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Sunday September 23rd, 2007 |
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Rs. 48 bn. loss
for CEB next year
Losses surpass defence budget
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has projected a loss of a
staggering Rs. 48 billion from power generation for the year
2008, surpassing even the country’s annual defence expenditure,
Board of Investment (BOI) Chief, Dhammika Perera told The Nation
yesterday.
Climbing world oil prices and the fact that Sri Lanka is
dependent upon fuel oils to produce electricity has resulted in
the heavy projected losses for the CEB in the next four years,
Perera added.
The CEB is also slated to lose Rs. 57 billion in 2009 and the
figure will rise to Rs. 70 billion in 2010. In 2011, the CEB’s
projected...(See
inside)
Special Advisory Council for North
President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who will establish two
Provincial Councils for the North and East shortly, is likely to
appoint an Advisory Council to run the affairs of the Northern
Provincial Council. The President will establish the two
provincial councils by gazette notification under 154A
of the Constitution which states: Subject to the
provisions of the Constitution, a Provincial Council
shall be established for every Province specified in the
English Schedule with effect from such date or dates...(See
inside)
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Well set for public life
Basil Rajapaksa, the latest
Rajapaksa brother to take oaths as a member of parliament last
week, looked well set to step into public life when he was
captured entering the BMICH for a workshop last morning on the
Eastern Resurgence programme organised by the Nation Building
Ministry, which is expected to come under his purview soon
Pic by Ishara S. Kodikara |
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NEWS |
President to hold high level meetings in
New York
President Rajapaksa, who is due to arrive in New York today to
take part in the 62nd United Nations General Assembly, is
scheduled to hold several high level meetings with UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-Moon, US President George Bush, Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh, and Norway’s International Development
Minister Eric Solheim during his stay.
The President is expected to discuss how his government is
trying to solve the country’s ethnic conflict—which has lasted
more than two decades—during these high level meetings.
Rajapaksa will also touch upon the efforts made by the All Party
Representative Committee (APRC) in finding a lasting solution to
the conflict...(See
inside)Legal review of COPE report passed to
Bribery Commission tomorrow
The legal section of the Commission to Investigate Allegations
of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) is to hand over its review of
the COPE report to the Chairman of the Commission tomorrow.
According to Director General of the Bribery Commission, P.
Ranasinghe, its legal section is currently in the process of
reviewing the malpractices of public enterprises that the
parliamentary COPE report has found guilty.
“We cannot straight away say that all the institutions
which the COPE report had highlighted as institutions
that have malpractices are 100% corrupt, as there is
always the legal side which we have to look into...(See
inside) No entry for Muslim mom
Fresh controversy has arisen with regard to the ‘dress-code’ in
a girls’ school in Colombo, after a Muslim mother was refused
entry to her daughters’ school because she was wearing the
traditional head scarf.
The incident had occurred at Rathnaweli Balika Maha Vidyalaya in
Borella recently, when the mother had attempted to enter the
school to meet the principal. However at the gate, she
had been stopped by the security officer, who had
demanded...(See
inside) JVP warns general strike likely if no
worker bonanza in budget
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) yesterday warned of a
general strike by the working masses of both private and public
sectors, in the event the government fails to accommodate the
workers’ demand of a Rs. 3000 minimum salary hike in the
forthcoming budget.
The JVP is demanding that the government accommodates a minimum
salary increase of Rs. 3000 per month for public servants and
private sector employees when it presents its third budget in
November later this year.
JVP Trade Union Front Leader and Parliamentarian K.D. Lalkantha
told The Nation, in addition to the minimum pay hike,
the workers were also demanding that the government
grant them the full cost of living...(See
inside) Two key ministers say no to UN jaunt
Two important ministers who had been asked
to join President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s entourage to the UN have
opted to stay back, citing various reasons for declining the
trip.
According to informed sources, Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle
and Douglas Devananda will not join the President’s delegation
as scheduled.
Source revealed that Minister Fernandopulle is indisposed and
would therefore remain in the country. While Minister Devananda
is also likely to be participating in another conference in
Malaysia...(See
inside) Karuna group well protected by
authorities – SLMM
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) has warned of growing
insecurity in the Eastern Province owing to the atrocities of
the Karuna faction—also known as the Tamileela Makkal Viduthalai
Pulikal (TMVP)—which included killing, abductions, and the
extortion of money from local businesses in the province.
The SLMM, however, noted that despite the growing insecurity in
these areas, “The TMVP/Karuna group was well protected by the
authorities and thus even the police are reluctant to pursue
them in certain areas.”...(See
inside) CMC officials hand billions to henchmen –
Vasu
The opposition leader of Colombo Municipal Council (CMC),Vasudeva
Nanayakkara, yesterday alleged that around Rs. 2.5 billion is
misappropriated annually by the Council administrator, with the
majority of the misappropriated money being handed down to the
‘henchmen’ who are working closely with top officials at the
CMC.
Nanayakkara, citing examples of certain fraudulent dealings in
the council, pointed out that instead of purchasing asbestos
sheets at Rs. 746.23 from one company, the CMC had instead
purchased these asbestos...(See
inside) |
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POLITICS |
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 Can Basil rescue Mahinda’s sinking ship?
Politics in Sri Lanka maybe moving at a pace faster than what we saw
at the Twenty-20 cricket World Cup in South Africa, but last week saw a
development that may well have repercussions in the political arena for
years to come: the nomination of presidential advisor and sibling Basil
Rohana Rajapaksa to Parliament.
The appointment of Rajapaksa comes at a time when President Mahinda
Rajapaksa has been targeted by the opposition, mostly the United
National Party (UNP), for attempting to convert the country into a
‘sahodara samaagama’ the Brothers’ Society - which has been a main
slogan of UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Family politics is nothing new to this country, or for that matter to
South Asian democracies such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh which...(See
inside)
Enter Basil
 President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s political acumen as a shrewd
politician was amply displayed last week with his latest
appointment to Parliament through the national list.
He showed the opposition that he is equally smart when he
appointed his younger brother and Senior Advisor on
International Affairs, Basil Rajapaksa to Parliament to fill the
void created by the demise of Non-Cabinet Minister Anwer Ismail.
The presence of Basil Rajapaksa in Parliament is singularly
important for the President, given the political climate in the
country. The President’s idea may be to keep all his
Parliamentarians on their toes and to obtain their maximum input
to Parliamentary debates and keep his side intact without
allowing it to be eroded any further...(See
inside) |
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NEWS FEATURES |
 Full-scale war imminent on the northern
front
It’s
‘unofficially’ official now! Three things are certain.
There’s going to be a big war in the Northern Province against
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
There will be no let up until the objective of vanquishing the
Tigers is achieved. Even if it is not feasible, an ongoing
relentless attempt will be made.
There won’t be any political solution until and unless the
military goal of eradicating ‘terrorism’ (read LTTE) is
fulfilled.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa emphasised the above three
points unambiguously at Trincomalee last week. The occasion was
the felicitation ceremony for the navy for reportedly destroying
three ships, allegedly...(See
inside)The Bench, Bar & You
The much sought after Labour
Tribunal Journal has arrived
 The current issue of The Labour Tribunal Journal, the much
sought after publication of the Labour Tribunal Presidents’
Association, is now available. This issue, which is volume one
of part eight, contains many very well researched and erudite
contributions from well known practitioners, both on the law as
it exists and on proposals for law reform.
The opening is by a giant in the field of industrial relations,
S.R. de Silva. Appropriately, on the 50th anniversary of the
amendment to the Industrial Disputes Act in 1957, which paved
the way for the establishment of labour tribunals to adjudicate
labour disputes, de Silva examines the necessity in transforming
the labour judiciary...(See
inside)
NEWS MAKERS :
Basil R. on National List of percentages
 Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa was sworn in as a
National List MP of the government on Wednesday (19 amidst
applause from government MPs and protests, including placards
saying “10%” by UNP parliamentarians. Defence Secretary
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and
Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal looked on from the
VIP’s gallery, like three ‘guardian angels.’
The general chaos boiled onto the next day, after Mangala
Samaraweera and Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi alleged that Basil
Rajapaksa played a major role in the alleged secret deal between
the government and the LTTE. Basil Rajapaksa refuted the
allegations that he, together...(See
inside) |
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 Gibson - England’s new bowling
consultant for Lanka tour
Durham
all-rounder Ottis Gibson is to work with England as a bowling consultant during
their one-day and Test series in Sri Lanka.
He will replace South African Allan Donald, who is unavailable because of
long-standing TV commitments.
Gibson, who played two Tests and 15 one-dayers for West Indies in the 1990s, has
enjoyed a memorable summer.
He has taken 78 Championship wickets, including all 10 in an innings against
Hampshire in July.
The 38-year-old also claimed 3-24 in the Friends Provident Trophy final at
Lord’s the following month as Durham beat Hampshire to win their first major
trophy.
He has been offered a contract for next summer by the
club, but is also keen to develop...(See
inside)Point Blank
The new threat to cricket
 Any new product put out on the shelves will always be
reviewed with a great deal of circumspection initially. After a period of time
it will either become a hit with the public or a flop depending on what it has
to offer.
That is how the new format of cricket introduced by the world governing body for
the game the International Cricket Council (ICC) will be reviewed. Diversified
opinions on the ICC’s new tournament the Twenty20 World Cup which is currently
taking place in South Africa have been expressed by virtually all and sundry
with critics, past captains, past players and officials all joining the
bandwagon.
Whether the new format of instant cricket will come to
stay only time will tell, but it is a new innovation of
the game and from the way it has been projected to the
public in South Africa and to millions of television
viewers around...(See
inside)
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INTERVIEWS |
Veteran battle scarred politician
Devananda determined to use old system to find new solutions
 Social Services and Social Welfare Minister and EPDP leader
Douglas Devananda whose experience in politics and the
battlefield covers almost 3 decades, is determined to find a
political solution to the ethnic crisis. Having fought from the
thick jungles against the governments for 15 years, he later
joined the mainstream of politics realising the futility of war.
Today, he counts an additional 15 years of experience in
politics and is keen to put forward a set of proposals that do
not require either an amendment to the Constitution or two
thirds in parliament to solve the prolonged ethnic strife in Sri
Lanka. According to him, the proposals would be made public
shortly. In order to make this a reality, he says that firstly,
the 13th amendment should be fully implemented. “After this,
things will automatically fall into place. This is a sure way to
find salvation if the proposals are taken seriously,” he told
The Nation in an interview.
Following are excerpts;
Q: How do you view the government’s plan to solve the ethnic
crisis?
A: The present government unlike the previous ones is
determined to find a political solution. The measures taken so
far to resolve the crisis are commendable. The President
appointed the APRC and it is in the process of releasing its
final report and we are all looking...(See
inside)JVP says government totally
out of touch with the people
 Q: There have been many mixed signals lately. What is the JVP’s
actual opinion of this government?
A: Our position about this government is this. This
government was formed in 2004 with the support of the JVP as
well. Then because of some of the things that the government did
wrong, we had no option but to quit the government.
But then, in 2005, we supported President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s
candidature at the presidential poll. Then we presented 20
demands to the government as conditions of our rejoining. But
President Rajapaksa rejected those proposals and decided to go
ahead with a group of UNPers in the government.
At that time also it was our position that if the government
would proceed according to the mandates it had received in 2004
and 2005, we would remain in opposition and support the
government from outside on an issue by issue basis...(See
inside)
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