News
Hakeem raises conundrum, but says SLMC will submit some proposals for ethnic reconciliation
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has discussed a request made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe for proposals for ethnic reconciliation and will hand over some proposals before 15 August, the deadline for submitting these proposals, SLMC leader, MP Rauff Hakeem said on Wednesday.
During an All-Party Conference (APC), organised by President Wickremesinghe on 26 July, he presented political parties with a 14-page document on issues of reconciliation that he has identified and his proposals to address them, Hakeem said.
“However, this document did not have solutions to the problems faced by Muslims. The President gave a long explanation on reconciliation, the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act, about land issues, about 13A, etc. Ultimately, the discussion ended with him walking out. I don’t know what the President’s intentions were, but I am not sure if anything came out of the APC,” he said.
Hakeem said that during the APC, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, M.A. Sumanthiran started talking about the importance of holding Provincial Council elections. The TNA MP told the President that Provincial Council elections have not been held for almost five years, that they could be held with a small amendment to the laws, and that there was no point in talking about devolving power without holding Provincial Council elections.
“Sumanthiran said let’s hold elections and we can continue the discussion on devolving power and reconciliation. However, the President became agitated when the topic of elections came up. He doesn’t like to talk about elections; this was obvious to us. The President repeated that elections could be held later. Wickremesinghe said police powers can’t be given to provinces. He wanted to talk about devolving other powers to the provinces. Of course, the TNA can’t just agree to let go of police powers, and they are not bound to give answers that please the President. The President took the TNA response as a hostile gesture, got up, and walked off,” Hakeem said.
Hakeem said that Muslims were not happy about the merger of the North and East. What was to be a temporary merger ended up being a long-standing one, he said. This adversely affected Muslims in many ways, he said.
“Now the East is separate, and Muslims can try to secure power in the province. We were able to hold the post of Chief Minister once. Devolving power is important, but there are many other problems with the administrative structure. Because of that, there are many disagreements between Tamil leaders and us,” he said.
Hakeem said that parts of Polonnaruwa and Batticaloa districts were attached to the Ampara district several decades ago, and that changed the ethnic composition in the Ampara district.
“A Sinhalese district secretary is never appointed to Batticaloa or Jaffna. In Ampara and Trincomalee the majority community is Muslim, but we never get a Muslim district secretary. We would be really happy if the district secretaries were Muslim in these areas.About 50 percent of the population in the Ampara district live in Pottuvil, Samanthurai and Kalmunai, the SLMC leader said. 95 percent of those living in the three areas are Tamil speakers, 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
