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Following discussions with Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, former Presidential candidate Dr. Rohan Pallewatta has decided to extend his support to the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). Pallewatte contested the last presidential election under the Socialist Democratic Party of Sri Lanka.

He is presently the Executive Chairman of Lanka Harness (Pvt) Ltd., which manufactures impact sensors for automobile airbags and seat belts.

Pallewatte will serve as a member of the party's foreign policy and trade committees and is likely to be given a position in the SJB Working Committee.

The government will be adopting tough measures including policing in public and private buses to maintain strict Covid prevention guidelines issued by the health ministry and a better service for commuters, official sources said. In a bid to manage passenger transport safely amidst the fearful second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the present administration has taken exit strategies from the curfew and lock down status with the assistance of law enforcement authorities.

The camouflage protection teams of the police are to be deployed as decoys in public and private passenger transport buses to ensure that commuters adhere to health guidelines, a senior official revealed.  

Furthermore, police officers in civilian clothing will be deployed to monitor public transport services, police spokesman Ajith Rohana said, adding that the purpose of the exercise is to prevent reckless driving and violation of health guidelines.

He also requested the public to restrict celebrations during the upcoming festive season to their families due to the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The spokesman insisted that travel should be restricted as much as possible.

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) has suggested the government to commence transportation with specific attention to be paid on overcrowding and the practice of health guidelines with the coordination of the relevant health officials.

A mechanism to ensure there is demand reductions in the peak period should be introduced. This can set the guidelines on the number of people working in an establishment, the opening and closing time of office hours (including public services) and the introduction of flexible hours / work from home, the CCC said.

"It has proposed to encourage buses and trains to operate at marginal cost recovery. Given that less passengers per bus or train will result in less revenue for public transport operators at least initially, we propose a special mechanism to enable minimal reimbursement considering the prevailing low global oil prices." it added.

The petitioners stated that authorities at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital had cremated the body of the infant against their wishes in an undue hurry. They said that the child was in good health after his birth on 18 November and had no contact with any outside persons as the area they lived in was under lockdown. They also said that although they had requested the hospital to perform a second PCR test after the death of the infant,  the authorities had denied their request.

The petitioners are seeking an order directing the health authorities to produce all medical records pertaining to the hospitalization, death and disposal of the dead body of the infant child of the Petitioners.

The petitioners (parents) Mohomed Farook Mohomed Fahim and Fathina Shafnaz have named the Director General of Health Services, the Director of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, the Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, Ministry Secretary and several others as respondents.

The government’s attempt to abolish the Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL) came under strong protest from electricians as it will affect the future sustenance of their employment.

The Sri Lanka Association of Electricians’ Association (SLAE) on Saturday (19) revealed the forces that influence the authorities to do away with the Public Utilities Commission.

The secretary to the president has requested for the PUCSL to be abolished, according to Sanjeewa Dhammika, the convenor of the Sri Lanka Electricians’ Association.

He noted that the licence system being implemented by the PUCSL for electricians to operate under the CEB will be cancelled after the abolition of the commission. 

"Today, he has crippled the PUCSL. Does this secretary have a right to do this? Doesn’t the subject minister know about this? There is a mafia within the Ceylon Electricity Board," he claimed.  

The CEB Engineers’ Association is a part of this. These people are engaged in a coordinated effort to cripple this system”, he accused.

During 2019 alone, the PUCSL had enabled the country to save up to Rs.400 billion by halting untimely power purchases and dubious power generation projects, Dhammika revealed.

Meanwhile, the Employees’ Union of the Public Utilities Commission has refuted allegations made by certain quarters that it had delayed the implementation of power generation plans in the country.

According to a recent media release, the CEB has sought approval from the PUCSL for three major power plants with a capacity of 300 MW during the period 2016-2020 under the Long-term low-cost power generation plans.

However, the union claims although approval had been granted to these projects which would largely benefit the general public, the CEB had delayed these projects for many years.

Related News: PUCSL didn't cause a delay in implementing the power generation plan of the president of the employees union

State Minister of Fisheries Kanchana Wijesekera has been removed from the post of Chairman of the Matara District Regional Development Committee and National List MP Jayantha Ketagoda has been appointed.

At a discussion held recently at the Temple Trees, Wijesekera was appointed as the Chairman of the Matara District Regional Development Committee by Basil Rajapaksa, the founder of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)

Power Minister Dullas Alahapperuma, State Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, parliamentarians Weerasumana Weerasinghe and SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam had also participated in the discussion.

However, Basil Rajapaksa had announced last week that Jayantha Ketagoda had been appointed as the Chairman of the Matara District Regional Development Committee as a decision had been taken to assign specific responsibilities to SLPP National List parliamentarians.

Jayantha Ketagoda is considered to be one of Basil Rajapaksa's most loyal confidants. Furthermore, he was tipped to resign from his parliamentary seat and make way for Basil Rajapaksa if the latter had decided to enter parliament, SLPP internal sources said. 

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had previously appointed his nephew Nipuna Ranawaka as the Chairman of the Matara District Development Committee.

Members of EO SL and their families have been reaching out to the vulnerable and marginalized segments of society by donating food and distributing essential supplies, especially in areas which have been isolated.

EO SL Members have been dedicatedly documenting their interactions on social media to provide inspiration to more people to come forward and do the same.

The EO membership is led by a vision to have a positive impact on deserving sections of society which currently do not have the financial means to survive on their own, the organisation said in a media release.

At such an uncertain time, apart from this food drive, EO SL is also extending support and guidance of other successful entrepreneurs for its members to relook at their own strategies and goals despite challenges posed by the pandemic.

Since EO is a non-profit, all dues are channeled towards enhancing member experience. EO SL is now inviting more entrepreneurs to join the network, more so amidst a global pandemic when normal rules of business may not always apply.

Sri Lankan entrepreneurs who are not part of EO are missing out on valuable business-saving knowledge and advice from a trusted, confidential, vulnerable, open-sharing community of 14000+ members across 62 countries.

EO offers unique advantages to members such as gaining access to the world’s top experts and surmounting challenges through their encouragement and support.

Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga has released a statement through her official Facebook page urging the government to change the decision to not permit any burial of COVID-19 victims.

She said she did not want to make any statement until she had all the facts related to the burial of COVID-19 victims and she believes that the reasons given justifying the mandatory cremation is baseless after having consulted scientists and researchers in Sri Lanka and overseas.

Former President Kumaratunga further stated that this is a practice Muslims have been following for centuries and there is a legitimate right for Muslim community to follow their religious practice of burying dead, which doesn't harm anyone.

In a surprising revelation, hardline nationalist monk Ven. Madille Pannaloka Thero has said that during the formation of the 'Sinhale' national organisation, it was Gotabaya Rajapaksa who had visited them at the temple and provided counsel. Ven. Pannaloka Thero made this statement in an interview with 'Hard Focus' on the A5 News channel.

Stating that this is the first time he has ever mentioned this, the Ven. Thero said that Gotabaya had taken part in lengthy discussions leading up to the formation of the 'Sinhale' organisation and had given them certain guidelines.

"This is the first time i'm saying this in public. For one and a half hours, he taught us tricks," the Ven. Thero said.

"It is clear that the President is not on good terms with us," he said, adding that "if he can visit the temple and engage in very lengthy discussions, if he can give guidelines during the formation of the 'Sinhale' organisation before becoming the president, it is baffling to see why he is vexed now."

Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya stated that the parliament has been reduced to a level of a post office after the passage of the 20th Amendment.

Noting that many dictators, autocrats, monarchists and fascists, have from time to time, tried to assert their power by suppressing anti-parliamentary traditions, the former Speaker said that all such attempts throughout history have been defeated through the will and sacrifices made by the public.

He pointed out that the most serious blow and insult to parliament in recent times has been the attempt by external forces to shutdown the Public Utilities Commission, which was created with the blessings of the parliament. "Attempts are being made by the Secretary to the Treasury to abolish it on the instructions of the Secretary to the President. They are also urging the Hon. Members of the Commission to resign. Such attempts are not only arbitrary and anti-democratic, but also an undue interference of the executive on the legislature," he said. The full statement issued by Karu Jayasuriya is found below.

"The National Movement for a Just Society pays attention to the socio-political, cultural and economic issues of this country as we have a national responsibility to focus on such issues. As an organisation, we have no political ambitions to seek power. Therefore, the National Movement for a Just Society will always stand to protect democracy and the rights of the people in this country.

It is with that responsibility in mind that we present these facts to you today.

In modern advanced democracies, the people are represented through the parliament. The parliamentary system is not built on the hegemony of a dictatorship.

This is a result of the relentless struggles carried out by the erudite citizens against the oppressive and authoritarian monarchies. It embodies and represents the aspirations of the people. It also reflects the nature of the state built on the aspirations of the people. This is the reason why the parliament is considered to be the supreme body of representation of the people with regard to democratic governance.

Many dictators, autocrats, monarchists and fascists, have from time to time, tried to assert their power by suppressing anti-parliamentary traditions. All such attempts throughout history have been defeated through the will and sacrifices made by the public. We still have to bear that responsibility.

The Parliament of Sri Lanka symbolizes the sovereignty of the people and the democratic nature of the state. Our parliament has a distinguished history. Our parliamentary system has earned the respect and admiration of the world, for producing eminent politicians who have championed the traditions of democratic governance.

But what is the status of the current parliament? As we have pointed out previously, the parliament has been reduced to a level of a post office after the passage of the 20th Amendment.

The intellectuals of this country, including the Maha Sangha and other religious leaders, have warned that with the passage of the 20th Amendment, democracy in this country would be destroyed and the legislative supremacy of parliament would be damaged.

We also warned that the transfer of the freedoms and rights of 21 million people to one individual could create fear and misery in the country. That is the present situation today.

The most serious blow and insult to parliament in recent times has been the attempt by external forces to shutdown the Public Utilities Commission, which was created with the blessings of the parliament.

Attempts are being made by the Secretary to the Treasury to abolish it on the instructions of the Secretary to the President. They are also urging the Hon. Members of the Commission to resign. Such attempts are not only arbitrary and anti-democratic, but also an undue interference of the executive on the legislature.

If the government wanted to amend the Act which established the Public Utilities Commission, the changes should have been made in parliament with the approval of the cabinet.

But what is happening today? As a former Speaker, I am deeply concerned by these incidents.

This is also shameful. The behavior of certain senior government officials in this country is appalling and sullies the reputation of the parliament.

All Hon. Members of Parliament across the political spectrum must pay attention to this. We also believe that the Hon. Speaker should clarify his stance regarding this.

The Public Utilities Commission was created by an Act of Parliament. The bill was brought for the benefit of the people. The PUCSL will protect the consumer against abrupt and unfair price increases. It will also prevent huge losses to the government with regard to the purchase of electricity at exorbitant prices.

This institution has done its duty for the last 19 years. Eminent professionals were appointed as members of this commission.  The members who had submitted their resignations recently were part of a distinguished team. So what are the reasons for destroying such an effective institution? People are likely to assume that this was done with bad intentions.

It was reported that the executive hopes to make new appointments to replace the members who have resigned. If such a process is carried out, the people of the country as well as the National Movement for a Just Society would strongly oppose these efforts. This is clearly an attempt to deceive the public. Similar to the appointments made recently to commissions, they will appoint their own political allies.

The Parliamentary Council recently appointed members to a various independent institutions. It is a well known fact that among them were individuals who have engaged in politics on behalf of the incumbent government. Government officials should understand that the public strongly opposes such appointments.

People are starting to question whether these members appointed by the Parliamentary Council in a highly partisan manner can actually function with independence?

We also recall how two Hon. Members of Parliament resigned when the 18th Amendment paved the way for such arbitrary appointments. Public perception, including our organisation, is that there should be no changes made to the existing Public Utilities Commission and its former members. I would like to bring this matter to the attention of the Hon. Members of Parliament. The public hopes that they will act boldly according to their conscience.

We hope that the government is aware of the fact that the public is mindful of the current state of affairs.  We urge the authorities not to insult the intelligence of the people.

We are an independent institution. We call for the protection of the democratic rights that were affirmed by the 19th Amendment but were destroyed by the 20th Amendment. Despite many obstacles, we will carry out this programme that was initiated by the Ven. Sobitha Thero with the most noble intentions. However, it seems that we do not have the support of the mainstream media in this country.

The intellectuals, especially the members of the Maha Sangha in this country, inquire from us about this. When we ask about it, journalists tell us that they cannot be held accountable for the decisions that are made by people above them. However, as the National Movement for a Just Society, we are committed to fulfilling our responsibility on behalf of our country.

Despite certain people trying to portray president Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a 'failure' a year into his presidency, what has truly failed is the political ideology that brought him to power, former minister Mangala Samaraweera said. “The majority of the people in the country wanted to form a solely Sinhala-Buddhist government. They ensured that by giving a massive mandate. However, the failure of that ideological vision has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt within a year," Samaraweera said while participating in the 'Matara Hamuwa' event held in Matara on Sunday (20).

The meeting was organised by the UNP organiser for Matara and former mayor Upul Nishantha on behalf of the 'Matara Samajaya'.

Attending the event as it chief guest representing the 'True Patriot' organisation, the former Matara district MP further stated that;

"Four months have passed since the general election. Entire country is in utter chaos. We are facing an unprecedented economic crisis that didn't even exist in the 1970s. Corruption and fraud have soared, the rule of law has crumbled, investors have ventured out to other countries, and we are being isolated from the international community.

Everywhere you go, people say 'sir fail'. People who voted for the 'Pohottuwa' are also saying 'sir fail'. The voice cut faction of monks too are saying 'sir fail' with some of them stating this covertly.

Some in the opposition are already getting ready to form a solely Sinhala government by trying to eclipse 'sir'.

But I say that 'sir hasn't failed'. It is the ideology that represents 'sir' which has failed yet again." (The Leader)

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed an active pro-government politician to lead the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL). He has replaced the current Commission with new commissioners. The new chairman, Mr. Jagath Balasuriya, is a close relative of the Rajapaksa family and has long been involved in pro-Rajapaksa politics.

According to SJB MP Mujibur Rahman, Jagath Balasuriya is also the SLPP organiser of the Kegalle district. Chairman appointed Jagath Balasuriya was the Minister of National Heritage in the Sri Lankan government in the previous Rajapaksa Government.

He was the acting Governor of Central Province in 2005 from September to December and was appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. His wife, Neranjala Pushpa Kumari Balasuriya, is the former Governor of the Southern Province of Sri Lanka since October 2006. Now, she is the personal secretary to her son, State Minster Tharaka Balasuriya.

Tharaka Balasuriya was appointed as the State Minister for Regional Cooperation by president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.