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LSSP and CPSL felicitate Communist Party of China on 100th anniversary
DEW Gunasekera addressing the meeting at the headquarters in Borella
By Shiran Illanperuma
Sri Lankan political leaders from the Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL) and the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), joined 10 other political parties in lauding the centenary achievements of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at a virtual conference on Tuesday.
The Communist Party of Sri lanka (CPSL) hosted a multi-party virtual conference from its headquarters in Borella on Tuesday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC.
“We in Sri Lanka are having a fitting gathering to mark the great event. Not only all major political streams, but all major ethnic groups are represented at this historic meeting,” CPSL General Secretary G. Weerasignhe said in an introductory speech.
CPSL veteran and former General Secretary DEW Gunasekara conveyed revolutionary greetings to the CPC’s leadership and its nearly 92 million members. He said that the formation of the CPC in 1921, four years after the Russian Revolution, was a milestone in the entry of Marxism into Asia.
Gunasekera praised the CPC for its twenty-eight-year-long struggle which culminated in the formation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. “In applying Marxism to the concrete conditions of China, the CPC successfully brought about an alliance of anti-imperialist and anti-feudal democratic forces,” he said.
Gunasekara said that China had embarked on its first five-year plan amidst embargos, sanctions and continued military aggression in Asia. He said the acceleration of globalisation and technological advancement made the CPC re-evaluate the potential of capitalism, and the collapse of the Soviet Union reinforced the need for a new economic strategy.
“The self-critical assessment of the Chinese Communist Party with regard to the lost decades due to left deviationist policies was another salutary theoretical contribution made by the Chinese Communist Party. The three-pronged new economic strategy of planning, market and state intervention has been proved viable and effective by the 40 year accelerated development of the Chinese economy,” Gunasekara said.
He said that the CPC had brought radical change in the balance of economic order and contributed to the rise of Asia. He said that China’s resilience in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, its eradication of poverty, and investments via the Belt and Road Initiative have demonstrated the strength of the Chinese model and earned global admiration.
“All these remarkable achievements were possible due to the dynamic political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. They have not only sharpened the main contradiction between imperialism and the world community but also intensified the internal contradictions in the imperialist camp,” Gunasekera said.
Tissa Vitarana, General Secretary of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), the oldest political party and first socialist party in Sri Lanka, conveyed fraternal greetings to the CPC. He thanked China for donating doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Sri Lanka, and said that the LSSP wishes to strengthen bonds with the CPC.
“The USA and its allies have unleashed a Chinaphobia claiming that your intention is military conquest, not just trade. The truth is obvious, the USA has 403 military bases around China alone, with over a thousand worldwide. China’s only foreign base is in Djibouti, to fight the Somalian pirates,” Vitarana said.
“The USA cannot tolerate the fact that one of the world’s poorest third world countries in the 19th century is surpassing it. The Third World countries of the collapsing capitalist world are turning to socialist China for leadership,” he said.
“Like you, we want to see an end to capitalism, with its poverty and its perpetual threat to peace, and to join you and other socialist and communist parties to establish socialism globally,” Vitarana said.
The CPSL lobbied post-independence governments to establish diplomatic ties with Communist countries including China. The CPSL aligned with Moscow during the Sino-Soviet split but maintained cordial relations with the CPC thereafter.
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
