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Sumanthiran: President has reneged on promises
President Ranil Wickremesinghe was adept at causing rifts in political parties, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran said in a television interview on Friday.The MP also said that the Tamil political parties had met the President earlier this week.
“During the meeting, I told the President that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had promised India three times that he would fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. President Rajapaksa said that he would make devolution meaningful. When Wickremesinghe was Prime Minister, between 2015 and 2019, he also agreed to go beyond 13A,” he added.
MP Sumanthiran said he told the President that both the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the United National Party (UNP) are together now.
“Therefore, I told him that the two parties could agree to implement the 13A. Then, he said he was not Ranil Rajapaksa and he was Ranil Wickremesinghe, and he was not aware of what Mahinda Rajapaksa had promised. He also said he had presented the best solution to the problems faced by the Tamils and that the Tamil political parties have them,” Sumanthiran said.
However, there was no such proposal in existence, Sumanthiran said. The President started discussions with Tamil parties in December 2022 and said that he would fully implement 13A, Sumanthiran said. “He asked us to propose amendments to the 13A. I have presented some amendments. He agreed to consider them. There were about three meetings in January 2023. Talking about police powers, Wickremesinghe said that it could be devolved after some administrative reforms. However, he hasn’t not done anything to fulfil his promises. When we met him this week, we were told 13A would be amended but without police powers. That was his proposal. Then we said that we had agreed to go beyond 13A and now he was trying to give less. We told him that we were not agreeable to his proposal,” Sumanthiran said.
The Tamil parties had been compelled to meet Wickremesinghe as he invited them before leaving for India. If they had not done so, India would not have been happy.
“Unfortunately, Ranil wasn’t ready. The President gave us a draft on establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in January 2023. We discussed it with Ministers Ali Sabry and Wijeyadasa Rajapakse. The TRC will allow people to come and tell their stories, but nothing will come out of it. We said we would not support the TRC. We told the President so. Everything he has done so far has been ticking boxes for the international community.”
MP Sumanthiran went on to say that India usually invited any Sri Lankan president for a state visit within one month of his or her assumption of duties. Gotabaya assumed duties in November 2019 and within a week he was invited to come to Delhi. However, Wickremesinghe had been in power for a year before being invited by India, Sumanthiran said.
“Sri Lanka tried to get an invitation several times. I think the Indians delayed the invitation because the President had not kept his promises to India, which isn’t happy because the government allowed a Chinese ship to come to Hambantota. So, he had to fulfil several things before India extended an invitation. The Indian Central Government is also under pressure from Tamil Nadu to solve the problems of Tamils here,” MP Sumanthiran said.
Wickremesinghe was a Cabinet Minister in the government that signed the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord, the ITAK MP said. Therefore, he must be keen to implement 13A.
(RK)
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
