News
Criticism of Basil’s silence on economic situation throws House into turmoil
FM has not spoken for three months – Opposition
All questions are answered by State Minister, claims govt.
I can’t force MPs to attend parliament – Speaker
By Saman Indrajith
A tense situation arose in Parliament yesterday when the Opposition asked the Speaker to summon Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to the House. Opposition MPs claimed Minister Rajapaksa had not spoken in the House for three months.
A heated argument ensued between the government and opposition after Chief Opposition Whip SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella, raising a point of order, said that Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa had not spoken in the chamber of the House for the past three months or answered questions posed by the MPs. “There is an economic crisis. It was on 10 December last year that the Finance Minister spoke in this House. For the past three months he has not spoken a single word. The Finance Minister should be here to explain to the House the country’s economic situation. We call upon the Speaker to summon the Finance Minister to Parliament immediately. He has time to go around the world begging for money, but cannot come here. This is a shame. He has asked for USD 300 million from Russia, which is fighting a war. The Speaker should summon him. As per Article 148 of the Constitution parliament has the controlling powers over public finances. If the Speaker fails to protect that power what is he doing in that chair,” MP Kiriella queried.
Leader of the House Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that the Chief Opposition Whip should withdraw his statement that the Finance Minister was not attending the House. All the questions raised by the MPs expecting answers from the Finance Minister had been answered to by the State Finance Minister on behalf of the minister. Even debates have been conducted in this House on documents tabled by the Finance Ministry. The Finance Minister came to the House from time to time. It is wrong to state that he did not come to parliament. Some of his statements have been debated here.
Chief Opposition Whip: The Finance Minister should come to the House and make a statement on the current economic situation. You have asked for USD 300 million from Russia. It is a country facing a war. It is a shame to ask for money from a country at war.
Kurunegala District SJB MP Nalin Bandara: Ukrainian President addressed the parliament of that country in the middle of a war.
SLPP MP Jayantha Ketagoda: The Finance Minister came to the chamber. You did not see him because you were asleep then.
Chief Government Whip Highways Minister Johnston Fernando: It is wrong for the Chief Opposition Whip and Opposition MPs to say that the Finance Minister did not present reports to the House regularly. How many times has the Opposition leader raised questions under the Standing Order 27/2 to be answered by the Finance Minister? All those questions were answered fully by the State Minister of Finance as per the Finance Minister’s instructions. MP Kiriella says that his country is bankrupt. I would like to recall the conduct of finance ministers during the times of your government. One of them resigned and did not contest the election. Another has lost the election. There was one state finance minister who did not face the election and came to parliament through the national list. That was how the finance ministers of your government fared. You have been saying the economy would collapse after 01 Jan, this year. Arrangements had even been made to come live on Facebook when the country’s economy collapsed. Did that happen? We have given time for a debate to the Opposition today. No other government has done so. You can compare how much time you allocated for the Opposition during the times of the five year yahapalana government. We have given you time to state whatever issues you have. Even today we have allocated five to six hours for the Opposition. MP Kiriella stands up at the commencement of sittings in a bid to be seen on TV. But television stations are not interested in what he says. This is the truth. He is my friend. He is doing his best to attract media attention, but in vain. The issue raised by him today is also the same. Everybody knows that the Finance Minister is controlling the economy well.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena: I am not in a position to force a minister to make a ministerial statement. But if any Member of Parliament continues to abstain from coming to parliament for three months, he will lose his parliament seat as per the Standing Orders.
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
