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Those who bankrupted country should resign – Eran
The country has gone bankrupt due to shortages of fuel, electricity and essential commodities as there were no dollars, said SJB MP Eran Wickremaratne.
Addressing the media at the Economic Policy Centre at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, in Colombo, the Member of Parliament also stated as follows: When there is no war or terrorism in the country, there are long queues at petrol stations without diesel. The Central Bank does not have the dollars to bring in fuel from vessels anchored outside the port. But the Central Bank governor is saying there is no shortage of dollars in the country is an irony.
Also, people are suffering from not being able to buy gas, milk powder, wheat flour and other essential commodities. In addition, there has never been a crisis in the history of independent Sri Lanka where people have been left without electricity, for want of diesel to run power plants.
Meanwhile, education of schoolchildren may be disrupted as no arrangements have yet been made to refuel the more than 30,000 school vans and buses carrying children during the second school term starting on the 7th. This is another blow to school education, already affected by Covid-19
Since the government does not have dollars, oil is purchased on a reloading process. Now the country is bankrupt as there is now a dollar shortage event to buy on a reload system.
The Opposition realised from the beginning that this government, which is greedier for power than the country, has no solution to these problems.
Therefore, even though the Opposition told the government to give priority to spending foreign reserves to meet the country’s needs, instead of using it for debt repayments, the government’s priority was to repay the debts on time to its allies who had bought the international sovereign bonds in the secondary market.
Now a situation has arisen where investors do not come forward to buy our international sovereign bonds.
Under this backdrop, the macroeconomic system has become unmanageable and weakening the banking system, and making it vulnerable to external economic pressures as a country.
Wickremaratne stressed that those who are responsible for the collapse of the country’s economic icons, the Central Bank, and the Ministry of Finance, should be removed from their posts and sent home.
“The Central Bank officials instead of discharging their responsibilities of maintaining inflation and financial stability are engaged in having discussions on how to counter the Opposition views on economy.” he said
He added that instead of the influx of foreign investors, due to the current economic situation in Sri Lanka, there is a tendency for local investors to shift their investments to other countries.
He said it was unfortunate that Sri Lankan investors, engaged in the tourism sector, have now shifted their investments to the Maldives as the country did not see any improvement in the aftermath of the Corona epidemic.
The government, which tried to hide behind the corona about the bankruptcy of the country’s economy, is now making use of the Russian war for the same.
There is no response from the responsible parties of the government to the present economic crises. The Minister of Finance does not even come to Parliament to answer questions raised by the Opposition in Parliament.
When asked why he was not coming, it was said that he was preparing to go to India, but it is reported that Basil Rajapaksa has been informed by India not to undertake the visit to India at the moment.
Wickremaratne stressed that the government should give priority to meeting the needs of the people, even by delaying or restructuring the debt-repayment in order to rebuild the country, which was in crisis due to government giving prominence to settle the ISBs which is reported to have been purchased by its cronies in the secondary market aimed at 100 percent profit.
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
