News
13 A: Prez accused of abusing GR’s mandate
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Dissident SLPP National List MP Gevindu Cumaratunga has accused President Ranil Wickremesinghe of blatantly abusing ousted predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s mandate.The lawmaker questioned UNP leader Wickremesinghe’s recent declaration in Jaffna regarding the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, enacted in 1988, at the behest of India.
MP Cumaratunga yesterday (12) told The Island that he raised the issue in Parliament early this week, close on the heels of President Wickremesinghe’s high profile visit to Jaffna.
The MP, with an impeccable patriotic pedigree, said that those who voted for Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Nov 2019 presidential election and gave the SLPP a nearly 2/3 majority at the parliamentary election, the following year, endorsed the country’s unitary status. The Parliament elected Wickremesinghe to complete the remainder of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s five-year term, Cumaratunga said.
Addressing a gathering in Jaffna, President Wickremesinghe urged all provinces to utilize the powers within the 13th Amendment to achieve development. President Wickremesinghe declared that time was opportune to utilize the 13th Amendment.
Referring to a recent statement made by the Director General of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) Deepthi Lamahewa, MP Cumaratunga said that the official who had been always supportive of devolution of power to the regions criticized the Provincial Councils for hindering post-war national reconciliation process.
MP Cumaratunga, in his address to Parliament, quoted Lamahewa as having said that Provincial Councils were an obstacle to reconciliation process.
At the onset, lawmaker Cumaratunga pointed out that seven lawmakers, representing the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), voted against the ONUR Bill on January 09 even though the new law was meant to appease the Tamil speaking community. Parliament passed the Bill with 48 MPs (SLPP 45+SLPP dissidents 2 +SJB dissident 1) whereas seven opposed and 169 skipped the vote.
Commending Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC, for the spearheading role he played in enacting new laws, ONUR and new Hydrography Bills, MP Cumaratunga said that they owed an explanation why the Tamil voted against the Bill at its Second Reading.
MP Cumaratunga said that if Tamil parties felt that particular Bill required amendments, they could have followed proper procedure to do so at the Committee Stage. Instead, they voted against the Bill.
TMVP leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan aka Pilleyan (Batticaloa District), formerly of the LTTE, voted for the Bill. Lawmaker Cumaratunga was not present in Parliament at the time of voting.
Ahead of the Committee Stage, lawmaker Cumaratunga told Parliament that when the Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on Reconciliation and National Unity examined the ONUR Bill on January 02, 2024, he proposed that the appointment of members to the ONUR office should be subjected to the approval of the Constitutional Council. MP Cumaratunga proposed that those who had been proposed by the Justice Minister and appointed by the President should be subjected to CC’s approval.
However, the Chairman of the SOC on Reconciliation and National Unity MP Dilan Perera hadn’t presented his colleague’s proposal at the Committee Stage, therefore, it was not accommodated. MP Cumaratunga said that when he inquired from the Secretary to the SOC about the status of his proposal he was told the Secretary to the Justice Ministry had been duly informed in this regard.
MP Cumaratunga appreciated President Wickremesinghe, during his recent visit to Jaffna, giving ear to Jaffna-based civil society activist Arun Siddharthan, who wants to unite the races to fight the country’s problems, Lawmaker Cumaratunga, who is also the leader of the Yuthukama civil society group, flayed the Northern and Eastern Provincial Councils for failing to re-open at least one of the Sinhala schools that had been closed down during the war. The MP said that their failure to do so, 15 years after the end of the conflict, couldn’t be justified under any circumstances.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
