News
FSP accuses President of taking country on 1977 path to disaster
Budget 2023
By Rathindra Kuruwita
President Ranil Wickremesinghe is all ot to reverse people’s hard-won victories, Education Secretary of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) Pubudu Jayagoda says.
“Wickremesinghe talks about moves to introduce revolutionary changes to the country. His budget is anything but that. He repeats the criticism that progressive forces have been making for decades, but the solutions he has suggested are anti-people,” he said.The President is all out to destroy the welfare state and following in the footsteps of his uncle, JR Jayewardene, Jayagoda said.
“He is trying to usher in the reforms that Margaret Thatcher introduced.”
The 2023 budget proposals would even give the IMF economists a pause, the FSP stalwart said.
“The IMF has similar ideas but at least they pay lip service to the importance of maintaining basic social welfare mechanisms. Wickremesinghe’s proposals will destroy all low- and middle-income families,” Jagoda said.
“Wickremesinghe in his budget says that he wants the majority of Sri Lankans to benefit from economic development. Echoing leftists, he has claimed that there should be income redistribution.
“We must look at what he is doing. He quotes the Buddha and says that loans must be used for investments and not consumption. Leftists have been saying for decades that loans should be used to boost productive capacity. However, what have governments done since 1977? They have borrowed heavily and used them on white elephants. We have also built a lot of infrastructure but unlike in China, the infrastructure we built is not linked with factories. This infrastructure does not promote productive forces. President Wickremesinghe has been in Parliament for decades. He was a minister and prime minister for decades. He is now the President. Has he used loans for proper investments? He doesn’t practice what he preaches,” the FSP Education Secretary said.
When the country has hit rock bottom Wickremesinghe and his lackeys claim that we have taken too much debt and wasted it on consumption, he said. “The same people who borrowed like there is no tomorrow have suddenly discovered that borrowing like gambling addiction is bad. However, Wickremesinghe doesn’t tell us what his plans for developing and expanding the manufacturing capacity is,” he said. Jayagoda said that the budget proposal has nothing to build confidence among investors and producers. The small and medium scale investors are in serious trouble and they have been begging for relief for months, Jayagoda said.
“Wickremesinghe wants to give tax concessions to multinationals, and he wants to undermine local manufacturing. Wickremesinghe talks about building infrastructure and facilitating investors. However, his budget has nothing for SMEs that employ millions,” he said. Jayagoda said that the government also plans to fast-track free trade agreements. This will be done while weakening the local industries, he said.
“The workers of Sri Lanka have won certain rights after making enormous sacrifices. Wickremesinghe wants to destroy all that. Soon all laws that protect workers’ rights will be abolished. Taxpayers will have to pay for workers that are fired by private companies. Even if the government takes away all the laws that protect workers, investors won’t come here. There are no labour laws in the poorest countries in the world, are investors running there? China is increasing wages and rights, but companies still go there, even after America’s ttempts to undermine China,” he said.
Jayagoda said that the government also wants to open agricultural land to the market. Right now, large swaths of farming lands can’t be sold. If farmers are allowed to sell land, at a time like this, a few companies will buy up a lot of land for a song and farming will collapse, he said.
“Wickremesinghe talks about selling state owned enterprises. He talks about selling SriLankan airlines, Insurance Corporation, Sri Lanka Telecom, Hilton and Waters Edge. Apart from SriLankan airlines, all the others make enourmous profits. SriLankan was destroyed by a henchman of Mahinda Rajapaksa. When Ranil was prime minister in the Yahapalana Government, they appointed a commission on SriLankan airlines. Now he can implement the commission recommendations,” he said.
The budget also takes steps to privatise education and health. There is a lot of inequality in Sri Lanka and people still have some upward mobility because of free education and healthcare, Jayagoda said.
“Ranil plans to take the country on the same path it had been travelling since 1977. We have had nothing but disaster since 1977. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing expecting different results,” 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
