President upbeat despite s and continuing UNP-SLFP
Preparations finalised for May Day show of force; Sirisena says he gave approval for JO rally at Galle Face EU’s GSP Plus concessions may not come this year; failure to meet deadlines and pressure from Tamil Diaspora S l s
President Maithripala Sirisena was upbeat last Tuesday night, despite the tragedy at the Meethotamulla garbage dump a few days earlier. Speaking to Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Ministers and Chief Ministers of provinces, he made two significant points in a speech on plans for the party’s May Day rally.
One: He declared that it was he who was responsible for ensuring that Galle Face Green was given to the ‘Joint Opposition’ for its May Day. “I directed that their (‘JO’) request for the venue be allowed,” he said.
Those remarks ran counter to claims in the state run-media that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had directed the Police to allow the venue for use by the ‘JO’ and assure security. Wickremesinghe was also reported as directing that relevant ministries should extend their support and the Police to ensure former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s protection.
Two: Sirisena asked the SLFP’s May Day organisers not to prominently display the symbol of the party, the hand, in all places. He said the May Day was an international event for workers and the display of the party symbol all over really did not matter.
The pro-Rajapaksa SLFP will also not display the hand symbol. Basil Rajapaksa, one of the key organisers told the Sunday Times the predominant partner in their rally would be the Sri Lanka Podujana Pakshaya (SLPP). “We will display our party flag, like all others.” Besides the SLPP, the new brand name for the SLFPers backing Mahinda Rajapaksa, a number of other political parties are taking part. They include the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) led by ‘JO’ leader Dinesh Gunawardena and the Lanka Sama Samaja Praty (LSSP), the oldest registered political party in Sri Lanka.
Sirisena’s remarks came after a senior Traffic Police officer made a PowerPoint presentation. He said the Police have earmarked three lanes for those who will march in the SLFP procession and have allocated the remaining one for movement of traffic. There will be three different points at which the marchers will converge and move together towards the Municipal playground at Getambe, Kandy.
SLFP General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake claimed that 2,000 buses have been booked to bring in crowds from different parts of the country. If he is correct, on the basis of fifty passengers in a bus, the turnout would work out to 100,000 from the outstations alone. Dissanayake said payments had already been made for these buses. The discussion also turned to SLFP organisers in areas where those named were said to be inactive. There was a lengthy discussion on the Puttalam District after both Ministers from the North Western province, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and Dayasiri Jayasekera raised issue. It was decided to have two organisers for the District with one being a Muslim.
Among the SLFP Ministers taking part in the meeting were Nimal Siripala de Silva, Sarath Amunugama, Duminda Dissanayake, Mahinda Samarasinghe, S.B. Dissanayake, Susil Premajayantha, Dayasiri Jayasekera, Chandima Weerakkody and State Minister Sudarshani Fernandopulle. The Chief Ministers included Isuru Devapriya (Western Province), Dharmasiri Dissanayake (Wayamba) and Sarath Ekanayake (Central Province).
The morning after he had spoken to the SLFP ministers, President Sirisena met publishers, editors and heads of news divisions of both state and private media at the Presidential Secretariat. Dressed in a pink sherwani, he was equally buoyant and declared that the economy was on a sound footing. He said foreign reserves had risen to US$ 5 billion and the economy was looking up. He charged that economists and analysts opposed to the Government were spreading stories that the economy was in a bad shape. To the contrary it was doing well, he said. Yet, there appeared some confusion over the figure of US$ 5 billion. Was it a higher amount which Sirisena meant to say? Did his economic advisors brief him incorrectly on the position?
According to the latest Monetary Policy Review released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka on March 23, gross official reserves were estimated at US$ 5.6 billion at end of February 2017. This, compared to US$ 6 billion at the end of 2016, shows a decline in the official reserves. These are the latest available figures. The CB said earlier that gross official reserves as at end December 2016 amounted to US$ 6 billion and was equivalent to 3.7 months of imports. Hence, given the fact that reserves have dropped in February 2017 against end 2016, its corresponding equivalent in months of imports, logically speaking, would have come down. This is going by the Central Bank’s own statistics.
Sirisena touched on a few more issues including the Hambantota Port deal and the Colombo Port City. He declared that “in the next two weeks we will give a new look to Government activities. There may be changes of positions in state institutions.” When he opened the floor for questions, they flowed.
One of the journalists asked: “You mentioned about changes in the positions in Government institutions. What about the changes in the Cabinet?”
Replied President Sirisena: “You can see it happening before the Vesak Poya.”
Question: “You mean the Cabinet will change before the Vesak Poya?”
President Sirisena: “You wait and see the changes.”
This, no doubt, was the focal point of attention among a number of ministers in the Government on Thursday. More so, after President Sirisena had confided to persons close to him, including at least two of his trusted ministers, that he wanted to carry out the ministerial re-shuffle this Sunday (today). He said he expected such a ‘re-shuffled cabinet’ to sit at the weekly meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday (April 25). Now, one more time, that is not to be.
He later told the same sources that the re-shuffle would be effected only after May Day, still within the broad deadline he set for himself to do so before Vesak Poya Day. Sirisena has ignited speculation of a possible re-shuffle since January this year. It was pushed for February and later March, the last deadline on the grounds that a proposed visit by International Monetary Fund (IMF) head Christine Lagarde to Colombo would have to be over. However, she cancelled the visit. The latest postponement, a source close to the Presidency said, was reportedly at the request of the United National Party (UNP) leadership. Whilst one source said there was still resistance among them over the proposed changes, other said they had wanted it carried out after May Day.
Significant enough, President Sirisena has summoned an urgent meeting of the SLFP Central Committee for Sunday (tonight). He is to consult this policy making body of his party on the latest political developments and some issues which are being described as “critical.”
Amidst these issues, Prime Minister and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe will leave for India on Tuesday on a working visit, level three in protocol for visits by leaders from one country to another. (The first is the “state visit” followed by “official visit.”) Accompanying him are Ministers Malik Samarawickrema and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa. Premier Wickremesinghe was on a similar working visit to Japan where during the first two days he met the industrial nation’s leaders and was on holi- day for two days thereafter. He then travelled to Vietnam returning a day early on account of the Meethotamulla tragedy.
In India, Wickremesinghe will have a luncheon meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. They are expected to discuss the contours of the Memorandum of Understanding the two countries will sign for development of the Trincomalee Port and a series of other joint ventures. He is also billed to meet other Union Ministers before travelling to Udaipur in Rajasthan. There, he will attend the wedding of the son of Binod Chaudhary, who races his lineage to of the Royal Nepali family at the Udai Vilas Oberoi in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Chaudhary is a businessman. No Foreign Ministry official is accompanying the premier on this trip. He will, however, be assisted by Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in New Delhi, Chitranganee Wagiswara. Premier Wickremesinghe is due to return to Colombo on April 29. He will chair the UNP’s May Day rally at Campbell Park.
Amidst the debate on the state of the economy, whether it is on an upward trend or sliding downwards, comes some bad news for the Government. There are strong indications that the European Union may not restore the GSP Plus tariff preferences to Sri Lanka in the current year. The restoration of the GSP Plus is now before the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union for review. The move will mean the Government would have to re-apply. The reason, diplomatic sources said, is the failure to keep to the EU’s deadline of May 14 to fulfil a set of conditions. This includes the repealing of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and the introduction of a Counter Terrorism Act in keeping with international standards and amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code.
On Thursday, the European Parliament Group (EUG) gave notice of a resolution that is to be included in the plenary agenda. If it is backed by 373 members, the motion is carried, and the GSP Plus concessions would be rejected. Here are highlights of the resolution: Whereas since January 2015 the Government of Sri Lanka has taken some positive steps towards improving human rights. This includes the Government’s decision to co-sponsor Human Rights Council (HRC) Resolution 30/1 in October 2015; Whereas on 11th January 2017 the Commission adopted a delegated act to add Sri Lanka to Annex III of Regulation (EU) No: 978/2012; Whereas the Government’s reform efforts, including those that directly relate to the GSP Plus criteria, have not yet delivered in their purpose to comply with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the Convention against Torture, and the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; Whereas the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Sri Lanka A/HRC/34/20 of 10 February 2017 concluded that the measures taken by Sri Lanka since October 2015 have been “inadequate to ensure real progress,” and the fulfilment of the commitments has been “worryingly slow”; Whereas the ILO Committee of Experts has identified a number of shortcomings with ILO Convention 87 and 98, including the insufficiencies of the Industrial Disputes Amendment Act 56 of 1999, which is the only existing legislation that relates to ILO Convention 87; Whereas the process of repealing and replacing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) has not yet been accomplished, whereas a new Act replaces the PTA it must not include a broad definition of “terrorism related”