Full implementation of 13A

Govt. tries to distance itself from Pandora Paper revelations; braces for public criticism over inability to provide essential items at affordable prices

the earliest opportunity, there can be no doubt that the Government choir was singing in different tunes.

While the Finance Minister has now seemingly given a commitment to a parliamentary committee on behalf of the Government to hold PC elections next year, there are still some issues to be addressed. For starters, Parliament will have to amend the Provincial Councils Elections ( Amendment) Act, No. 17 of 2017. This is because Parliament rejected the report of the Delimitation Committee for the delimitation of electorates in Provincial Councils in 2018. In the division that was taken, no votes were cast in favour while 139 votes were against it. The report was required to be approved by a majority of two-thirds voting in its favour.

Given this situation, legal opinion is clear. The polls cannot be held unless the relevant sections of the Act are amended to allow PC elections to be held either under a new system or the old system at least as an interim measure. Election Commission Chairman Nimal G. Punchihewa says the Attorney General’s Department is also of the view that Parliament will need to amend the Act to remove legal obstacles that stand in the way of holding the polls. “The EC stands ready to hold the polls, provided that the legislature acts to remove the legal obstacles,” says he.

Pandora Papers

Meanwhile, the Government was struck by a bolt from the blues when the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) broke a world exclusive, exposing offshore financial dealing of host of politicians, past and present, and businessmen from around the world. It might not have bothered if it had not linked the powerful Rajapaksa clan now in high office to these secret bank accounts abroad.

The investigation is based on a leak of confidential records of 14 offshore service providers that give professional services to wealthy individuals and corporations seeking to incorporate shell companies, trusts, foundations and other entities in low- or no-tax jurisdictions. The entities enable owners to conceal their identities from the public and sometimes from regulators. Often, the providers help them open bank accounts in countries with light financial regulation.

The Government is strenuously distancing itself from the explosive revelations dubbed the 'Pandora Papers', a trove of leaked documents that led to a wide-ranging investigation by the ICIJ spread over several months of systematic investigations into some 11 million documents. The ICIJ investigation found that Sri Lankan businessman Thirukumar Nadesan and his wife, former Deputy Minister Nirupama Rajapaksa, held millions of dollars in offshore trusts and shell companies. More details regarding the revelations appear elsewhere in this newspaper. Speaking in Parliament, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa demanded an independent investigation over the revelations. Mr. Nadesan too called for an independent investigation to clear his and his wife's names by writing to President Rajapaksa proclaiming his innocence.

Only a few years back, Nadesan was indicted over the purchase of a property in the Biyagama area. The house on that property was claimed to have been built on behalf of the Finance Minister. The Minister then said he knew nothing of this and the matter remains pending in court. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has gone on record not long ago openly claiming that Nadesan has been the front man for the Finance Minister. President Rajapaksa moved swiftly to douse the political missiles coming in the direction of the Government and the accusations of the Nadesan-Basil Rajapaksa link by calling upon the Bribery and Corruption Commission to conduct an immediate investigation into the contents of the 'Pandora Papers'. On Friday, the Commission recorded a three hour statement from Nadesan.

Protesters return

This was not the only worry for the Government. With the lifting of the quarantine curfew and relaxing of restrictions following the month-long lockdown to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Government is again facing the prospect of street protests in several major sectors over issues that continue to be unresolved. Teachers and principals’ unions were among the first to resume their street protests demanding the resolution of their salary anomaly issue that has been pending for 24 years. Announcements by Government leaders that these demands will be attended to in the forthcoming budget seem to have no impact on these unions. They want to ' strike' when the iron is hot. As the Government is moving ahead with plans to open selected schools with student population of less than 200 students on October 21, followed by all schools in November, the pending salary anomaly issue is going to be a major stumbling block.

These unions held country- wide protests on Wednesday to coincide with 'World Teachers’ Day'. This year’s World Teachers’ Day theme was “Teachers at the Heart of Education Recovery.” It is meant to recognise the tireless efforts of teachers during the challenging time posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teacher and principals’ unions claim they held some 300 protests on the day around the country to demand an immediate solution to their salary anomaly issue. The protests took place despite large public gatherings still being banned under quarantine regulations. While many protests were conducted without obstruction, the unions say they faced “intimidation” in some areas. In some places, police had taken out court orders banning protests while at Dehiaththakandiya, there was a face-off between protesting teachers and health officials led by the area Medical Officer of Health (MoH), who demanded that the protesters disperse or face legal action.

The Government claims such street protests contributed to the deadly third wave of COVID-19 that swept through the country in August and September. Many health sector unions, while supporting the teachers’ struggle, have also urged them to avoid street protests, stating such large gatherings could help lead to the further spread of the virus.

Ceylon Teachers’ Union ( CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin defended the actions of protesting teachers and principals on the grounds that the right to protest and peaceful assembly was enshrined in the Constitution. “We are protesting while adhering to COVID health guidelines so there shouldn’t be an issue of us helping to spread COVID-19,” he insisted.

Many teachers have stayed away from conducting online classes for three months now as part of trade union action over the issue. As the online strike dragged on and views were expressed that street protests were contributing to the spread of the pandemic, there has been some pushback by sections of the public against the teachers. This was in evidence on Wednesday where protesters were hackled by passersby in some areas.