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The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Central Committee (CC) that met last night ended without reaching a final decision on the party stance at the upcoming presidential election and the common symbol for the proposed alliance between the SLFP and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

The meeting was convened at 7 pm last night under the patronage of party leader, President Maithripala Sirisena.

SLFP Spokesperson, MP Weerakumara Dissanayake said the meeting ended with no agreement on the symbol that will be used if the party was to support the SLPP presidential candidate.

Dissanayake said the final decision on the matter would be discussed at a special Central Committee to be held on October 5.    

Talks between the SLFP and SLPP on forming an alliance have been stalled due to a stalemate in the issue of the alliance symbol. The SLPP maintains that the alliance symbol should be the SLPP’s “pohottuwa” (flower bud) symbol while the SLFP claims the party cannot be part of an alliance under the SLPP symbol and that the alliance should opt for a common symbol.

Basil’s meeting

Meanwhile, a few hours before the SLFP Central Committee meeting, SLPP National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa met with President Sirisena for a last minute discussion before the party’s decision making body met to decide on the SLFP’s stance.

It is learnt that Basil had pleaded with Sirisena to support the SLPP and its candidate, Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The President has once again reiterated that the SLFP would not form a political alliance under the “pohottuwa” symbol.

However, Basil has said that since the SLPP has already paid the deposit for its candidate at the Elections Commission, the party was helpless.

Sirisena has then responded saying that he could not say anything since the SLPP had paid the deposit based on a unilateral decision without even mentioning it to the SLFP when the parties were engaged in talks to form an alliance.

The discussion has ended afterwards with Basil making yet another request for the President to reconsider since the two parties could opt for a common symbol at the general elections.

However, sources at the Presidential Secretariat said the President is now looking at the latest political development following the court case challenging Gotabaya’s citizenship. Hence, the President is looking at the next options in the event Gotabaya is unable to contest at the upcoming presidential election.

UNP-SLFP talks

Meanwhile, the United National Party (UNP) has sought a meeting with the SLFP for a discussion on the current political situation and the possibility of forming an alliance.

Sources at the Presidential Secretariat said that the President was likely to let the SLFP hold a discussion with the UNP.

The meeting is scheduled to be held at 7 p.m. at the President’s official residence.

The CC is to discuss the stalemate in the talks to form an alliance between the SLFP and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the outcome of the President’s meeting with the SLPP leaders Mahinda Rajapaksa, Basil Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday (28).

The President yesterday (29) ruled out any possibility of the SLFP contesting under the SLPP’s “pohottuwa” symbol.

Meanwhile, the United National Party (UNP) has officially written to the SLFP seeking a meeting to discuss the current political situation in the country and the way forward.

It is learnt that the discussion would focus on the possibility of forming a political alliance between the SLFP and UNP.

The Magistrate released the suspect on a surety bail of Rs 200,000.

Defence Secretary (Rtd.) General Shantha Kottegoda has told The Sunday Morning, “We have to organise security for the premises and the building. We also have to finalise safety measures and guidelines for the public.”

He has further noted that some final touches to the interior too needed to be completed.

As a result, the Colombo Lotus Tower would be available for public use within a period of two weeks.

The Tower was initially scheduled to be open to the public a week after it was declared open by President Maithripala Sirisena on September 16th.

In addition, Kottegoda said that restaurants and other facilities would be operational only after several months.

“Tenders have to be called for vendors. These things could take several months,” the Defence Secretary has said. 

A petition was filed before the Court of Appeal by two civil society activists Gamini Viyangoda and Prof. Chandraguptha Thenuwara requesting not to recognise Rajapaksa as a Sri Lankan citizen due to irregularities in his dual citizenship certificate.

The Bench comprising of Justices Yasantha Kodagoda (President of the Court of Appeal) and Arjuna Obeysekera fixed the matter for support and considering of granting of interim relief.

However, the judges decided the case needs to be taken up by a three judge bench and justice Samayawardhana is expected to be the third judge to the bench when the case is taken up tomorrow (2).

Rajapaksa has been accused of violating the Citizenship Act, the Immigrants and Emigrants Act, and the Elections Act by engaging in political activities back during the 2005 presidential election while holding US citizenship.

Romesh de Silva PC has informed Court that they would raise a preliminary objection on the maintainability of the petition.

Petitioners Viyangoda and Prof. Thenuwara have cited Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, Commissioner General of Registration of Persons, Minister of Internal and and Home Affairs, Ministry Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Acting IGP C.D. Wickremarathe, Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne, CID Director G.S. Abeysekera and CID Special Branch OIC Lalith Dissanayake as Respondents.

Counsel Suren Fernando appeared for the petitioners while Romesh de Silva PC with Ali Sabry PC, Sugath Caldera, Ruwantha Cooray and Harith de Mel instructed by Sanath Wijewardane appeared for  Rajapaksa.

Gamini Marapana PC with Navin Marapana PC and Ganesh Dharmawardane appeared for Mahinda Rajapaksa while Deputy Solicitor General Nerin Pulle appeared for the Attorney General.  

The UNP is currently in the process of formulating a grand political alliance targeting the upcoming presidential election.

UNP General Secretary Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam had sent a letter to the SLFP General Secretary MP Dayasiri Jayasekara on Saturday (28) requesting for an appointment to discuss the formation of a political alliance between the two parties.

Kariyawasam had said that the UNP will be represented at the meeting by Party Leader Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, UNP presidential candidate Minister Sajith Premadasa, and himself (Kariyawasam) as the Party Secretary.

Kariyawasam said the UNP plans to discuss the current political situation in the country and the way forward with the SLFP.

SLFP General Secretary Jayasekara confirming the receipt of the letter says the SLFP will discuss with the UNP.

The UNP Working Committee and its parliamentary group on Thursday (26) unanimously endorsed the presidential candidacy of UNP Deputy Leader Premadasa, who will also be the presidential candidate of the United National Front (UNF) and political parties represented in the UNF – the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), and All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) – have expressed their support to Premadasa’s candidature.

Premadasa’s candidacy is to be further endorsed at a UNP convention on October 3 at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium and the election campaign is to be laucnhed with a rally on October 10 at the Galle Face Green.

Premadasa is to also contest under the “swan” symbol of the New Democratic Front (NDF), which also fielded President Sirisena as the common candidate at the last presidential election in 2015.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has also been trying to form an alliance with the SLFP.

President Maithripala Sirisena also contested under the "Swan" symbol of the New Democratic Front (NDF) at the 2015 presidential election.

A new report issued by the International Crisis Group (ICG) says the situation in Sri Lanka has only become more dangerous following the April attacks.

 Although the small group of Islamic State-inspired militants was clearly at the far fringes of Muslim society, and although no evidence suggests that any remain at large, Sri Lanka’s peaceful Muslim population now confronts a significant backlash.

 The report says Sinhalese Buddhist nationalists have waged a campaign of violence and hate while a weak and divided political leadership has either stood idly by or, worse, egged on the abuse.

 “Meanwhile political divisions within government have obstructed efforts to reform dysfunctional Police and intelligence services that failed to head off the attacks, despite warnings from foreign partners. Rather than taking the country back toward the cliff of conflict, Sri Lanka’s leaders should focus their attention on repairing the state’s broken security apparatus, and stop alienating law-abiding Muslim citizens who represent 10 per cent of the population,” the report said.

The International Crisis Group said that while threats are always easier spotted in hindsight, the Easter attacks nevertheless represented a massive security failure by the Sri Lankan state.

 Foreign intelligence services had warned their Sri Lankan counterparts of a significant imminent attack on churches weeks before the bombing, even naming the radical Salafi preacher, M.C.M. Zaharan, who helped organise the attacks.

Not all of the small group of jihadis involved in the bombings was identified in advance, but Zaharan was known to Sri Lanka’s police.

The anti-terrorism division of the police had been tracking him since the faction he led brutally attacked followers of a moderate Sufi Muslim cleric in 2017, and had warrants out for his arrest.

“A less dysfunctional government might have still failed to connect incoming intelligence with the information on Zaharan in Sri Lankan police files, but it would have tried much harder,” the report said.

It also notes that what has happened since the attacks is as concerning as what happened before.

The report says given that members of the small group behind the Easter bombings all appear to be dead or arrested, public fears of further jihadi attacks in the short term have receded.

But with dysfunction in the security services left largely unaddressed, and the country’s political and Sinhalese Buddhist religious leadership either oblivious or indifferent to the ill will they may be sowing with the nation’s law-abiding Muslim citizens, the International Crisis Group says Sri Lanka is nonetheless taking steps down a dangerous path.

The report says it is past time to reverse course, lower communal tensions and focus on the critical and unfinished work of knitting together a fractured country.

He underscored the relevance of the Bandung Principles at a time when global multilateral mechanisms are under strain, when addressing the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) held in New York, on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Given that NAM encompasses 55 percent of the world’s population it has a moral duty to give voice to the concerns of the Global South, especially the developing small States.

The Foreign Secretary also expressed hope that the upcoming COP25, to be held in Chile would galvanize efforts in combating climate change by meeting the commitments entailed in the Paris Agreement.

Foreign Secretary Aryasinha stated that Sri Lanka attaches importance on combating all forms of racism, hate and violent extremism and that there is a need to focus on the new threats that have emerged, demonstrated by the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka.

He stressed that such a global menace threatens the security of all nations and cannot be tackled by a single country alone but requires collective efforts and called on NAM to collectively contribute to this global security threat in a constructive and cohesive manner.

The Foreign Secretary stated that Sri Lanka believes in a free society where freedom of expression is ensured, however there is a need to be conscious of the growing threat of hate speech and abuse of the internet and social media platforms.