot blame himself or the rest if in case he were to return to power, directly or otherwise, in the months and years to come. He has now forewarned the nation. He has now forewarned himself. In between, he has also addressed the voters, as if the current credit-spree of the present government alone would be to blame for uncontrolled prices on all fronts, including petroleum product price-rise, too!

Debt-book diplomacy

Yet, none of it explains or justifies why the Ranil-centric Government too should commit the same fiscal harakiri of the Rajapaksa kind. After chiding the predecessor for pushing the nation into a debt-trap by borrowing excessively from China, for the Hambantota and Colombo Port City projects, among others, now the Wickremesinghe Government has opened the debt-book with a fresh Chinese Ex-Im Bank credit-line of $ 1-b for the Central Highways.

When it all started, critics called the Hambantota credit-line under the Rajapaksa regime as China’s ‘cheque-book diplomacy’. But after the equity-swap that the Sirisena-Ranil duo settled for that is no more the case. Analysts claim that Sri Lanka is one of the 16 nations where China has practised ‘debt-book diplomacy’ instead. This when there are other highways projects for which again the Rajapaksa regime had taken equally big Chinese loans.

If the Ranil-led UNP Opposition maintained radio silence on Rajapaksa’s original Hambantota deal, they flagged the Port City Project only as far as something that supposedly hurt the nation’s ‘sovereignty’. They did not necessarily question the very idea of massive credits and the inevitable debt-burden that came with it, unasked for and unavoidable at the same time. That too, they raised it only as a passing election issue ahead of the 2015 presidential polls.

By the time the parliamentary elections followed eight months down the line, they had stopped bothering about ‘sovereignty’ but had only environmental issues to work upon. Now, they are also the ones who have compromised the nation’s sovereignty through the Hambantota ‘equity-swap deal’, for starters that is!

On the lighter-side, the nation had to hand over ‘strategically-located, prime, Ocean-facing real-estate’ (as those in realty business would have advertised the Hambantota property, if asked). What then would they have to now say about all the additional Sri Lankan land and bridges that too may have to fall into China’s possession, if not absolute ownership, in the years and decades to come?

Who knows, you may soon have Chinese men and women running highway toll-booths across the country, where not just Sri Lankan rupee but also yuan and renminbi could well be accepted and also given back in ‘change’ and exchange. Who again knows, there may be a scramble to collect yuan and renminbi, and dump all the ‘Sri Lankan’ that people may have – and, have had!

(The writer is Director, Chennai Chapter of the Observer Research Foundation, the multi-disciplinary Indian public-policy think-tank, headquartered in New Delhi. email: sathiyam54@gmail.com)

Mangala’s Gam Peraliya: Good move but essential requirement a village level database

Minister Mangala Samaraweera
Gam Peraliya to the rescue

Monday, 21 May 2018 

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera, announcing the Government’s decision to move for a flexible fuel price system based on international prices built into a pricing formula, made a side announcement as well.

Mangala’s Gam Peraliya Good move but essential requirement a village level database.docx by Thavam on Scribd

Towards A Non-Political Party

By H.L. Seneviratne –MAY 21, 2018

Prof. H.L. Seneviratne

How our political parties have kept their promises is well known, as is the downward march of our political culture. Beginning with scattered incidence of bribery, corruption, nepotism and inefficiency in the early post-independence era, these have today become the very definition of government. It was with fervent hope that the majority of the people voted the present government into power, but deep disappointment with it and the system of parties within which it is embedded, has made it necessary to contemplate a political structure beyond the traditional political party, that we might call a ‘Non-Political Party’. 

A non-political party requires us to rethink politics as we know it. Such a party is a loose organization that can appeal to the people for support to form a truly national government that is also honest and efficient. By a “ truly national government” I mean a government of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim parties, and not a government of just the two major Sinhala Buddhist parties as the present government is. In such a government a qualified person of any ethnic or ethno-religious community is eligible for any office. Thus, the president, or any minister including the prime minister could be a Tamil, a Muslim, a Burgher or a Sinhala.

Since the main interest of the existing political parties is self-aggrandizement they will oppose tooth and nail the idea of a non-political party. But, given the misery and hopelessness of laboring under our present political culture, expressed in both the present regime and its predecessor, a committed and sustained attempt to form a non-political party has a fighting chance of success. The best proof of this is how in the last presidential election, a coalition of people from different backgrounds and holding different views were able to vanquish a seemingly invincible foe.

Organizationally a non-political party has no choice but to use the model of the conventional political party. But its inner life could not be more different. The main objective of a conventional political party is the furtherance of personal and sectional interests, whereas that of a non-political party is the furtherance of the national interest.

A non-political party is by definition open to all including those members of any conventional political party who are willing to mend their ways, and accept the idea that politics is a calling in the service of the country, and not an industry, and less a license to commit every possible crime with impunity. Elected parliamentary members of a non-political party are entitled to an honorarium based on need, with none of the cash and perks that the present elected representatives enjoy. 

If it is to succeed, a non-political party needs to be bold enough to exorcise the holy cows of our political culture. It must have the courage to loudly and proudly proclaim its commitment to the full and complete separation of religion and state, and to genuine power sharing with the Tamils, while also addressing the concerns of the other minorities. 

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Canadian PM calls for reliable accountability mechanism in SL

  

2018-05-20 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated his call to the Sri Lankan Government to establish a process of accountability that has the trust and confidence of the survivors of the war.

Issuing a statement over the ninth anniversary of the end of the war in Sri Lanka, the Canadian Prime Minister said Canada offers its full support to the Sri Lankan Government and those working to ensure that efforts towards reconciliation, non-recurrence, peace, and justice on the island are realized, and that international and domestic commitments on accountability, transitional justice, and ending impunity are met.

He said the war – which lasted over 26 years – resulted in immeasurable injuries, loss of life, and displacement.

“The wounds of this war linger as the survivors seek answers for their loss, including family members and loved ones who have disappeared,” he said.

He said over the past nine years, he had met many Tamil-Canadians personally affected by the war and their stories are a solemn reminder of the need to attain lasting peace and true reconciliation.

“On this anniversary, I extend my deepest sympathy to Canadians of Tamil descent, and all victims of the armed conflict and their families. I also invite all Canadians to take time to recognize the important contributions that Tamil-Canadians make to our country and the adversity they have overcome,” he said.

Five dead in adverse weather

The rainstorm that swept across several parts of the country yesterday caused flash floods in several provinces with the worst affected being the Southern, Western and Sabaragamuwa Provinces. Public transport too became severely affected with some roads g

Amali Mallawaarachchi-Monday, May 21, 2018

Five people were reported dead due to adverse weather conditions with the Meteorology Department predicting landslides and floods if the heavy rains persist in the country in the next few days.
An advisory for heavy rains, strong winds, lightning and rough seas was issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Center yesterday, as heavy monsoon conditions set in over the island.
According to warnings, heavy rain falls of about 150 mm can be expected at some places in the Sabaragamuwa, Western, Uva, Central Provinces, Galle and Matara districts.

There may also be temporary localised strong winds during thundershowers. The Disaster Management Center and the Meteorology Department requests the public to take adequate precautions to minimise damages caused by lightening activity.

The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) issued a landslide warning for seven districts for the next 24 hours, including Kalutara, Kegalle, Ratnapura, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Galle and Kurunegala.

The Agalawatta, Bulathsinhala, Palindanuwara, Walallawita, Ingiriya divisional secretariats in the Kalutara district, Dehiovita, Deraniyagala, Yatiyantota, Aranayake, Rambukkana, Kegalle, Bulathkohupitiya, Ruwanwella and the Warakapola Divisional Secretariats in the the Kegalle district, Ratnapura, Eheliyagoda, Kuruwita and Elapatha in the Ratnapura district, Ridigama, Mawathagama, Ibbagamuwa, Mallawapitiya, in the Kurunegala district, Ambagamuwa in the Nuwara Eliya district, Haldummulla in the Badulla district, Elpitiya, Galle, Kadawath Sathara in the Galle district, Sithawaka in the Colombo district and the Gampaha area are included in the landslide warning issued by the NBRO.

DMC Deputy Director Pradeep Kodippili and the Army Spokesman Brigadier Sumith Atapattu said that a special military team is kept stand by for any emergency situation caused by the adverse weather.

The Disaster Management Center also released a series of safety instructions and requested the public to use emergency line 117 to inform and seek assistance at any emergency situation. The DMC will be conductng programs on emergency preparedness at 12 districts in the next two weeks as well.
Meanwhile, the Road Development Authority (RDA) requested the motorists to maintain an average speed of 60 kmph.

The Deputy Director (Operations) Southern Expressway R.D.A. Kahatapitiya said to switch on headlights due to heavy rains when using expressways. The RDA also urged motorists to take necessary precautions to avoid accidents from slippery road conditions as well.

On marine weather, the warning stated that “Due to the active cloudiness in the sea area to the west, South-West and South of Sri Lanka, showers or thundershowers will occur in the sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Hambantota via Colombo and Galle.”

“The possibility for sudden roughness, associated with sudden increase of wind speed (up to 70 -80 kmph) in the sea areas in the above is high.The coastal areas extending from Puttalam to Kankasanturai via Mannar and from Matara to Potuvil via Hambantota can be rough at times as the wind speed can increase up to 60 kmph at times.

Fishermen are also requested to be vigilant in this regard,” it also said.

“Adverse weather conditions had claimed three lives and caused disruptions to electricity and transportation yesterday. Of the three, two were killed due to lightning where as the other was killed by a falling tree branch,” DMC Deputy Director Kodippili said.

“The three killed by lightning were residents of Welikanda, Polonnaruwa and Horana. Two were struck by lightning while working in a paddy field,” Police said.

The electricity supply for Kegalle, Galle, Agalawatta and Mathugama areas were disrupted yesterday due to heavy rains as well. Maximum rainfall for the last twenty four hours of 71.2 mm was reported from Lakshapana area.

According to the situation report issued by the Disaster Management center as at May 20, 2018, 2194 families have been affected by lightening activities, heavy rain and rock falling. The maximum number of 1,960 is reported from Southern Province. Twenty five families in the Central Province, 117 in the Uva, 24 in Sabaragamuwa, and 53 in the Northern provinces have been affected by adverse weather conditions during the last three weeks.

---

NBRO RED NOTICE FOR FOUR DISTRICTS

Prevailing weather conditions prompted the National Building Research Organization (NBRO) to issue a Level 3 (Red) Warning on possibility of landslides in some areas of Rathnapura, Nuwaraeliya, Kalutara and Galle districts.

Since the rainfall within the past 24 hours has exceeded 100mm, if the rains continue, the NBRO requested the public living in the identified risk areas to evacuate to a safe location to avoid the risk of landslides, slope failures, rock falls, cutting failures and ground subsidence.

The NBRO said people living in and around all mountainous areas, man made cut slopes and roads within the Eheliyagoda, Kuruwita, Elapatha and Ratnapura DS divisions in the Ratnapura district to be alert.

In the Ratnapura district, the NBRO warned those living in all the landslide susceptible areas previously identified by the NBRO in the above named DS divisions to be especially alert.

In the Nuwaraeliya district, the NBRO warned people living in the Ambagamuwa divisional secretariat divisions and surrounding areas to be alert on the possibility of landslides.

In the Kalutara district those living in the Palindanuwara divisional secretariat division and surrounding areas were requested to be vigilant if the rains continue.

In the Galle district,the NBRO identified Elpitiya, Neluwa, Thawalama, Nagoda and Galle Four Gravets divisional secretariat divisions and surrounding areas as risky.

The NBRO urged people to pay attention to signs such as development of cracks on the ground, deepened tracks and ground subsidence, slanting of trees, electrical posts and telephone posts, cracks in the floor and walls of buildings built on slopes and sudden appearance of springs, emerging muddy water and blockage or disappearance of existing springs.

People should move immediately away from the areas where they notice the above pre-landslide signs, the NBRO said.

New mandate to navigate ‘Nation’s management mentor’

 Monday, 21 May 2018

I was delighted to be reappointed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) as the Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) for the second term of three years. I earnestly hope that it echoes with what Jonas Salk, an American Medical Researcher said: “The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more”. Today’s column is the reflection of the need to breed more managerial leaders to the nation and how we have been collectively contributing as the “Nations’ management mentor” in producing leaders with global presence and local pulse.


Overview 

I remember with gratitude what late Prof. Uditha Liyanage, my beloved mentor wrote in his message for PIM website sometime ago: “Nothing worthwhile is achieved easily. Success is achieved when the right things are done right at the right time. This is particularly true in business. One word for ‘getting it right’ is mastery.” Prof. Gunapala Nanayakkara, Dr. Kanthi Kamalgoda, Dr. Basil Perera, Prof. Uditha Liyanage and Prof. Mangala Fonseka were the former directors who steered PIM from strength to strength. “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants”, so said Sir Isaac Newton. I was so fortunate to be groomed by such giants.

30, 300, 3000 and 30000 are significant numbers for PIM. In more than 30 years of its existence, PIM has produced more than 300 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), more than 3000 senior managers and more than 30000 learning recipients one way or the other. It being a self-finance body for the past 20 years has not taken a single cent from the treasury neither for capital expenditure nor for the recurrent expenditure. It is often cited by the UGC as a model for postgraduate institutes in the country. It’s also the only higher education entity in the government sector that is ISO 9000:2008 certified. It is the first Sri Lankan member of the Association of the Advanced Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the premier global accreditation body.


Premier Postgraduate Enterprise

The PIM is also semi-autonomous body affiliated to the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. As its anthem verses tell, PIM is the “blossomed Lotus” in the “Pond of Sri Jayewardenepura”. It aims to promote advanced education and professionalism in management in Sri Lanka through the provision of postgraduate instruction, training, research, and development in the various branches of management and administrative studies. Today, it serves the national interests of professional management education and training, providing challenging opportunities for learning and skills development to thousands of senior-level managers and administrators, in becoming the “nation’s management mentor”.

We diligently associate the word “mentor” related to an institution. It usually relates to an individual and typical dictionary definition goes as an experienced and trusted advisor. We at PIM earnestly believe that we play that role in producing business and public leaders.

The vision of the PIM is to become a centre for management excellence in South Asia. Its mission goes as follows: “We ignite human imagination by developing leaders with global presence and local pulse. In this endeavour, we pursue innovative teaching, cutting-edge research, enriching partnerships, inspiring sustainability and exemplary governance.”

The PIM practices three key values, viz. Passion (Enthusiasm and eagerness towards results in showing professionalism), Integrity (Acting in an ethical manner with the best interest of the institution in mind) and Mindfulness (Paying attention to purpose and actions in doing things with self-awareness). As depicted in Figure 1, our edifice of excellence is a visual depiction of the five strategic pillars viz., teaching, research, partnerships, sustainability and governance.

It will be worthwhile to discuss what we have collectively achieved during the past few years, in relation to each of the pillars of the edifice of excellence, for the pure purpose of sharing.




Teaching excellence

This has been the forte of PIM. Among the resent improvements, only a third of a three-hour session is typically devoted to the straight lecture component, i.e., to tell. The remainder of the session is devoted to show (e.g. showing a video), to ask (e.g. engage students in discussion/debate), and to do (e.g. do an exercise or case study). The Faculty is aware of the need to use all four modes of delivery for making a high impact on the student-managers and for achieving the desired learning outcomes. Among the many things what we have done are:

Initiated AACSB accreditation process for PIM in order to obtain the world most prestigious business school accreditation (Work in progress) Re-launched the PIM MBA overseas program with a lean model and successfully established study groups in Dubai (UAE), Doha (Qatar), Muscat (Oman) and Kuwait City (Kuwait).

Introduced specialised programs such as MBA in Taxation (MBA-T), MBA in Customs and International Trade (MBA – CIT) and MPA in E – Government (MPA – E).

Introduced a week-end batch of MBA in addition to week-day batch offering greater flexibility.  Expanded the core faculty team and engaged diverse experts as visiting faculty.


Research excellence

PIM is the leading higher education institution in the country that conducts research in the discipline of management. We have a dedicated research centre. While many MBA programs elsewhere have conveniently abandoned the most precious learning activity of research, we proudly continue to improve upon the quality of our research activity in the MBA program. Among the many things what we have done are:

Introduced Annual Student Research Day and Annual Doctoral Symposium, showcasing PIM student research.

Ensured that the Sri Lankan Journal of Management (SLJM), PIM’s flagship publication becoming the first Sri Lankan journal to be hosted by EBSCO, one of the top three research databases in the world.

Initiated collaboration with University of New South Wales (UNSW) for doctoral scholarships for PIM graduates.

Introduced the Advanced Research Methodology Course as a run up for a comprehensive doctoral degree program.

Initiated a monthly research dialogue with an emerging researcher.


Partnership excellence

We have been vibrant in building bridges local and overseas. Among the many things what we have done are:

Introduced the International Management Program of PIM catering for public sector administrators in forging links with University of Sydney, Australia, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, Germany, University of Hong Kong, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, The International University of Japan, Maastricht School of Management, Netherlands and Kasetsart University, Thailand.

Initiated a partnership with Mobitel to develop the M-Learning platform in order to reach out to North and East in Sri Lanka (for MPA) and to overseas students (MBA).

Meaningfully engaged PIM Alumni (PIMA) in raising their profile and activating PIMA UAE Chapter and PIMA Qatar Chapter.

Renewed the links with the Association of Management Development Institutes South Asia (AMDISA) in hosting a conference and two board meetings.

Partnered with key public and private institutes through the offering of short-term revamped Executive Development Programmes (EDPs).


Sustainability excellence

We have been active in strengthening our infrastructure with eco-friendliness in mind. Among the many things what we have done are:

Introduced online assignment submission scheme through anti-plagiarism software (Turn-it-in) in eliminating printed and spiral bound assignments. Introduced Five S scheme for better housekeeping paving the way for PIM to win the Taiki Akimoto Five S Merit Award in 2017.

Revamped PIM welfare initiatives in initiating first ever overseas study tour to Thailand for the entire PIM staff (January 2018).

Enhanced the physical infra-structure with the inclusion of an air-conditioned cafeteria, CCTV system and thumb-scan system.

Initiated green actions such as Prajna Learning Portal, energy-efficient lighting, herbal terrace (Osu Piyasa) and better waste management.


Governance excellence

We strive for “exemplary governance” with clear accountabilities. Among the many things what we have done are:

Achieved highest year-on-year revenue growth in the history of PIM.

Initiated Operational Management Committee (OPCO) to collectively take operational decisions.

Initiated “Knowledge Voyage” – a monthly knowledge sharing forum for faculty, Quarterly Breakfast Meeting for Faculty with revamping of the annual faculty retreat

Introduced a transparent reward scheme for faculty publications and faculty research presentations.

Ensured the consistent functioning of the Board of Management and Boards of Study.


Excellence as Essence 

My association with PIM goes back to more than two decades as a student, visiting faculty, consultant, lecturer, researcher, trainer, professor and the leader. I would ensure that PIM continue to be in the forefront in breeding thought leaders with character and competence. They are equipped with cutting-edge knowledge and complementary skills needed to perform in both private and public sectors alike. In producing them with clarity and commitment, PIM will continue to be a centre of excellence in management education with its winds spreading beyond Sri Lanka.

Excellence is all about being exceptionally good. When applied to enterprises, it involves exceptional achievements in a consistent manner. That’s what PIM is proud of being a premier pioneer and productive performer, in showcasing “excellence as essence”. I am humbly happy to lead a community of committed and competent leaders in empowering and engaging them to the fullest. It is a way of teaming together for flying higher. We continuously strive to serve the deserving nation.

(The writer can be reached through director@pim.sjp.ac.lk, president@ipmlk.org, ajantha@ou.edu or www.ajanthadharmasiri.info.)

Rajapaksas trying to throw nation again into "Vipath Maga": Mangala

 

2018-05-20

Taking a swipe at former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera today said that both former leaders now seem to be engaged in an untiring effort to throw the country again into “Vipath Maga” (the destructive path).

In a seeming response to the lecture delivered by former Defence Secretary at the Annual Convention for 2018 of his movement "Viyathmaga" (path of intellectuals) on May 13, the Minister said in a statement that both former President who is responsible for ruining this country by allowing his family relatives and cronies to plunder the country’s economy and his sibling, former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa who unleashed terror through the white van culture that isolated the country internationally have lost memory.

“Gotabaya Rajapaksa who invented white van terror in Sri Lanka that attracted world attention has said recently that the rulers and the public officials should be free of corruption. Mr. Rajapaksa who could be considered as the most corrupted and dangerous public officer ever appointed in this country, is now talking like a child, Samaraweera said.

Several cases being heard in Courts and investigated by Police against him currently including the case on MIG deal, case on plundering public funds to construct memorial museums and name them after his parents, unleashing assault on journalists and enforced disappearances, some of them instigating corruption and terror and maintaining illegal armoury thereby depriving the Government of its due income, are some of them, the minister went on to say.

He said that the former leaders have been envious of this Government as it was able to strengthen the local economy despite many challenges after 2015 and Rajapaksas have been fabricating statistics and distorting the truth in an attempt to mislead the public.

Retorting the purported claim by Gotabaya Rajapaksa that the debt crisis was created by the Yahapalana government, the minister said that only US$ 863 million have to be paid for the debt that was borrowed after 2015.

Since gaining independence in 1948, the highest amount of foreign debt has to be paid in 2018. The total foreign debt to be paid this year is US$ 2,845 million out of which US$ 1,789 million has to be paid as foreign debts which were borrowed prior to 2015. Only an installment of US$ 1,056 to be paid for the foreign loans borrowed after 2015. Accordingly, 63% of debt installments that is to be paid this year are repayments of debts that had been borrowed during Mr. Rajapaksa’s tenure as finance minister" Samaraweera claimed. Although 1.8% of the GDP was spent for education in 2014, it was gradually increased up to 1.9% in 2017. It will further be increased up to 6% in the next few years. The allocation for health will be increased up to 3.5% of GDP in the next few years. The allocations for public welfare have been increased to 265 billion rupees in 2017 from 165 billion rupees in 2014. It is an increase from 1.6% to 2% of GDP, he said.

“The economy during the previous government, handled by their cronies and henchmen didn’t have any proper system in place to implement the economic development in a manner that would benefit the people. Rajapaksa siblings who ruled this country under such a background have been attempting to regain power by throwing the people into “Vipath Maga” the destructive path. Therefore we urge the people to defeat such attempts and rally round the Government’s agenda to build a strong economy and a rich country by the year 2025,” he added.

Doubly unethical dilemma

* A bun can get disqualified just because a sesame seed is in the wrong place

* Food waste

By Sajitha Prematunge-May 20, 2018, 10:16 pm 

Each year more than 30 percent of the world’s food production, weighing about three billion tonnes, is wasted, while 13.1 percent of the world population (6.8 billion) go hungry. According to UN Food and Agricultural Organization estimates, the waste is enough to feed three billion people.

An outfit called The Robin Hood Army is doing its bit to curb food waste in Sri Lanka by literally taking from the rich and giving to the poor. "We accept food that cannot be sold due to minor quality issues from hotels and restaurants and give it to the less fortunate," said Robin Hood Army, Lead Volunteer, Hanzala Abdurrahman. The Robin Hood Army was founded on August 26, 2014, by Neel Ghose and Anand Sinha and registered as a charitable trust in India. It is active in 12 countries including Sri Lanka. Hanzala explained that, due to high quality standards, often food that are perfectly edible is disposed of. A bun can get disqualified just because a sesame seed is in the wrong place.

"We get everything from bread to curry, anything they can’t sell, from six to eight hours after cooking," said Hanzala. And being the resourceful Army that they are, the Robins are adept at mixing and matching curries with rotis and breads. The meals are put in generic packages and distributed among previously identified needy. When asked how the Robins ensure the hygiene of the cooked food, Hanzala said that the restaurants and hotels are responsible for ensuring such, and through out the two years of distributing food for the needy, the Robin Hood Army has never received hygiene-related complaints.

The Robin Hood Army approaches hotels and restaurants at random, often targeting the buffet where food waste is a given norm. Their daily food drives feed up to 25 people. The major obstacle for this group of 20 active volunteers is the lack of volunteers. "Volunteers are the backbone of the operation and we could really use more. Everyone knows about the issue of food waste, but execution of any remedy for the problem is very poor. People are too lazy to get out there and find out who needs food."

Hanzala pointed out that food waste should be curbed because it was an issue that concerned both environmental degradation and poverty. Food waste aggravates the garbage problem while people are going hungry.

Environmental degradation
and poverty

Food waste occurs due to many reasons, most of which are universal. Food is wasted due to overstocking, damage due to bad handling or packaging or exceeding shelf life. Perfectly edible food is often rejected because it does not conform to quality standards at factories.

According to experts, food waste accounts for a loss of water close to 675 trillion litres. As such, reducing food waste would reduce pressure on the world’s remaining natural ecosystems. Food waste in open garbage dumps, produce methane, a greenhouse gas, considered more detrimental to the environment than carbon dioxide. According to a 2016 UNEP report, food waste is responsible for producing 3.3 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases. Fourteen percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions are caused by food waste.

Food waste is doubly immoral because, when food is wasted, it reduces supply, which causes food prices to increase. This is why food has become a luxury to nearly one billion people in the world who are living in hunger. More than three times more food is given to livestock than we get back in the form of animal-based products such as meat, milk and eggs; nearly 70 percent of calories are lost in the process.

Food waste in hotel sector

Although food waste generally occurs due to food surplus, it is hard to believe that tons of food are discarded in Sri Lanka where 8.9 percent of the populace live below the poverty line. In the hotel sector, generally food is considered waste and tons are disposed or resold as animal feed.

Waters Edge Chief Steward, Chaminda Abeyweera revealed that 300 kilos of food were discarded as waste every day on average. "On weekends it’s somewhere around 400kg." Since they have a policy that prevents them from giving away food the leftover is sold to a piggery as animal feed.

At Jetwing Hotels, the average food waste production is 35 to 80 kg, the kitchen, restaurant and bar and staff cafeteria being the main sources. Jude Kasturi Arachchi, Director, Jetwing Hotels, said that they were debarred from handing out leftover food. The food waste of Jetwing Lighthouse and Jetwing St. Andrew’s is sent to a piggery. However, many of their hotels either produce biogas or compost using their food waste.

"Under our waste to energy programme Jetwing Blue, Jetwing Sea, Jetwing Vil Uyana, Jetwing Kaduruketha and Jetwing Lake all prepare staff meals using biogas produced by food waste." Kasturi Arachchi said Jetwing Yala and Jetwing Lake adhered to a zero waste to landfill policy. It’s a modified composting system where waste is converted either manually in batches or mechanically. The output is approximately 2,500 kilos of compost per month. Pretty impressive for something that would have otherwise ended up in a garbage dump somewhere.

Foreign countries have passed effective laws to curb food waste while reducing poverty induced hunger. In 2016, France passed a law banning grocery stores from throwing away edible unsold food, imposing a fine of $ 4,500 for each infraction. On the positive side, this encourages supermarkets to donate the food stuff to charities and food banks.

Doubly unethical

"On the one hand it’s a resource while on the other it’s a waste," said Sena Peiris, former CEO of National Cleaner Production Centre. It’s environmentally detrimental as food waste end up in open dumps. And it is an almost criminal extravagance to waste food when millions are grappling with hunger.

"Unlike in many other countries, we don’t have standard portions such as small, medium, large. Consequently, there’s more waste," pointed out Peiris. He observed that food was most wasted at the buffets and banquets in hotels.

"For a function with 100 guests, we usually prepare food for 120, just to be on the safe side. But, often most of the people in the guest list don’t even turn up," said Chinthana Nuwan Prageeth, formerly of The Torch, Doha, who has had extensive experience in local as well as overseas hotels. He pointed out that functions such as weddings are another source where food waste occurs. According to Chinthana food is wasted when trainees are put into work as well. Because the quality and appearance of food are of utmost importance in the hotel industry, unless food prepared by trainees don’t conform to the prescribed standards it is discarded, even if it is perfectly edible. Even the slightest change in quality can cause most food items to be discarded. As a result fish and fruits damaged during transport is disposed of.

Speaking from experience in conducting site visits at various hotels, Peiris pointed out that the mentality of the people in the hotel sector was another major reason for food waste. "For example, food provided for the staff is often thrown away because it is tasteless. Apparently, some hotel managements feed their staff with inferior quality food while they serve customers better food."

Curbing food wastage

In an initiative titled ‘More Taste, Less Waste’, organised by Biodiversity Sri Lanka last December, over 60 professionals representing 20 organisations in the hospitality industry gathered to discuss potential mechanisms to avoid, minimise and eliminate the large-scale food waste. During the event Corporate Director Food and Beverages, Aitken Spence Hotel Managements (Pvt.) Ltd., Bjorn van der Horst said that 20 to 25 percent of food calories on the planet were wasted on an annual basis before it even hits the market. He reiterated the need for chefs, farmers, retailers and all relevant stakeholders getting together, to reduce waste at every level. Moving stock around, opting for plated service rather than buffets and creating more awareness amongst retailers as well as consumers were among some of the solutions discussed.

"The discussion focused on curbing generation of waste at the source," said Biodiversity Sri Lanka, General Manager, Harshini de Silva Pandithasekera. We are currently following up with the Chefs’ Guild with regard to actioning some of the outcomes of the event."

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CONCLUDES SPECIAL SESSION ON THE DETERIORATING HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

Decides to Dispatch an Independent, International Commission of Inquiry to Investigate Human Rights Violations in the Context of Large-Scale Civilian Protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

18 May 2018

The Human Rights Council this afternoon adopted a resolution in which it decided to dispatch an independent, international commission of inquiry to investigate all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in the context of large-scale civilian protests in the occupied Palestinian territory.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CONCLUDES SPECIAL SESSION ON THE DETERIORATING HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN THE OCCUPIED... by Thavam on Scribd