News
Talks on 13A: Dullas criticises Ranil’s strategy
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe administration pretends to be pushing for devolving more power, having postponed the Provincial Council and local governmenet elections, says Freedom People’s Congress (FPC) leader Dullas Alahapperuma.
The former minister said so on Thursday (27) commenting on the All-Party Conference (APC) convened by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on the previous said.The APC was a complete failure, the Matara District lawmaker alleged.
“We were told that the APC was mainly convened to discuss reconciliation. A lot of our MPs were of the view that we should not attend the APC. We took part because, at the end we felt we must express our opinion at this meeting to discuss reconciliation. However, we were not expecting much because we felt that the President really had no intention of genuine reconciliation,” he said.
Alahapperuma said that the 13th Amendment to the Constitution is already implemented and that the president doesn’t need to keep discussing the 13A periodically.
“Even most of the Tamil MPs were skeptical,” he said.
The devolution of power was the main topic of Wednesday’s discussion; however, MPs were only given the agenda when they arrived at the presidential secretariat.
“I told the President some political parties didn’t attend the meeting because they are suspicious of his intents. That the government will portray their participation for political advantage,” he said.
Alahapperuma said the lowest unit of devolution is the local councils and that the Wickremesinghe administration has postponed the elections in an unconstitutional manner.
“The government has violated the rights of over 15 million eligible voters. Meanwhile, provincial councils have been made defunct for years. And without holding elections and allowing people to vote in people they like, Wickremesinghe is holding APCs on power-sharing,” he said.
Provincial Councils were established to allow Tamil-speaking minorities to have a say in how their areas are administered, Alahapperuma said.
“But the councils have been defunct for years. Who made these institutions defunct? The 2015-2019 administration in which Ranil Wickremesinghe was the Prime Minister. This was done through Provincial Councils. Elections (Amendment) Act No 17 of 2017. This was a two page amendment to allegedly increase women’s quota at provincial councils. 38 amendments were added to this act in the committee stage. To the two page act and to get two thirds support to pass the bill, the government dragged the vote for four hours,” he said.
By allowing this to happen, former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya added a blot to his political career, Alahapperuma said.
“The vote was dragged to do various deals with MPs who were on the fence. Then the government had to appoint a delimitation committee because the elections law changed. They dragged their feet in appointing the delimitation committee. Provincial Councils have now been defunct for five years,” he said.
Alahapperuma said that Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the biggest constituent of the government, has openly opposed the full implementation of the 13th amendment. “Wickremesinghe says one thing. The Prime Minister says something else, and head of the SLPP Mahinda Rajapaksa says something else. How do we trust what their real intentions are,” he said.
Alahapperuma said that there was a belief that devolution of police powers would be discussed. However, everything ended in a very open-ended and vague manner.
“Our demand was to hold provincial council elections first and make these institutions functional. Most representatives had the same idea. Why are we even discussing giving police and land powers to a council now run by a direct representative of the President?” he said.
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
