- Parliamentary Council to officially commence work this week
- President’s appointments to Supreme Court Council’s first duty
- SLPP commences paving path for Basil’s entrance to Parliament
- Chinese focus on taking relations with Sri Lanka to next level
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has adopted a hands-on approach to address the re-emergence of the virus by convening daily meetings of the Covid-19 Task Force and personally looking in to the steps taken to address the situation while maintaining economic activities in the country.
While calling on the authorities to work towards lifting the quarantine curfew imposed in the Western Province tomorrow (9), the President has instructed officials to strictly monitor the quarantine process implemented to control the spread of Covid-19 after the curfew is lifted.
The families identified as close contacts of Covid-19-infected patients have been self-quarantined within their own homes while this figure is now close to 84,000 persons in 31,457 homes, the President’s Media Division (PMD) stated.
Within the Western Province alone, a total of 40,676 persons have been self-quarantined in 13,911 homes.
The President has emphasised the need to strictly monitor the persons who are under quarantine once the curfew has been lifted.
House meets
It is in this backdrop that parliamentary sittings were held amidst the quarantine curfew.
Media personnel were last week barred from covering parliamentary sessions when the House met for a brief one-day session last Tuesday (3). Parliament coverage was telecast via a cable television channel, Facebook Live, YouTube, and Parliament Webcast.
The Committee on Parliamentary Business decided to limit sittings to one day due to the Covid-19 pandemic and only for two hours, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
Two regulations to the Medical Ordinance submitted by Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi were taken up for debate.
Only Members of Parliament (MPs), invited officials, security personnel, and Parliament staff were allowed to come into the complex on that day.
Meanwhile, the Committee on Parliamentary Business also decided to meet on Thursday (12) and pass the Appropriation Bill presented by the Minister of Finance for service expenditure for the financial year 2020.
The Government will present its Budget to Parliament on 17 November.
Parliamentary proceedings were dominated by the current Covid-19 situation in the country and attacks and counterattacks between the Opposition and governing party were based on it.
However, the call of all Opposition political parties was for the Government to prepare a national action plan to address the Covid-19 situation in the country. They extended unconditional support for it.
Last week also saw the inaugural meeting of the Parliamentary Council (PC) established under the 20th Amendment. The Constitutional Council that was set up under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution became defunct with the implementation of the 20th Amendment late last month.
The new Parliamentary Council only has powers to make its observations on the nominees sent by the President.
The Council also has a week to communicate its observations and in the event it fails to communicate its observations to the President, the proposed appointments could be carried out and the President could confirm the appointment.
The Council is headed by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and has two ex-officio members, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. Its two other members are Minister Douglas Devananda, who is the Prime Minister’s nominee, and MP Kabir Hashim, who is the Opposition Leader’s nominee.
All Council members attended the inaugural meeting last week. Parliament Secretary General Dhammika Dasanayake and Deputy Secretary General and Chief of Staff Neil Iddawala were also present at the meeting.
At the first meeting, the Council was expected to take up nominees submitted by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, but had not taken up the names during the meeting.
The Council had instead discussed the framework within which it will operate under the 20th Amendment to the Constitution and decided to meet again on Tuesday (10) to formally commence its work.
The President has submitted several names to be considered by the Parliamentary Council for appointment to the Supreme Court (SC).
Hence, the new appointments to the SC are likely to be made by the President shortly.
A last-minute amendment was moved to the 20th Amendment and the Government increased the number of judges in the SC from 11 to 16, and 11 to 19 in the Court of Appeal.
Presenting the said amendment, Justice Minister Ali Sabry informed the House that the reason for increasing the numbers in the two superior courts is to expedite the hearing of cases and/or clear the backlog.
Mahinda bids adieu
Election Commission (EC) Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya last week cleared his office in preparation of his retirement that is to commence when the tenure of the EC comes to an end on the 16th of this month.
With the 20th Amendment to the Constitution being passed in Parliament, a new Chairman and members are to be appointed to the Commission.
The EC consists of two other members and it is learnt that they have already vacated their offices.
Once the term of the EC comes to an end, Deshapriya will conclude his tenure of nearly 37 years in the election office.
Under the 20th Amendment, five new commissioners are to be appointed to the EC. The EC under the 19th Amendment had three commissioners.
Deshapriya, when questioned about his tenure in the EC, maintained that he did not wish to make any statements and preferred to silently commence his retirement.
Spotlight on Basil
Founder and theoretician of the governing Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), former Minister Basil Rajapaksa, was last week in the limelight once again. This time, it was over his impending entrance to Parliament following the implementation of the 20th Amendment that permits dual citizens to hold public office including parliamentary representation.
[caption id="attachment_44496" align="alignleft" width="300"]
SLPP Founder and theoretician Basil Rajapaksa[/caption]
Basil is a dual citizen of the US and Sri Lanka and was barred from entering Parliament under the 19th Amendment.
Basil currently holds the leadership of the Task Force for Economic Revival and Poverty Alleviation.
The day prior to last week’s parliamentary sittings, the rumour mill was at work overtime regarding the resignation of SLPP National List MP Jayantha Ketagoda from Parliament in order to make way for Basil to be appointed to Parliament through the SLPP National List.
It was rumoured that Basil would be sworn in when Parliament met last Tuesday (3).
However, sources close to Basil Rajapaksa told The Sunday Morning that Rajapaksa had not taken any decision yet on entering Parliament.
Minister of Irrigation and State Minister of Internal Security, Home Affairs, and Disaster Management Chamal Rajapaksa said all SLPP members were requesting his brother, Basil, to enter Parliament.
He told The Sunday Morning that despite the requests made by the SLPP MPs, Basil had not yet made a decision regarding the matter.
“All MPs are requesting it because it is Basil who forms the SLPP. But he has not taken a decision yet,” he said, whilst refuting media reports that SLPP MP Jayantha Ketagoda is to resign from his parliamentary seat to pave the way for Basil to enter Parliament.
When asked whether the SLPP had made an official decision, Minister Chamal Rajapaksa stressed that no such official decision was made.
During the vote on the 20th Amendment (20A) in Parliament last month, a member of the All Ceylon Muslim Congress (ACMC) voted against the piece of legislation but voted in favour of the clause on dual citizens.
ACMC MP S.M.M. Muszhaaraff, when questioned on his decision, said: “We agreed that we would oppose the 20A. Clause 17 was a completely different matter, which is why I decided to vote in favour of it. However, there were some who supported the Government with the passing of the 20A in its entirety, and there were members from the Government who opposed Clause 17.”
“Just because I sit with the Opposition, it does not mean I have to oppose every move the Government makes,” he added.
Basil however, has remained tight-lipped about the speculation of his entrance to Parliament.
In the run-up to the 20th Amendment’s tabling in Parliament, Basil maintained that the value of the new piece of legislation should not be disregarded by saying it is aimed at paving the way for him to enter Parliament.
Ketagoda, who is slated to resign from Parliament to make way for Basil, had said that Basil would enter Parliament only at the opportune time.
“(Basil) Rajapaksa is the Founder of our party. It is our wish that he should become an MP and at the appropriate time, he will be sworn in. It will not take place according to the interests of the online speculators,” Ketagoda had told the media.
As for whether he would resign from Parliament to make way for Basil’s nomination, according to Ketagoda, there were several MPs ready to forgo their seats to make way for Basil.
However, Ketagoda had said he would be first among them.
“(Basil) Rajapaksa will only decide when to swear in. There is an overwhelming request from the rank and file of the party for him to be an MP,” he had further said.
Meanwhile, SLPP General Secretary and MP Sagara Kariyawasam said MP Ketagoda had not tendered his resignation.
“These are just rumours. If such a thing is happening, we would announce it at a news conference without being discreet,” the MP said.
It was rumoured that MP Ketagoda would resign tomorrow and Basil Rajapaksa would be sworn in as MP in his place.
SLPP anniversary
Last week was a milestone for the SLPP, which marked its fourth year in politics on Monday (2).
In celebrating the occasion, SLPP Chairman Professor G.L. Peiris issued a statement capturing the achievements the party gained in a short span of time.
“Looking at the path the party has taken since then, I consider it a privilege to have held the position of Chairman of such a party.
“I heartily congratulate the future of the Sri Lanka People’s Front, which is celebrating its fourth anniversary today,” Peiris noted.
Following are excerpts of his statement:
“The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, which inherited a glorious leadership of the country, is directing party politics in a new direction. As a result of the 2015 general elections, the thinking of the people of this country changed. The expectations of the country did not seem to be fulfilled and the government that came to power as a people’s government did not appear to be in power.
“People began to wonder whether the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa would prosper in the next phase of the political annals. Politically confused people waited hopefully until the gap in patriotic politics was filled.
“Basil Rajapaksa pioneered the filling of the gap by shifting the political genealogy in a new direction. Due to his strong commitment, a new political party called the Sri Lanka People’s Front entered the arena on 2 November 2016. The SLPP grew by choosing the lotus flower as its symbol, turning the existing party politics in a new direction and becoming a strong challenge to the Government in power, based on the views of the people.
“People’s testimony confirmed that the SLPP has grown well in the 2018 local government elections. In as little as a month, the party was able to renew the Sri Lankan political annals with 71% of the vote. In a very short period of time, the SLPP managed to garner the highest number of votes in the history of party politics.
“Taking that victory to the next level, the SLPP was able to add a distinguished leader as well as a pro-people, great man to the political annals of the country at the presidential election in 2019. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa won a landslide victory by garnering the 6,924,255 votes, further consolidating the stability of the SLPP as a political party.
“Given the organisational capacity of the party, the SLPP was able to identify the conscience of the people by conversing with the village, making the vision of prosperity a programme that goes beyond concepts. As a result, the SLPP managed to win the general election with a two-thirds majority, turning political history upside down and becoming the proudest political party in the country.”
Wimal put in place
Leader of an SLPP ally, the National Freedom Front (NFF), Minister Wimal Weerawansa, who has been waxing eloquent on his agitation against the controversial US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact, has received somewhat of a telling off from President Rajapaksa.
Weerawansa is one of the leading figures in the governing party opposing the MCC deal.
Despite the public outcry against the deal by him and several other SLPP allies, they were noticeably silent during the recent visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Sri Lanka.
However, after Pomepo’s meeting with the President, where it was discussed and decided to move forward and beyond the MCC deal, the likes of Weerawansa were seen once again rabblerousing against the MCC Compact.
Weerawansa told the media soon after Pomepo left the country, that he would not be a member of a government that signs the MCC deal.
He further noted that as far as he knew, Prime Minister Rajapaksa did not have any interest in meeting with Pompeo during his Sri Lankan visit.
However, the President, taking a swipe at the likes of Weerawansa last week, said that he would not sign the MCC deal under any circumstance, and that has resulted in some individuals making statements to please the gallery on the actions they would resort to in the event the agreement was signed.
“The MCC agreement will not be signed even in a dream. Some individuals keep making statements to the gallery saying they would resort to various actions if the agreement was signed due to this reason. These individuals know very well that the MCC agreement will not be signed. Therefore, I say without any hesitation that all talk about resorting to various actions if the MCC agreement is signed is gallery talk,” the President told our sister newspaper, Aruna.
New Chinese envoy arrives
Given the ongoing clash between the US and China, in which Sri Lanka now figures prominently, mainly due to the country’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean, China is now looking at taking its diplomatic ties with Sri Lanka and the Government to a higher level.
The public statements and counterstatements between the US and China in the run-up to Pompeo’s visit to Sri Lanka and afterwards has put Sri Lanka-China relations on a new trajectory.
In order to take the relations between the two countries to the next level, China has chosen a well-seasoned diplomat as its new envoy in Colombo.
China’s new Ambassador Qi Zhenhong, with over 30 years’ experience and expertise in the Chinese foreign service, arrived in Sri Lanka on 30 October and will assume duties after a two-week quarantine period.
Upon arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Ambassador Qi, in a message, had stated: “The minute I landed on the land of Sri Lanka, ‘the Pearl of the Indian Ocean’, its beauty, hospitality, and kindness have made me feel very touched and heart-warmed. Entrusted by the Government and the people of China, I assume my office as the new Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka with deep honour in my heart and great responsibility on my shoulder.”
He said the friendly relations between China and Sri Lanka could be traced back thousands of years ago, and the two countries are strategic co-operative partners based on sincere mutual assistance and ever-lasting friendship.
“Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, especially after President Xi Jinping’s visit to Sri Lanka in 2014, we have seen much achievement in bilateral exchanges and co-operation in various areas, and maintained close communication and co-ordination on international and regional affairs. More recently, the time-tested friendship and trust between our two countries have grown even stronger through the joint fight against Covid-19, which set a great example of foreign relations with sincere friendship and mutual support between different countries,” he said.
As the new Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Ambassador Qi said he looks forward to working with all colleagues and friends both from China and Sri Lanka, and striving for more achievement in the years to come.
“Let’s join hands to implement the consensus reached by leaders of our two countries, promote our strategic co-operative partnership, build the Belt and Road Initiative and other co-operation with extensive consultation and joint contribution, so as to bring tangible benefits to our two people and better ensure peace, stability, development, and prosperity in this region. Once again please accept my greetings and gratitude,” Ambassador Qi added.
Qi Zhenhong joined the Chinese foreign service in 1988, with a university degree.
Between 1988 and 1996, he was Assistant Economist, Economist, and Deputy Director of the Operation and Audit Office, Beijing Service Bureau for Diplomatic Missions. Between 1996 and 1997, he was Second Secretary Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group. Between 1997 and 1998, he was Second Secretary to the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Between 1998 and 2004, he was Second Secretary, Deputy Division Director, and Division Director at the Policy Planning Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Between 2004 and 2009, he was Division Director, Counsellor, Policy Planning Department, MFA; and from 2009 to 2012, Counsellor, Deputy Director General, Policy Planning Department, MFA. Between 2012 and 2014, he was Deputy Director General, General Office, MFA and thereafter, until 2017, he was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Between 2017 and October 2020, he was the President of the China Institute of International Studies.
Strengthening ties
As part of further strengthening ties between Sri Lanka and China, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has revamped its public engagements with the governing SLPP.
It is in this backdrop that the CPC and SLPP last Wednesday (4) held an advanced seminar on governance via video, strictly abiding by the health guidelines of both countries.
Minister Song Tao of the International Department of Central Committees of the CCP, Party Secretary Liu Cigui of CCP Provincial Committee of Hainan Province, SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris, Secretary General Sagara Kariyawasam, SLPP MPs including Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Namal Rajapaksa, and Dr. Ramesh Pathirana together with some state ministers and mayors from the Western Province had participated in the meeting.
Ambassador-Designate Qi Zhenhong had joined the discussion in his self-quarantine and delivered a speech on behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka.
The advanced seminar is aimed at implementing the consensus reached by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and President Xi Jinping in their telephone conversation, as well as the recent high-level visit of Yang Jiechi to Sri Lanka, according to the Chinese.
During the seminar, bilateral relations of the two countries and the two parties, suggestions on the CCP-SLPP co-operation and long-term exchanges, Hainan’s successful practice on provincial development and poverty alleviation, and joint combat against Covid-19 had reportedly been broadly discussed.
The CCP had also given an introduction on its fifth Plenum of the 19th National Congress, at which the CCP Central Committee proposed the 14th Five-Year Plan and the 2035 Vision, specifying China’s goal of development for the next five to 15 years.
The SLPP and CCP had also shared their opinions on aligning the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Sri Lanka’s “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour” policy plan to bring more tangible benefits to the two peoples.
"To overcome the huge challenge in front of us, on one hand we need to support each other in both medical supplies and financial supplies; on the other hand, we need more co-operation in disease prevention and treatment, economic revival and local governance, etc. As ruling parties, the CCP and SLPP should enhance experience sharing so as to better lead the two Governments and the two peoples towards a brighter future,” Qi had stated.
UNP-SJB
Meanwhile, in the Opposition ranks, the United National Party (UNP) last week called on all Opposition parties to form a coalition in the face of the 20th Amendment.
UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene made the suggestion at a press conference held last week, following comments by Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara that the UNP should appoint Wijewardene as the Party Leader.
Bandara extended the olive branch to Wijewardena last Monday (2), pointing out that the SJB was willing to work with the UNP if Wijewardene was appointed as Party Leader.
“After the passing of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, the President has gained an enormous amount of power. I believe that all Opposition parties must come together and form a coalition in Parliament against it,” Wijewardene said, thanking the SJB for the faith it had placed in him.
The SJB, meanwhile, had held several rounds of unofficial discussions with the UNP to identify areas that the two parties could look at working together.