Special Report: Myanmar's moves could mean the Rohingya never go home
Poppy McPherson, Simon Lewis, Thu Thu Aung, Shoon Naing, Zeba Siddiqui-DECEMBER 18, 2018
Special Report Myanmar'... by on Scribd
Peace for the World
First democratic leader of Justice the Godfather of the Sri Lankan Tamil Struggle: Honourable Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Poppy McPherson, Simon Lewis, Thu Thu Aung, Shoon Naing, Zeba Siddiqui-DECEMBER 18, 2018
Malaysia’s retrenchment numbers dipped this year
(file) Participants attend t tech event at Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC). Source: Facebook - Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre. Source: MagiC
THE rate of employee layoffs Malaysia has plunged by half in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period last year, although experts earlier said the job market for 2018 looked to be bleak.
Earlier this month Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran the number of employees who faced retrenchment between Jan 1 to Sept 30 this year plunged to 15,903 from 31,945 year-on-year, citing statistics from the labour department.
“This number is much lower compared to the same period in 2017, which saw 31,945 workers laid off,” he said, as quoted by the New Straits Times.
“(Nevertheless) the government is introducing the Workers Insurance System (SIP) beginning Jan 1 (which acts) as a social safety net for those who lose their jobs,” he said today.
Kulasegaran was responding to a parliamentary question on unemployment in the country, especially among fresh graduates.
He said the government has implemented several initiatives, including improving the government’s job-seeking portal called Jobs Malaysia.
The minister added there 137,404 students graduated from higher education institutions in Malaysia and abroad last year, a 4.4 per cent increase from the 131,600 graduates in 2016.
Last week, Kulesegaran pointed out that a total of 21,532 people lost their jobs nationwide from Jan 1 to Dec 7 this year.
“A significant number, 7,755 workers who lost their jobs are those from the top three high paying jobs namely managers, professionals and technicians besides associate professionals that require diplomas and degrees for entry qualification,” he said.
Members of the media board a Malaysia Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train after the official launch of the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) line in Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2017. Source: AFP
“These three categories are limited and they also have to compete with fresh graduates.”
Experts earlier asked graduates with no job experience to brace for a tough time looking for a job as the job market in 2018 was “expected to be bleak.”
Companies, they said, will be cautious about creating new positions and fresh graduates will either have to settle for low paying jobs or drive for ride-hailing services or run food-truck businesses, according to Free Malaysia Today.
Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) director Shamsuddin Bardan was quoted as saying companies were not expected to create new positions due to additional operating costs.
SEE ALSO: Business is booming for Malaysia SMEs
“You can expect companies to restructure next year due to the additional costs,” he said.
“Local companies will also be feeling the pinch of strict supply chain policies where companies must now comply with international conventions and protocols on foreign workers and provide improved accommodation, wages and other benefits.”
Shamsuddin said, however, that companies would likely new members of the workforce to replace the 100,000 employees who turned 60.
“This is the first batch who was supposed to retire in 2013, but due to the five-year extension, they will retire next year,” he said.
“This will give jobs to about 100,000 fresh graduates.”
Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of premature birth
December 16, 2018, 12:00 pm
A new Cochrane Review published on Nov 17, 2018, has found that increasing the intake of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids during pregnancy reduces the risk of premature births.
Premature birth is the leading cause of death for children under five years of age worldwide, accounting for close to one million deaths annually.
Premature babies are at higher risk of a range of long-term conditions, including visual impairment, developmental delay and learning difficulties.
"We know premature birth is a critical global health issue, with an estimated 15 million babies born too early each year," explains Associate Professor Dr Philippa Middleton from Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth, and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).
"While the length of most pregnancies is between 38 and 42 weeks, premature babies are those born before the 37 week mark – and the earlier a baby is born, the greater the risk of death or poor health."
Assoc Prof Middleton and a team of Cochrane researchers have been looking closely at long-chain omega-3 fats and their role in reducing the risk of premature births – particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) found in fatty fish and fish oil supplements.
They looked at 70 randomised trials and found that for pregnant women, increasing the daily intake of long-chain omega-3s:
• lowers the risk of having a premature baby (less than 37 weeks) by 11% (from 134 per 1,000 to 119 per 1,000 births).
• lowers the risk of having an early premature baby (less than 34 weeks) by 42% (from 46 per 1,000 to 27 per 1,000 births).
• reduces the risk of having a small baby (less than 2.5kg) by 10%.
"There are not many options for preventing premature birth, so these new findings are very important for pregnant women, babies and the health professionals who care for them," says Assoc Prof Middleton.
"We don’t yet fully understand the causes of premature labour, so predicting and preventing early birth has always been a challenge.
"This is one of the reasons omega-3 supplementation in pregnancy is of such great interest to researchers around the world."
This review was first undertaken back in 2006, and concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to support the routine use of omega-3 fatty acid supplements during pregnancy.
Over a decade on, this updated review concludes that there is now high quality evidence for omega-3 supplementation being an effective strategy for preventing preterm birth.
"Many pregnant women in the United Kingdom are already taking omega-3 supplements by personal choice, rather than as a result of advice from health professionals," says Assoc Prof Middleton.
"It’s worth noting though that many supplements currently on the market don’t contain the optimal dose or type of omega-3 for preventing premature birth.
"Our review found the optimum dose was a daily supplement containing between 500 and 1,000 milligrams of long-chain omega-3 fats (containing at least 500mg of DHA) starting at 12 weeks of pregnancy.
"Ultimately, we hope this review will make a real contribution to the evidence base we need to reduce premature births, which continue to be one of the most pressing and intractable maternal and child health problems in every country around the world."
A team from SAHMRI, including Cochrane researchers from the omega-3 review, have used the findings from this review to develop resources and information about omega-3 fatty acids for pregnant women.
Gently stroking babies 'provides pain relief'
18 December 2018
Gently stroking a baby reduces activity in their brain associated with painful experiences, a study has found.
The study, by University of Oxford and Liverpool John Moores University, monitored the brain activity of 32 babies while they had blood tests.
Half were stroked with a soft brush beforehand and they showed 40% less pain activity in their brain.
Author Rebeccah Slater said: "Touch seems to have analgesic potential without the risk of side-effects."
The study found that the optimal pain-reducing stroking speed was about 3cm (1in) per second.
"Parents intuitively stroke their babies at this optimal velocity," said Prof Slater.
"If we can better understand the neurobiological underpinnings of techniques like infant massage, we can improve the advice we give to parents on how to comfort their babies."
That speed of stroking activates a class of sensory neurons in the skin called C-tactile afferents, which have been previously been shown to reduce pain in adults.
But it had been unclear whether babies had the same response or whether it developed over time.
"There was evidence to suggest that C-tactile afferents can be activated in babies and that slow, gentle touch can evoke changes in brain activity in infants," said Prof Slater.
Prof Slater said the study, published in Current Biology, could explain anecdotal evidence of the soothing power of touch-based practices such as infant massage and kangaroo care, where premature babies are held against the skin to encourage parent-infant bonding and possibly reduce pain.
"Previous work has shown that touch may increase parental bonding, decrease stress for both the parents and the baby, and reduce the length of hospital stay," said Prof Slater.
The study authors now plan to repeat their experiment in premature babies, whose sensory pathways are still developing.
Caroline Lee-Davey, chief executive at the premature and sick baby charity Bliss welcomed the research.
"We already know that positive touch - such as skin-to-skin care - makes a real difference directly to babies in neonatal care and also helps parents to bond with their baby.
"This new research suggests that parental touch could also help to alleviate pain in infants and Bliss is delighted to be funding Oxford University to do more research specifically on reducing pain in premature babies through the use of parental touch, from the new year.
"Many people do not realise just how many medical procedures a baby in neonatal care goes through during their hospital stay.
"Anything that can reduce a baby's discomfort is a huge step forward in this underfunded area of research."
Monday, December 17, 2018
Families of disappeared demand answers for Mannar mass grave
Families of the disappeared from all eight districts of the Tamil homeland participated in a rally in Mannar on Wednesday.
16 December 2018
Demonstrating outside the Mannar government agent office, the protesters demanded action to identify the victims found in the Mannar mass grave.
Latest reports tally the number of skeletons found at the Mannar mass grave to 276, with at least 21 children. As well as signs of torture, observers had been disturbed by the discovery of bones bound by metal.
The findings have raised fresh concerns over the fate of forcibly disappeared Tamils.
Three ways the post-coup political capital could be squandered
2018-12-18
After an uphill battle by the people,who are not necessarily the fans of the United National Party, a good deal of activism by the civil society, lawyers and online chatter; and finally an unanimous Supreme Court verdict that ruled the dissolution of Parliament as illegal and ultra-vires, Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the prime- minister on Sunday.
Now the state media believes that the people of this country owe him for being the prime minister. “The people who cherish democracy owe an eternal debt to PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was sworn in last morning as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, for walking the gauntlet all the way in achieving for them this victory,” a front line newspaper clamoured in a front page editorial. That is the sycophancy of the highest order. And cutouts of Mr. Wickremesinghe have been put up outside many state institutions.
There is a good deal of probability that the UNP and Ranil would squander the political capital that it accumulated over the past 50 days, say probably, within the next 50 days. The sudden change of fortune of the UNP had nothing to do with its acumen and hard work. Leading up to President Sirisena’s sacking of the government on October 26, the UNP was so unpopular- and it knew that- that it had been shying away from provincial council elections- which have been postponed, under the pretext of delay in delimitating electoral wards. However, the President, coherence of whose policies in political judgments are receding the day by the day, decided to hit his own goal. An impatient Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is reportedly worried about the upcoming court cases against his family- many of his cases would go to trial in the first Q of 2019 - momentarily lost his political machiavellism. Premier Wickremesinghe won without doing anything. Now, the UNPers and many others would expect him not to blow away that political capital. Here are a few ways how he would probably do exactly that.
A farcical ‘national govt.
The UNP is now considering to form a ‘national’ government. President Sirisena has ruled against a formal agreement with the UNP. Hence, the new ‘national’ government would likely to be between the UNP and SLMC, which has only one MP, Ali Zahir Mowlana, who contested separately on the SLMC ticket in the East. Other SLMC MPs are elected on the UNP ticket. The objective of the national government is to exploit a constitutional provision (enabled by the 19A) which provides an exception to the limit on Cabinet of Ministers to 30. It allows the Parliament to decide the number of Cabinet ministers, when there is a national government in power.
Article 46. (1) of the constitution states that the total number of – (a) Ministers of the Cabinet of Ministers shall not exceed thirty; and (b) Ministers who are not members of the Cabinet of Ministers and Deputy Ministers shall not, in the aggregate, exceed forty.
The exception is laid out in Article 46 ( 4) which states Notwithstanding anything contained in paragraph (1) of this Article, where the recognized political party or the independent group which obtains highest number of seats in Parliament forms a National Government, the number of Ministers in the Cabinet of Ministers, the number of Ministers who are not Cabinet of Ministers and the number of Deputy Ministers shall be determined by Parliament.
The UNP is now considering to form a ‘national’ government. President Sirisena has ruled against a formal agreement with the UNP
Thus a national government with the one SLMC MP would allow the UNP to disregard the constitutional limit on the number of Cabinet portfolios, and rewards, 20 plus SLFP MPs and six UNP pole vaulters, who now want to support the UNP. Since such support is not extended on the basis of principles, they need to be rewarded with plum cabinet portfolios. This is the cynical logic of the UNP’s proposed national government.
That is JR Jayawardene style of cruel exploitation of constitution to advance petty personal and political aims. Such strategies have backfired, and the UNP which is functioning on a borrowed political capital does not have the luxury that JR had.
Return of Ranil’s coterie of stooges
Mr. Wickremesinghe’s habit of running the party and the country with a small group of his coterie is despised within the party itself. More alarmingly, serious allegations of corruption were made regarding the exclusive handling of economic policy and Foreign Direct Investment projects. These allegations need to be investigated under any future government or by a presidential commission for they are grotesque and high profile.
Then there is PM Wickrmesinghe’s favourites who are generally assigned to key responsibilities that they are shown to be incompetent of handling. That comes at the expense of the country, the party, and the competent MPs of the UNP, most of whom are disgruntled. Their disgruntlement, temporarily overshadowed by the momentary party unity against the constitutional coup would soon resurface. Premier Wickremesinghe would be doing a favour to the UNP and the country, if he limits his favoritism to where it ought to be.
Appoint Ravi K. as a Cabinet Minister
Ravi Karunanayake is a competent political manager. But he is tainted with jaw dropping allegations in the bond scam. He is also a key member of Premier Wickremesinghe’s inner circle just like Arjuna Mahendran had been until he took the flight.
Mr. Karunanayake is strongly considered for the minister of finance. (The president could very well appoint him and have the last laugh). However, that would be the beginning of the UNP’s undoing . It can happen very soon and very rapidly.
Ravi Karunanayake could well win the next Parliamentary election with 200,000 votes from Colombo, primarily from its electoral heartland of Ghettoed Central Colombo and Kolonnawa etc. However, two million undecided voters, or probably more, would be less inclined to support a government or vote for a party that has Mr. Karunanayake as a minister.
The UNP should also take note of the unfolding changes of demography of its electorate. It was the party that introduced and heavily relied on ‘rent a crowd’ protesters of ‘bath packet’ and the bottle of attack. It was also the party that in the most cynical manner mobilized the economic disadvantaged of the Colombo slums for its election campaign.
However, much of that has changed. Some of that electorate are now better economically positioned and less dependent, others have switched side to the SLPP, on the back of Duminda Silva, Mervin Silva at al. The UNP is not winning back that group. Instead, it can lose a good deal of undecided voters of progressive middle class,youth and millenials.
Premier Wickremesinghe should manage to build on the current political capital. But if he squander this opportunity, that should not also be a surprise.
follow @RangaJayasuriya on twitter
Resolve national question with president’s support
By Jehan Perera-December 17, 2018, 9:48 pm
The social media got a boost like no other during the past seven weeks of political crisis that enveloped the country. On October 26 itself no sooner was former President Mahinda Rajapaksa sworn in as prime minister the stormtroopers of his political alliance entered state media organisations and took control. Thereafter they began to give only pro-government news and views to the nation. Most of the privately-owned media also succumbed voluntarily to the menace of the new dispensation and to the unlimited patronage they could potentially offer those who fell in line. Consequently, dissenting opinion had to take to the alternative media of websites, Facebook and Twitter to get the other side of the matter. Those who wished to get news and analysis that was not pro-government also had to follow suit and go to social media.
One of the many videos circulating on social media is that of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe where, in a brief video clip he can be seen saying, "Politics is more than chess. It is team work like cricket. You must have stamina for a marathon. It is also a hard game like rugger. And it is a blood sport like boxing." This is a statement that few other politicians in Sri Lanka’s political firmament would make. To them politics would be about patronage, thuggery and somehow or other getting more votes into the ballot box. They would know of no other politics. The present political situation in the country is one in which politics needs to be conducted tactically, strategically and with the interests of all in mind. Every piece on the political chessboard matters, most of all the king.
To most politicians the next few months will be seen as a time in which different political parties will jockey for power, individual and collective alliances will be forged and elections that will yield a new composition of parliament will be held. After he reappointed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, President Maithripala Sirisena said that most people thought that a fresh election was the best solution. But a more visionary politician could make the next 20 months that are available till general elections fall due in August 2020 the most decisive in Sri Lanka’s post-independence history. It is the last available time period for the UNP and SLFP that worked together for the first time in history to continue to work together. It is through their collaboration that the most vexed and intractable of the country’s problems, its ethnic conflict that gave rise to nearly three decades of terror and war, might be resolved.
PRESIDENTIAL POWER
In 2015 when President Maithripala Sirisena won the presidential election and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s party emerged as the single largest party in parliament, and they formed the National Unity Government, their partnership was a promise of great things to come. The most hopeful of these was a solution to the national question. This is a problem with enormous historical baggage and emotional undertones that has eluded answer because the party in opposition has invariably used it to attack the party in government. But in 2015 the two main parties were to be in alliance for five years to come and so the hope arose that together they would do what others had tried on their own to solve but failed. The names of those legendary leaders who tried on their own and failed include S W R D Bandaranaike, Dudley Senanayake, J R Jayewardene and Chandrika Kumaratunga.
However, the hope of a solution to the national question that had bipartisan support seemed to have ended on October 26, 2018 when the president plunged the country into political crisis by withdrawing his party from the National Unity Government and arbitrarily sacking Prime Minister Wickremesinghe. It will be difficult for those who supported the National Unity Government to forgive President Sirisena for his dramatic intervention that toppled the government. They would be confirmed in their opposition especially so after the Supreme Court ruled that his act of dissolving parliament was unconstitutional and therefore illegal. His most recent act of reappointing Prime Minister Wickremesinghe would have alienated the other half of the population. It is verily a dream that President Sirisena can be part of a solution today.
On the other hand, President Sirisena’s actions over the past seven weeks, and their acceptance by wide swarths of the population, are a testament to the power of the presidency and to the belief of people in the legitimacy of the president’s actions. Presidential elections are not due for another year. This is a considerable period of time in which the president’s power can be made use to achieve positive results that are in accord with national problem solving. It would be better for the government to work together with the president than in opposition to him or while waging a cold war against him. There are unfinished tasks from the pledges of 2015 that need to be delivered on. These are in good governance, economic development and most of all in national reconciliation.
PRESIDENT’S SUPPORT
The most important of the unfulfilled promises to be delivered on is to find a just and lasting solution to the national question. In summary this is about ensuring that decision-making power is shared fairly between the ethnic majority and minority communities. The door to the solution will remain open as long as the major political parties are willing to work together to find the solution. Prime Minister Wickremsinghe made it clear during the political crisis that providing a political solution and enshrining it in constitutional law is a priority for him. The TNA votes in parliament during the crisis provided the majority needed to show President Sirisena that Mr Wickremesinghe was entitled to be appointed as prime minister.
The TNA leadership has been criticized for being more concerned about the prime minister than about the Tamil people. But their contribution to the preservation of democracy goes beyond the personal. TNA leader R Sampanthan’s speeches in parliament were about the importance of the constitution and the Rule of Law to the country as a whole and to minorities in particular. They were words and sentiments that need to be heard and heeded by the nation.
During the next year the government needs to address the national question and provide a constitutional solution to it. This would require a 2/3 majority in parliament and approval by the people at a referendum. The support of President Sirisena would be necessary for both these mileposts to be a reality. The president has the clear support of at least 20 MPs in parliament and possibly even more if he were to become a partner with the government. It is reported that these 20 MPs would like to join the government headed by Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and President Sirisena has not objected to this. The president’s support for the constitutional reforms would also help to reassure the general population that these reforms are in the national interest- and that they are about doing justice to the ethnic minorities and are not about dividing the country or giving in to foreign interests as stated by the opposition, including former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.
President Sirisena needs to be appreciated as a political leader who is responsible enough not to wish to break the democratic system by defying the law and democratic conventions. He heeded the verdicts of the judiciary and appointed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe although he had repeatedly said he would not appoint him. He swallowed his pride for the sake of the country. Although he is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he did not order them to suppress his political opponents. He did not declare a state of emergency which would have given him additional powers. Instead he ensured that freedom from fear prevailed even as the country lurched from one political crisis to the other. It is reported that President Sirisena has agreed that the SLFP he leads will form an alliance with the SLPP headed by former president Rajapaksa to contest future elections together. Therefore, it can be seen that the president is also a potential bridge between the government and the opposition.
Large Buddha statue built on Mullaitivu Hindu temple premises despite years of local opposition
A Buddha statue has been built on the premises of a Hindu temple in a Mullaitivu village, despite years of fierce opposition by locals.
17 December 2018
Residents of Neeraviyadi in the Semmalai division of Mullaitivu said a Sinhala Buddhist monk had used the opportunity of Sri Lanka’s political crisis, while local authorities were distracted, to push through the construction of a large Buddha statue directly encroaching the village’s Pillaiyaar Kovil.
Locals said the Hindu temple had been there for generations and that Tamils had worshipped there until the very final stages of the war when they had become displaced. Worship activities had not resumed after the war due to the locals’ fear of the surrounding army camps.
In 2013, a Sinhala Buddhist monk from Maradana – Colombe Medalange – had with the help of the Sri Lankan army set up a hut on the occupied temple’s land and taken up residence there.
A gazette notification soon followed, declaring the land as archaeological premises, allowing the monk to begin setting up a Buddhist vihara, ignoring the fierce opposition of locals campaigning to preserve the Hindu temple.
However since 2015 intensified local protests prevented further construction or expansion of the Buddhist infrastructure.
The latest developments where a large Buddha statue and walls had been constructed quickly and suddenly have angered Semmalai residents, who have thus far been blocked from rehabilitating their own temple due to military occupation. Locals also pointed out that there were no Buddhist residents in the area for a vihara to serve.
A Tamil language sign indicating the Hindu temple had also been destroyed and replaced with a Sinhala sign.
A Buddha statue has been built on the premises of a Hindu temple in a Mullaitivu village, despite years of fierce opposition by locals.
17 December 2018
Residents of Neeraviyadi in the Semmalai division of Mullaitivu said a Sinhala Buddhist monk had used the opportunity of Sri Lanka’s political crisis, while local authorities were distracted, to push through the construction of a large Buddha statue directly encroaching the village’s Pillaiyaar Kovil.
Locals said the Hindu temple had been there for generations and that Tamils had worshipped there until the very final stages of the war when they had become displaced. Worship activities had not resumed after the war due to the locals’ fear of the surrounding army camps.
In 2013, a Sinhala Buddhist monk from Maradana – Colombe Medalange – had with the help of the Sri Lankan army set up a hut on the occupied temple’s land and taken up residence there.
A gazette notification soon followed, declaring the land as archaeological premises, allowing the monk to begin setting up a Buddhist vihara, ignoring the fierce opposition of locals campaigning to preserve the Hindu temple.
However since 2015 intensified local protests prevented further construction or expansion of the Buddhist infrastructure.
The latest developments where a large Buddha statue and walls had been constructed quickly and suddenly have angered Semmalai residents, who have thus far been blocked from rehabilitating their own temple due to military occupation. Locals also pointed out that there were no Buddhist residents in the area for a vihara to serve.
A Tamil language sign indicating the Hindu temple had also been destroyed and replaced with a Sinhala sign.
If the new regime fails to uphold democratic good governance, society will bark loud and bite
FILE PHOTO: Sri Lanka’s ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe arrives at a news conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 27 October – Reuters
Monday, 17 December 2018Let the leaders of the new regime clearly realise that the civil society and citizen voters are watching with eyes open, ears attentive, and minds alert, and the body ready to spring into mindful strategic action to establish whether the much hard-fought and regained democratic good governance framework is going to be violated in the slightest by your new team in governance.
It is the fervent hope of the civil society and citizen voters, who came forward for the second time since 2015, to not be let down by the arrogance of power, egoistic actions, kleptocracy, cronyism, and unacceptable/undemocratic political inaction of the new regime.
The above hope is despite Grusha Andrews in the Colombo Telegraph article sounding alarm bells and stating: “This victory will be your victory till tomorrow. Tomorrow, the UNP will claim this to be their victory alone. They will build their new kleptocracy with wheeler dealers like Ravi Karunanayake, Wijedasa Rajapakse, Wasantha Senanayake and Rajitha Senaratne to enthrone them, justifying themselves through the court verdict. Even if a new government will be formed under the UNP in due course, the Rajapaksas will never be brought to rule. Thajudeen will be buried 12 feet under along with the tears of his parents who die a thousand deaths. Tomorrow, the UNP will claim the court verdict. The people will be soon removed from the mega hall of the Temple Trees that will be cleaned to five star standards. If Chathura Senaratne wishes to marry there again, there will be no one to stop him. Because tomorrow, the most corrupt Rajitha Senaratne will be most powerful .The supporters of the UNP and the citizens who protected the UNP for good 50 days will be forgotten because in the anatomy of the UNP runs the despotic, unruly, corrupt blood. Perhaps till their mega rally at the Galle Face finishes on the 17th, the UNP might treat us all humans. But never, ever will the UNP deliver us from political suppression.”If the above predictions or even lesser damaging acts of bad governance are seen, beware, as the civil society and citizen voters will bark out loud instantaneously, name and shame and bite where it hurts most; and certainly chase such actors out of politics for good at the next elections.
So, here are Seven Golden Rules for the immediate attention of the new regime and especially, its leaders:
- No persons appointed as Ministers, Deputy Ministers, State Ministers and Secretaries of Ministries and Heads of Departments, State-Owned Enterprises and other key positions in public commissions, public institutions and regulatory authorities must be even associated or suspected to be associated with any acts of undemocratic bad governance, corruption, breakdown in law and order, and nepotism (especially those associated or purported to be linked to the bond scam, large value State infrastructure projects – including roads, highways, rail, port, and power and energy, large value supply contracts – including rice, coal and petroleum, and in the sale and long lease of State infrastructure). In addition, all politicians, political appointees, law enforcement officer leaders, and others who placed hurdles in the effective conduct of investigations and unbiased and just law enforcement and judicial actions must be eased out of their present accountabilities. The Cabinet and Ministry Secretaries must comprise of persons with proven capability, accountability and unblemished track record of high leadership achievement, having acceptable public relations with voters. At least 75% of them must be below 65 years of age and capable of assuring a line of succession in to the future;
- The leadership in governance must practice transparent good governance upholding democracy, the rule of law, human rights and freedoms at all times, follow liberal democratic values and ensure consensual decision-making, where equity and rights of all citizens are preserved with appropriate safety nets for all marginalised communities. Specifically target and facilitate the priority attention in meeting the needs and expectations of all marginalised communities, conflict-affected persons, the poor, the youth and elderly in finding livelihood opportunities to push them out of poverty.
- All high profile cases filed and all high profile cases under investigation relating to the previous regime and all reported violations under the present regime, including the bond scam and other cases of corruption, must be brought before the justice, retaining private lawyers where necessary. Complete all law reforms essential to gain an upgrade from FATF classification as a high risk jurisdiction for money laundering, and Uphold human rights commitments and bring before the justice all offenders who have crimes committed violating the rights of minorities and marginalised persons.
- All in governance leadership commit that all national resource expenditure/allocations will be within the principles of austerity, cost effectiveness and all investments limited to those assuring timely positive cash flow returns. Here, all tamashas, non-value adding celebrations, and politically motivated events must cease. Use of unnecessary ego-boosting security contingents, non-value adding local and international travel with politicians being accompanied by personal and network contingents on overseas tours must cease. No vehicles for use of Ministers and officials should be imported, purchased or leased for two years. All supplementary estimates must be specifically reviewed by the House Finance Committee and adopted by Parliament and be subject to post audit reviews.
- All professional steps must be taken with the best advice of the Monetary Board to effectively risk manage and implement the critical external debt management program in the face of the crisis facing the nation at present. Here, the public must be made aware of the risks and needs for austerity and commitment of all to make essential short-term sacrifices. Arrange for the Central Bank to develop procedures to annually compute and place before Parliament the fiscal gap computations.
- Adhere to open government commitments, and strengthen the independence and capabilities of independent commissions, public institutions and regulatory authorities, and take steps to improve productivity, quality of public services and public utilities. Require all large value public investments and all revenue spends above set limits to be subjected to Parliamentary Finance Committee Approval and post audit reviews.
- A report card on the delivery of the above commitments must be placed before Parliament on a quarterly basis by the Prime Minister.
Visibly Angry Sirisena Hits Out At CC: Says He Didn’t Act Like A Toddler And Top Lawyers Advised Him On Gazettes
President Maithripala Sirisena, speaking after Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe‘s swearing-in, said his statement on not giving the premiership to the UNP Leader even if 225 MPs approved of it only reflected his personal opinion.
Sirisena
“My personal opinion on this matter still remains unchanged. But, I decided to reappoint Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister as I have the utmost respect for parliamentary traditions,” Sirisena said in his speech.
He also referred to several statements made by pro-UNP activists that the President’s actions could lead to violence and Sirisena might suffer the same fate as Gaddafi. “Sri Lanka had many leaders in the past who faced numerous problems. Some of them, like JR Jayewardene, ruled the country with an iron fist. But no one dared to make such claims, as they knew the dire consequences of such threats.”
“In my case”, the President said, “they freely express their anger as they know I won’t take revenge. I am the kind of leader who will open the gates of my house even if the public wants to lay siege to my residence. I will allow unruly protestors to harm me if that is their wish.”
Commenting on the Central Bank bond issue. Sirisena said the previous government hampered investigations into the Bond issue and allowed former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran to abscond the law enforcement authorities.
He also added bond scams took place from 2008 and the Bond Commission stressed the need for a forensic investigation to unearth details about such scams. “To date, a forensic investigation has been carried out by the Central Bank over the possible scams that have taken place since 2008. Even this morning I checked this matter with the Central Bank Governor and he confirmed that no action had been taken.”
Sirisena also stated that the appointments made by the Constitutional Council established under the 19th Amendment are questionable. He said the Constitutional Council refused to appoint several nominees, recommended by him, to the judiciary.
“They have turned down the names of some senior judges recommended by me. As a result, there are concerns in the legal circles that the senior judges do not get the promotions they deserve. But I have done my part by recommending their names. This brings the impartiality of the Constitutional Council into question,” Sirisena added.
Sirisena also added that he acted on the advice of legal experts and “high profile” Presidents Counsel when he issued gazette notifications which were later overturned by the judiciary.
Read More
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)