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Sri Lanka's travel industry is starting to suffer the fallout of a political crisis in the middle of its peak tourist season, as uncertainty prompts cancellations by both business and leisure visitors.

Tourism makes up about 5 percent of the Indian Ocean island's $87-billion economy, but the president's sacking of the prime minister late in October triggered a crisis that credit rating agencies say has already hit economic prospects.

"We have cancellations in the region of about 20 percent," said Chandra Mohotti, a manager at the luxury Galle Face Hotel in the capital, Colombo, which has about 200 rooms.

"Normally our hotel would be full. We are offering discounts because of the fear that allocations will not be utilized."

Peak season for holidaymakers from Europe, a major source of tourists, along with India and China, typically runs from December to March.
But numerous flight bookings have been canceled, especially from Europe, a source at national carrier SriLankan Airlines told Reuters.

"The crisis started just when tourists take a decision where to go," said the source, who declined to be named. "(It) has discouraged many of them."

Mahinda Rajapaksa, who replaced Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister, lacks a parliamentary majority and has been prevented by a court from holding office, delaying the 2019 budget and leading to violent scenes in parliament.

It may be a while before the cancellations show up in arrivals figures, however. Tourist numbers were up 16.8 percent in November on the year, official data showed on Thursday, with visitors from Europe up 37 percent, although numbers from China, Japan, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia all fell.

Last year, more than 2.1 million people visited Sri Lanka, tourism authorities say.

Business travel has also been hit by the crisis, with firms moving meetings to elsewhere in Southeast Asia.  

"There have been some cancellations and some have shifted to Singapore and Indonesia," said Sanath Ukwatte, president of the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, adding that conference and exhibition bookings were the worst hit.

Harith Perera, president of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators, said he had also seen cancellations in the corporate sector.

"At the moment bookings have slowed down and that is a concern," he said. "If the current crisis drags on, then the impact will be significant. Cancellations are not only from European tourists, but from everywhere." REUTERS

The National Peace Council in a statement today called on the President and Parliamentarians to abide by and respect the rulings of the Judiciary and not cause further dissensions in and outside of the parliament.

They said that conflicts can usually be resolved through negoatiations or through the law but our political leaders have been unwilling to find a negitiated settlemet to their conflicts.

The Full Statement by the National Peace Council:

The political crisis that commenced with President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to dismiss Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe continues.  The sticking point at present is that the President is repeatedly stating both in public and private that he cannot work together with former Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and will therefore not appoint him again as Prime Minister. The parliamentary majority has made it clear through written and verbal statements that their choice is indeed former Prime Minister Wickremesinghe.  On the other hand, the President is asserting his authority as the elected President to make his own choice of Prime Minister.  His appointment of former President Mahinda Rajapakse as Prime Minister was a controversial choice which led to political chaos which political analysts have identified as akin to a political coup albeit a non-violent one. In this context it is necessary to find a solution that is both constitutional and just.
 
Conflicts can either be resolved through negotiations or through the law.  So far our political leaders have been unable and unwilling to find a negotiated settlement to their conflicts. Even as our political leaders continue to be deadlocked in crisis, and violent in Parliament, attention has turned to the judiciary and to their interpretation of the law as the problem solving agency.  It has therefore fallen upon the judiciary to resolve the two main problems that beset the polity.  The first is the issue of whether the President has the power to dissolve parliament even before four and a half years have elapsed since the commencement of parliament’s term.  The second is whether the Prime Minister can be selected at the President’s discretion. These are issues that need speedy resolution. Our country cannot afford a period in which it has no Prime Minister and no Cabinet of Ministers.
 
The National Peace Council calls on the President and Parliamentarians to abide by and respect the rulings of the Judiciary and not cause further dissensions in and outside of the parliament.  When there is deadlock and the country and its people are hurting, it is important that political leaders should rise to the occasion by respecting the judgment of the Judiciary.  Democracy is not only about elections and following the will of the majority.  It is also about following the rules of democracy.  There is no question of losing face in obeying the decisions of the Judiciary.  We call on the President to allow Parliament to determine the Prime Minister. This is in keeping with parliamentary tradition, in which the person who enjoys majority support in Parliament is appointed as Prime Minister.   
 
Finally, we wish to state our deep concern that in the event of the President’s unwillingness to abide by the norms of democratic practice, the government will face both domestic and international opprobrium which our country can ill afford.  There is an urgent need to recover from the events of the past six weeks as many Parliamentarians have to rebuild their credibility, should they wish to seek re-election following their disruptive and violent behavior in Parliament.  The unacceptable behavior of some of them was witnessed worldwide and in Sri Lanka including the younger generation. In a context in which early elections are being proposed as one of the means of resolving this political crisis, we believe that those who behaved in an unparliamentary manner should not receive nominations from their respective parties in order to bring in fresh blood and dignity to Parliament.

The government, under the instructions of president Maithripala Sirisena, has issued a circular to all ministries, departments and boards advising them to refrain from using luxury hotels for their events and meetings.

All state officials have been instructed yesterday to only organise state functions and meetings at auditoriums and institutions affiliated to the government.

However, this comes in the wake of many tourism industry leaders deciding to boycott the Sri Lanka Tourism Awards ceremony held yesterday, as President Maithripala Sirisena had been invited as the Chief Guest. Sirisena didn't attend the awards ceremony that was held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo.  

Tourism industry leaders had expressed their disgust at the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has invited Sirisena, the man who is responsible for ruining the tourism industry this year by engineering a constitutional coup and a political crisis, as the Chief Guest of the event.

Former Tourism Development Minister John Amaratunga MP participated in the ceremony organised by the SLTDA and presented a few awards at the start of the event. 

Related News:

Tourism industry leaders to boycott event in protest of Sirisena

Leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) Rishad Bathiudeen appeared before the Criminal Investigations Department today yesterday to make a complaint regarding a controversial statement made by the Operations Director of the Anti-Corruption Front, Namal Kumara.

Namal Kumara had earlier stated that there was an attempt to assassinate ACMC leader Rishad Bathiudeen in addition to the alleged assassination plot on several VIPs including president Maithripala Sirisena.

Speaking to media outside the CID premises, Bathiudeen said that he is perplexed as to why his security was completely withdrawn when inquiries about a potential assassination plot against him are underway.

Many tourism industry leaders have decided to boycott Sri Lanka Tourism Awards ceremony this year, as President Maithripala Sirisena has been invited as the Chief Guest. 

They have expressed disgust at the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has invited Sirisena, the man who is responsible for ruining the tourism industry this year by engineering a constitutional coup and a political crisis, as the Chief Guest of the event.

Sri Lanka Tourism Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place tomorrow (06) at Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo.

Multiple hotel chains have decided to not stand up if and when their names are announced as award winners in the event Sirisena attends the ceremony as the chief guest.

When the event was first planed in October the SLTDA decided to invite ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Chief Guest. In the aftermath of the constitutional crisis on October 26, the SLTDA changed its decision opted to invite British High Commissioner James Dauris as the Chief Guest of the event. Colombo Telegraph learns that SLTDA Director General Upali Ratnayake has then decided to invite Sirisena, the man who drove the tourism industry to the ground this year by triggering a political turmoil, as the Chief Guest of the event.

As a result of the downfall of the tourism industry last month, over 300,000 jobs have been affected and all tourism related industries have experienced a steep drop in their revenue.

The decision has now sparked a serious controversy in the tourism industry with tourism industry leaders decided to express their objections over the decision to invite Sirisena as the Chief Guest.

(Colombo Telegraph)

*Except for the heading, the article was not edited by isis.lk staff.

It is reported that Udaya Gammanpila has recently made attempts to meet Chief Justice Nalin Perera through Rev. Father Dilan Perera, the Parish Priest of the Our Lady of Fatima Church in Maradana. 

Nalin Perera belongs to the same parish and is a congregant of the Our Lady of Fatima Church of which Fr. Perera is the parish priest. Rev. Father Dilan Perera belongs to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate order in the Catholic Church which is not under the direct authority of the Cardinal.

The political crisis in Sri Lanka deepened further on Monday when the nation’s Court of Appeal restrained Mahinda Rajapaksa, unconstitutionally sworn in Prime Minister when the legitimate Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was still in office and who suffered two votes of no-confidence in Parliament on 14 and 16 November, from functioning from his offices in the government secretariat in Colombo.

Rajapaksa’s ‘dummy’ cabinet ministers were also ordered to stop functioning from their allotted offices. Last Thursday and Friday Parliament passed two motions stopping all cash flow to Rajapaksa and his so-called cabinet ministers who lack legitimacy even as they were busy taking administrative decisions and passing orders.

The bureaucracy was placed in a piquant situation not knowing which way to turn. Supposed to be above politics, the bureaucracy is expected to work for the government of the day.

With two functioning Prime Ministers, some have taken the side of Rajapaksa, adding to the confusion in the secretariat. Ever since the President, Maithripala Sirisena, sacked Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister without following the constitutional procedure and plunged Sri Lanka into an unprecedented political crisis, the people are at a loss to know who is in control in Colombo.

The President convened a meeting of all secretaries to the ministries about a month ago and assured them the political crisis will be resolved ‘soon.’ But no solution is at sight as of now. Every attempt of Sirisena at finding a solution to the crisis brought about by his rash act of dismissing Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister illegally seems to have backfired.

On 9 November he dissolved Parliament and called for snap election on 5 January.

A Bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Nalin Perera on 13 November stayed dissolution of Parliament and ordered the Election Commission not to proceed with the proposed snap election on 5 January.

Meanwhile, Rajapaksa and many of his supporters withdrew from Sirisena’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party and joined the newly floated Sri Lanka’s People’s Party, leaving the President isolated politically.

The Wickremesinghe-led United National Party remains intact. Should Parliament seek a fresh vote of confidence, he has the numbers. The Court of Appeal has asked Rajapaksa to explain on 12 December on whose authority he and his cabinet Ministers continue to be in office despite Parliament voting them out twice.

In the wake of Monday’s Appeal Court order, there is no Prime Minister or government in Sri Lanka. Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga regretted Sirisena has betrayed the January 2015 mandate of the people and brought the country to “a dangerous precipice of chaos, anarchy and breakdown of the rule of law.”

(The Statesman)

Sri Lanka's toppled premier likened the president to Hitler on Tuesday as he demanded to be reinstated, almost six weeks into a paralysing political crisis in the Indian Ocean nation.

Ranil Wickremesinghe made the comments -- his strongest yet directed at the head of state -- at the prime minister's official residence, which he has refused to vacate since his dismissal in October.

"The president has to appoint me prime minister as I command a majority in parliament," he said.

"I am telling the president not to act like Hitler who bypassed the constitution... We are not going to allow him to do that."

President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapakse, the larger-than-life former president credited with ending Sri Lanka's bloody civil war with Tamil separatists in 2009.

However with Wickremesinghe's supporters still controlling a majority in parliament - which has witnessed brawls between MPs in recent weeks - Rajapakse has lost two votes of confidence.

On Monday the Court of Appeal denied Rajapakse the authority to act as prime minister and stripped his cabinet of their powers, giving Rajapakse until December 12 to prove his legitimacy and that of his government.

Sirisena, a former opponent of Rajapakse, told a group of legislators on Monday that he would not reinstate Wickremesinghe even if the latter had the support of all 225 members of the legislature.

Rajapakse's lawyers on Tuesday filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal, but it was not immediately taken up for hearing.

Rajapakse urged his supporters on Monday night to remain calm and join his struggle to press for a general election nearly two years ahead of schedule.

Sirisena meanwhile told minority Tamil legislators who held talks with him on Monday evening that he would resolve the political vacuum "within 24 hours". However, there were no signs of a settlement by Tuesday afternoon.

The Supreme Court this week is also expected to rule on whether Sirisena's decision to dissolve parliament in November - a move already suspended by the court -- was constitutional.

Former Minister of Finance and Media Mangala Samaraweera said that Sri Lanka is the only country in the world currently without a stable government in place. 

"On December 3, the Court of Appeal granted an interim injunction after taking into consideration the petitions filed against President Maithripala Sirisena's conspiratorial and unconstitutional decision to appoint a Prime Minister and a Cabinet on October 26.  While 48 hours have elapsed since the granting of the interim injunction, no step has been taken to establish a stable government yet. As a result, in this situation, Sri Lanka, not only in its own history but within the democratic world has become the only country to exist without a government," Samaraweera said in statement.

Samaraweera also said that president Sirisena has been trying mislead the masses by trying to trivialize the issue of not having a government by quoting false examples of similar instances elsewhere in the world thereby displaying his ignorance on international affairs.
"At the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) sessions, he was quoted as saying that despite this phenomena of not having a government is new to Sri Lanka, such situations have existed in other countries the world over. The example he presented to support his claim was Germany. In a feeble and unsuccessful attempt to justify his unconstitutional conspiracy, President Sirisena claimed there was no government in Germany for a period of six months following its last elections," he said.

"During the 2017 German General Elections, no political party was able to secure a clear majority. Therefore, to establish a stable government following months and several rounds of discussions, they were able to form a government in March 2018. In the time period which President Sirisena claimed the country was without a government, all government administration was handled by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Cabinet of Ministers," Samaraweera said.

"Not only that, in Germany following a No Confidence Motion (NCM) to avoid a situation where the country will be without a government, every time a NCM is presented, the name of the possible successor is always included in the motion as per Germany's Constructive Motion of No-Confidence," he added.

Samaraweera pointed out that a similar situation exists in Sweden today and that at the last General Election, no party was able to secure a majority in order to form a government.

"As discussions were held for months till the government was established, the Prime Minister continued in his role to avoid an unstable situation," he said.

Samaraweera further said that creating a situation where the country is without a stable government is not only against the country’s Constitution, common law but is also internationally illegal and even akin to a dictatorship. 

"Even a temporary halt of the Constitution can only happen under a dictatorship. As a result the oldest democracy in Asia, Sri Lanka is now on a downward spiral towards the formation of a totalitarian state. The full responsibility of this lies with President Maithripala Sirisena alone," he said.

By creating such a situation the President has also recklessly violated all the pledges made by him and for his actions, President Sirisena should not only be punished by way of an impeachment but also through the common law of this country, he said
Samaraweera also said that the moment has arrived for everyone who values democracy to gather in spite of partisan, racial and religious allegiances to stand up against those who are responsible for the damage and destruction that have happened to Sri Lanka as a result of the president's actions.

A political crisis that has gripped this island nation since October is coming to a head this week, when Sri Lanka’s highest court is expected to issue a pivotal ruling in a dispute that has left the country with two people claiming to be prime minister.

The outcome could lead to deeper divisions or push the feuding factions toward a resolution, according to officials and analysts, with implications beyond Sri Lanka. The Indian Ocean nation of 21 million people is positioned along critical shipping lanes and has long been a focus of competition for influence among India, China and the West.

President Maithripala Sirisena ignited the crisis on Oct. 26, when he announced he was sacking his handpicked prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and replacing him with a former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is popular with the country’s Sinhalese Buddhist majority.

Mr. Wickremesinghe, who has the backing of leaders in parliament, refused to step down and has remained in the official prime minister’s residence even as Messrs. Sirisena and Rajapaksa have brought in a new cabinet and taken over state media outlets. Each side decries the other as illegitimate.

“What’s happened has the shape and structure of a coup even though it hasn’t involved military weapons,” said Nishan de Mel, an economist and political analyst at Verité Research, a think tank in Colombo, the capital. “Sri Lanka has never experienced something like this before.”

Ranil Wickremesinghe has the backing of leaders in Sri Lanka’s parliament. Photo: dinuka liyanawatte/Reuters

On Monday, an appeals court stayed the appointment of Mr. Rajapaksa and the new cabinet until it issues a ruling next week. Mr. Rajapaksa said he would appeal the stay and Mr. Sirisena said he would review it.

The crisis sparked a melee last month on the floor of parliament. And the economy has taken a hit—the European Union issued a travel advisory and tourist bookings declined, and the government’s credit rating was downgraded.

The currency has also weakened and international institutions have paused some lending and aid programs, including a critical installment of a loan from the International Monetary Fund and talks over a grant of hundreds of millions of dollars from the U.S.

Western governments are watching closely to see how the matter is decided. An orderly, transparent resolution backed by the courts would likely mean increasing engagement with India and the West after a brutal 30-year civil war that ended in 2009 left Sri Lanka internationally isolated.

But ongoing political paralysis, or further turmoil featuring military intervention or street protests, could set the country back on a course toward isolation and once again reliant on China, the one major power that has congratulated Mr. Rajapaksa for his recent appointment. Sri Lanka became heavily dependent on Beijing for loans and political support during Mr. Rajapaksa’s presidency, which lasted from 2005 to 2015.

The confrontation has its roots in the election that ended Mr. Rajapaksa’s presidency.

Sri Lanka's former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, is popular with the country’s Sinhalese Buddhist majority. Photo: Eranga Jayawardena/Associated Press 

Mr. Sirisena, who served in Mr. Rajapaksa’s government, ran against him in 2015. Capitalizing on concerns about alleged corruption and the growing power of the president’s family, Mr. Sirisena won a surprise victory and appointed Mr. Wickremesinghe, the head of the main opposition party, as prime minister.

The unlikely pair launched an effort to curb the power of the presidency by shortening the term by a year, and by setting a two-term limit. The changes also required the president’s pick for prime minister to have the support of a majority in parliament, and only allowed the president to dissolve parliament in the final six months of a five-year term.

But Sri Lanka’s economy has slowed in recent years, and tensions between Mr. Sirisena, who comes from a working-class family, and Mr. Wickremesinghe, a lawyer born into Sri Lanka’s elite, have grown.

Mr. Sirisena blames Mr. Wickremesinghe for the economic slowdown and accuses him of being aware of what Mr. Sirisena described as an assassination plot against him.“I had no choice but to go ahead with Rajapaksa,” he said, noting that Mr. Rajapaksa had assured him he could win majority support in parliament.

President Maithripala Sirisena blames Mr. Wickremesinghe for the country’s economic slowdown. Photo: dinuka liyanawatte/Reuters 

Mr. Wickremesinghe denies he was aware of or involved in any attempt on Mr. Sirisena’s life and blames the country’s sluggish economic performance on hefty payments for debt incurred under Mr. Rajapaksa.

“In 2015, the people gave a mandate to Mr. Sirisena to get rid of Mr. Rajapaksa. He can’t just bring him back and make him prime minister,” said Mr. Wickremesinghe.

Mr. Rajapaksa, though a spokesman, declined to comment. He has defended his appointment as an appropriate and legal move by the president to install a more effective and popular government.

After Mr. Wickremesinghe refused to step aside and Mr. Rajapaksa failed to win parliamentary backing, Mr. Sirisena announced he would dissolve parliament, despite being more than six months from the end of his term, which ends in 2020.

People gathered last month at a protest rally in Colombo organized by Mr. Wickremesinghe’s party. Photo: m a pushpa kumara/epa-efe/rex/Shutterstock 

This week, Sri Lanka’s supreme court is expected to decide whether Mr. Sirisena’s move was constitutional.

A deal between the two sides that sidelines Mr. Rajapaksa for now remains possible. Mr. Sirisena said he is willing to appoint another candidate who would have majority support in parliament. But Mr. Wickremesinghe’s backers control the majority and say they will only support him. Both sides are jockeying ahead of a possible parliamentary election, which could happen as soon as early next year.

And Mr. Rajapaksa is continuing to try to build popular support, appearing on posters visible across much of the country. The blunt appeal concerns some observers. “They may not be willing to take no for an answer,” said Alan Keenan, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, which monitors global conflicts.

(The Wall Street Journal)