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Sumanthiran complains that the man responsible for crisis still in driving seat
By Saman Indrajith
Sri Lankans were a disappointed lot each time Parliament was convened, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, MA Sumanthiran said on Wednesday in Parliament.
Sri Lankans had never been so desperate and they were looking to the parliament today for answers to an unprecedented economic crisis, Sumanthiran said.
“Each time this parliament meets, people expect there will be some change, some forward movement to resolve this crisis. And the people are disappointed because this is a parliament with two thirds of the voters supporting the government,” he said.
The TNA MP said that the government hadabused the people’s trust and further strengthened the Executive Presidency. The President then went on to violate all the promises he had made to the people and rereading the President’s election manifesto in 2019, the “Vistas of Prosperity and splendor” now induced laughter, Sumanthiran said.
“The one very specific proposal that he made, is at page 36 and 37 in the English version of the manifesto. On page 37, Gotabaya very specifically says “income tax will be reduced, economic service charge and withholding tax will be scrapped. A simple value added tax of 8 % will be introduced, replacing both the current VAT of 15 % and the Nation building tax of 2 %, payee tax will be scrapped and personal income tax will be subject to a ceiling of 15 %. 5-year moratorium will be granted on taxes payable by agriculturist and small and medium enterprises” and so on. Huge tax reliefs announced even in his election manifesto – it was an election promise,” the TNA MP said.
At that time, the finance minister of this country, Mangala Samaraweera, stated that if that proposal was implemented Sri Lanka would become like Lebanon and Venezuela. “Samaraweera’s prediction has come true”, the TNA MP said.
“So, one cannot say that there were no warnings. The Finance Minister of the country at that time said this. The Prime minister now wants to set up a parliamentary budget office. During the last Parliament we had that draft and all of that was set up but it was never presented to Parliament. Recently he asked me for the draft and I have sent it to him, and hope that will be done. One of the tasks of the Parliamentary budget office is that, when due for an election somebody makes a promise – an election promise – the Parliamentary budget office will have to immediately calculate the impact of that promise and publish a report saying, this is how it will impact the economy,” he said.
The tax cuts implemented in December 2019 and were the major reason why Sri Lanka was in the current predicament today, Sumanthiran said. It was only after the tax cuts that Sri Lanka’s ratings started falling, and the Central Bank gave confidential reports to caution the government that Sri Lanka would not be able to borrow anymore, the TNA MP said.
“We were shut out of International Financial markets. So, the person who is single handedly responsible for this economic crisis is still the head of government. He is still president, some people are saying, “No. no. don’t look at this Politics – let that be – deal with the economic crisis”… yes of course, to deal with the economic crisis the wrong-doer must be removed. You can’t keep the wrong-doer, the one who is mostly responsible in that chair and deal with the crisis,” he said.
The TNA MP said the President, Prime Minister and Parliament had lost its legitimacy and that there should be an overhaul of the system. However, before that, parliament needed to be dissolved. Sumanthiran said that there should be political stability to resolve the economic crisis, however it was not possible to have stability in a Parliament that had a lot of independent MPs. The Sri Lankan parliamentary system was not geared to deal with a large number of independent MPs, he said.
“Every day of delay in establishing stability costs the country several million dollars. So it must be fixed fast. We are part of a problem, we must say “Yes, we’ll dissolve ourselves”, pass a resolution and request the President to dissolve Parliament. One of the biggest promises given by the President himself in the last address to the Nation was to bring back the 19th amendment. Both the President and the prime minister within the last two weeks have given the country that assurance. But where are you now? You can’t bring back the 19th amendment,” 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
