• President’s Office delegation stranded in NY prior to RW’s address at UNGA
• Lankan mission in NY had held back passes, later released following protests
• Lack of passes to attend UNGA had made accompanying MPs sit on sidelines
• Sajith questions SLPP MPs in New York without ministers, notes high expenses
• RW’s comments on AUKUS creates a stir, many unhappy but China is happy
• Chinese Shi Yan 6 yet to receive green light; Xiang Yang Hong 03 to visit in Jan.
• SJB demands all PCoI docs on Easter attacks, Speaker notes Prez. Sec. directive
• Tiran organises briefing on Easter attacks probe for Opposition MPs on request
• Vajira shocks many with call for probe on CBSL Governor and Treasury Secretary
• SLPP dissidents continue talks with others; SLFP crisis continues with race for post

The past week was one similar to a political potpourri for the Ranil Wickremesinghe Government, with chaos in the local political scene while a composed President Wickremesinghe was seen meeting with members of the international community in New York.

The Government’s move to gazette an Online Safety Bill, which has come under fire by the Opposition and civil society, as well as the debate on the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks probe, including the allegations levelled by the UK-based Channel 4 in a recent documentary, dominated the local political news. This news even put aside the review of Sri Lanka’s economy and governance being carried out by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of its Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme for Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by local think tank Verité Research had found that 45% of Sri Lankans believed that the IMF’s EFF programme would make things worse for the economy in the future. However, the sample size used for the survey had been small.

The survey had found that approximately 28% of the population believed that Sri Lanka’s ongoing programme with the IMF would make things better for the country’s economy in the future. 

The survey had posed the question, ‘How is Sri Lanka’s IMF programme contributing to the present and future of the economy?’ to the respondents. They were provided five answer options. They were: ‘It will make things better, both now and in the future,’ ‘Even if it is worse now, it will make things better in the future,’ ‘It will make things worse, both now and in the future,’ ‘Even if it is better now, it will make things worse in the future,’ and ‘Do not know/no idea’.

Of the respondents, 28% had selected option one or two and 45% had chosen option three or four. The remaining 27% had selected the last option. The poll was based on an island-wide, nationally-representative sample of responses from 1,008 Sri Lankan adults, conducted in June 2023.

False sense of security

However, it is becoming more evident that Sri Lankans are being lulled by a false sense of security in relation to economic stability given the continuous high goods and services prices as well as the crisis conditions in the country’s health and education sectors.

It is in such a backdrop that the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) last week stated that the Sri Lankan economy has contracted by 3.1% in the second quarter (Q2) of this year against the value reported in the same quarter in the previous year.

The DCS further stated that in the second quarter of 2023, the pressure on short-term and long-term investments caused by high interest rates in the economy had remained effective. 

The department had also pointed out that high input costs have led to the deterioration of international competitiveness in terms of exports and as a result, it has led to a decrease in export volumes.

Along with these developments, the consumption pattern of the general public was limited to consuming mainly consumer goods due to the pressure exerted through the reduction in real income, the DCS had noted.

Meanwhile, State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe has stated that Sri Lanka expects inflation to drop further between 2.5-3% by the end of September, after recording 4% in August, as the economy is expected to stabilise towards the end of the year.

“Inflation has been brought down to 4% from 70% in September 2022, and we expect it will further drop to approximately 2.5-3%,” he had said at a recent event.

Stranded in New York

However, the President’s Media Division (PMD) was focused on President Wickremesinghe’s visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

It is learnt that the Presidential Secretariat delegation was left stranded outside the General Assembly this past week.

President Wickremesinghe delivered his address to the General Assembly on Thursday (21). However, several members of his presidential delegation, including the Secretary to the President, had been left stranded outside the General Assembly ahead of his speech. It had then transpired that members of the New York Permanent Mission had chosen to withhold passes for themselves, without providing them to the delegation members.

After a tense exchange between the delegation and the mission members, the delegation had been provided with the necessary passes. However, the Members of Parliament (MPs) who were accompanying the President were forced to sit on the sidelines of the meeting due to the mission members failing to secure passes for all of them. 

Highly-placed sources indicated that concerns have been raised previously by the Presidential Secretariat over the costs attributed to the New York Mission, including the large number of staff members that are attached to it.

It is now evident that the operations of Sri Lanka’s mission in New York will be subjected to a review upon the President’s return to the country.

SLPPers in New York

A group of ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) parliamentarians had also accompanied President Wickremesinghe to New York.

SLPP MPs Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, and Premnath C. Dolawatte had joined the President’s delegation while Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Vadivel Suresh and MP S.M. Muszhaaraff were also part of the delegation.

Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa last week raised concerns in Parliament over the President’s delegation to UNGA, consisting of several SLPP MPs. Premadasa had questioned why several SLPP MPs who were not ministers or officials of the Government had been included in the President’s delegation.

The Opposition Leader had further noted that such a delegation had taken flight to New York at a time when the country was facing an economic crisis and shortages of several essential goods. 

“The party leaders were not informed of this delegation. SLPP MPs who were the cause for the country to go bankrupt are among the officials in the delegation. They are travelling using the people’s money,” Premadasa had noted.

Premadasa’s comments however had resulted in a heated exchange of words between him and Chief Government Whip Minister Prasanna Ranatunga.

Meeting leaders

Meanwhile, President Wickremesinghe’s meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had witnessed the Bangladeshi leader stating that her country had not expected Sri Lanka to pay back the loan so fast.

Hasina had informed Wickremesinghe that she was pleased with Sri Lanka’s speedy recovery from the financial crisis.

Meanwhile, Wickremesinghe had apologised to Hasina for not being able to visit Bangladesh in the past due to various commitments and circumstances.

The UNGA is a perfect opportunity for world leaders to connect with their counterparts and discuss issues that are otherwise mired in diplomatic jargon. The President had taken this opportunity last week when he held meetings with several world leaders, including the Prime Minister of Malaysia and the President of Iran. 

During discussions with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the President had been invited to visit the country, which is viewed as a step forward in Wickremesinghe’s vision to integrate Sri Lanka’s economy with South East Asia. 

Since Sri Lanka has been exploring the possibility of securing Iranian oil in exchange for Sri Lankan tea, the meeting with the Iranian President will certainly prove to be invaluable. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had been quick to praise the President’s apparent willingness to engage with foreign leaders from all over the world, without isolating the country within a single political bloc.

The President also met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, with the meeting being requested by the latter. During the conversation, the South Korean President had expressed a great deal of interest in the President’s climate change initiatives, including the proposed climate change university. The Korean delegation had indicated interest in partnering in the project.

RW stirs a hornet’s nest

However, President Wickremesinghe managed to set alight political circles around the world with his questioning of AUKUS, while speaking at a side event of the UNGA, hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 

Speaking during the event, the President had highlighted that the US’ military capabilities had now been over-stretched due to the military agreement. Explaining that the US would now be forced to re-divert its offensive capabilities to defensive positions in possible support of the UK, the President had described the military pact as a “misstep”. 

This caught the attention of many lawmakers in both the US and China. The highly-coveted National Review, read by numerous Washington lawmakers, was quick to grab on to the comments. With the Republicans tipped to win back the White House in next year’s Presidential Election, US foreign policy is expected to undergo a revamp. With the Ukraine war proving unpopular amongst Republicans due to the large costs, further criticism of Democratic-led foreign policy initiatives will be welcomed by them.

On the other side of the ocean, Chinese diplomatic circles welcomed the President’s assertion that no Chinese spy ship had visited Sri Lankan ports. 

Ahead of the President’s visit to China next month, where he is expected to secure China’s agreement on the debt restructuring, a public statement of this magnitude is expected to go a long way in Wickremesinghe’s efforts to secure their favour.

Chinese vessel conundrum

Nevertheless, the issue of Chinese spy ships in the Indian Ocean remains a concern for the Indian Government and the US, which have expressed these concerns on several occasions through diplomatic channels to the Sri Lankan Government.

Controversy also continues to surround the Chinese research vessel Shi Yan 6, which has requested to visit Sri Lanka and engage in research work in Sri Lankan waters.

While the vessel had requested to call at Colombo on 26 October, the Government of Sri Lanka, after asking the vessel to delay its arrival till November, is yet to confirm the date and area to be permitted for the vessel to carry out research work.

Interestingly, a similar Chinese vessel, Xiang Yang Hong 03, is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka next January.

Controversial bill

Meanwhile, the Wickremesinghe Government last week took a step in trying to regulate social media by gazetting the Online Safety Bill on Monday (18) night. 

Members of the Opposition and civil society have decried the bill since Tuesday (19), stating that it is a clampdown on freedom of expression. Opposition legislators also pointed out that such a move would result in global tech companies no longer wanting to engage with Sri Lanka. 

Several hours after these comments, the PMD released photos of President Wickremesinghe meeting with Meta’s President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg. During the meeting, the President had briefed Clegg on the proposed bill, indicating that the Government would be incorporating changes to the bill based on public comments via the Supreme Court at the parliamentary committee stage. It is learnt that Clegg had requested Wickremesinghe to seriously reconsider such legislation.

Certainly the interest expressed by Meta in exploring partnerships with Sri Lanka in the field of AI will come as a welcome development in the President’s drive for AI development.

Easter attacks saga

Be that as it may, one of the key areas of focus last week was the parliamentary discussion and debate on the investigation of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks following the claims made by a Channel 4 documentary recently.

Opposition Leader Premadasa last week in Parliament demanded the disclosure of the facts included in the second volume of the report prepared by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Easter Sunday attacks.

Premadasa had told Parliament on Tuesday (19) that his parliamentary privileges had been violated by Parliament staff by not being issued the important parts of Volume 2 of the report prepared by the Easter attacks PCoI despite having requested the same on several occasions in Parliament.

The Opposition Leader had noted that the incumbent Government was also continuing the order given by then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to not issue Parts 2 and 3 of Volume 2 of the said report. He had noted that the said reports had been asked to be used in the parliamentary library under the supervision of the Parliamentary Secretary General. 

Premadasa had called for the aforementioned parts to be given to all MPs, stating that it was important for the debate on the revelations made by the controversial Channel 4 documentary. “These parts must be given to all 225 MPs since we have privileges to know what those parts contain. How can we debate the matters revealed by the said documentary without having an understanding about what is included in the PCoI report,” he had questioned.

Speaker’s directive

Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena meanwhile addressed the concerns raised over the failure to disclose to the public certain details included in the report presented by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on the 2019 Easter attacks.

The Speaker made a special statement in Parliament on Thursday (21) morning where he informed the House that certain information and documents included in the PCoI report, such as confidential witness statements, could be disclosed to the public, as per a directive of the Secretary to the President.

Abeywardena had stated that communications received by him from the Secretary to the President on 3 and 14 March 2022 had emphasised that the aforementioned details could not be made available to the public on account of safeguarding the relevant witnesses’ anonymity and should only be used for the reference of the MPs, under the supervision of the Secretary General of Parliament.

Briefing MPs

Meanwhile, Government parliamentarians were called for a meeting on Tuesday (19) morning under Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena’s patronage, where issues related to the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks and its probe were taken up for discussion.

Later that day, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles convened a meeting for MPs at 2.30 p.m. to brief about the progress of the investigations carried out into the attacks. The meeting was convened at the request of the Opposition and was attended by senior officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Terrorism Investigation Division (TID).

TID Head SSP Prasanna Alwis had been among the senior Police personnel to brief the MPs. While it was earlier reported that Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) Nilantha Jayawardena and SDIG Deshabandu Tennakoon were to attend the meeting to brief the MPs, both officers had not attended the meeting.

Members of the Opposition attending the meeting had questioned how two Police officers accused of failing to prevent the 2019 Easter attacks could brief about the progress of the investigation.

However, there was much controversy over Jayawardena’s presence in Parliament after media reports stated that he had visited Parliament that day for another meeting. The Police responded saying that Jayawardena had visited Parliament to attend a session of the Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on Energy and Transport and not to attend any meeting related to the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

Meanwhile, during the briefing meeting for legislators, the Government had reportedly revealed that the US State Department had stated that it would not make sense for the US to conduct an additional investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

Christopher A. Landberg of the Bureau of Counterterrorism had reportedly stated this in a letter dated 7 April 2022 to Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the US Mahinda Samarasinghe.

Online news reports stated that the Public Security Ministry had shared the contents of the letter with MPs during the briefing.

It was also revealed that the then Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) had sent a message of warning to his superiors a day prior to the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019.

Accordingly, SDIG Jayawardena had reportedly sent the message at 4.54 p.m. on 20 April 2019 to the then Inspector General of Police (IGP), Defence Secretary, and the DIG of the CID and had received confirmation that they had seen it.

Meanwhile, Leader of the House Dr. Susil Premajayantha told Parliament on Wednesday (20) that no Police officer has been accused by the PCoI into the Easter Sunday terror attacks. He had made this comment in response to an oral question raised by SJB MP Hector Appuhamy to be answered by the Public Security Minister.

SF-Maithri clash

However, the two-day parliamentary debate on the 2019 Easter attacks saw Government and Opposition legislators trading charges and counter charges. The debate ended with no solid outcome and justice for the victims continuing to remain a far reality.

Nevertheless, the debate, as usual, saw much name-calling with the heated exchange of words between Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Leader, former President Maithripala Sirisena and Opposition MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka taking centre stage. 

The war of words had erupted after Fonseka had alleged that Sirisena may have met SIS Director Suresh Sallay in India prior to the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. Fonseka had accused the former President of hiding in Singapore at a time of threat to national security in the home country. 

Responding to his allegations, Sirisena denied the accusations, leading to an exchange of heated words between the two parliamentarians, with Fonseka even using un-parliamentary words to address Sirisena.

Cardinal’s rejection

Meanwhile, Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has rejected the latest appointment of a committee to investigate revelations by Britain’s Channel 4 about the Easter Sunday attacks. He had stated that a new committee of inquiry would be as futile as the previous ones that had investigated the 2019 bombings.

Cardinal Ranjith had also questioned how an independent investigation could take place when those responsible were holding top positions. He had made this observation while joining mass at St. Mary’s Church in Kalutara, which was celebrating its 125th anniversary. “These are mere eyewash. The conduct of the leaders is shameful.”

President Wickremesinghe had appointed retired Supreme Court Judge S.I. Imam to head a committee to look into the allegations made by Channel 4 and the other members of the committee are retired Air Force Commander A.C.M. Jayalath Weerakkody and President’s Counsel Harsha A.J. Soza. The new committee has stated that it will commence a fresh probe into the allegations regardless of findings of previous committees.

Namal to present proposals

On the political front, President Wickremesinghe’s key coalition partner, the SLPP, has stated that it will present a joint proposal for the 2024 Budget. SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa had told reporters that the joint proposal would be presented together with the other alliance members of the SLPP. 

Rajapaksa had noted that a key element of the proposal would be the suggestion to extend the Samurdhi scheme for another year due to certain issues in the new Aswesuma welfare benefit scheme. Namal had further stated that the SLPP was also focusing on the improvement of the rural economy with the aim of making a greater contribution to the national economy.

Meanwhile, SLPP Leader, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had recently attended a public gathering of the SLPP when he had participated in a meeting with lawyers affiliated to the party.

Meeting SF, Patali

Meanwhile, the SLPP dissidents’ group led by MPs Nimal Lanza and Anura Yapa is continuing with the political agenda by holding meetings with Opposition political parties and individuals to expand the newly-formed alliance. The group had met SJB Chairman Sarath Fonseka and United Republican Party Leader, Opposition MP Patali Champika Ranawaka.

Both meetings had taken place at the Parliamentary Complex and one of the key topics discussed had been the upcoming elections.

The SLPP breakaway group had met MPs of the SLFP as well as Party Leader Sirisena and a spokesperson for the dissidents’ group had said they were likely to reach an arrangement soon with Sirisena as well.

However, the new alliance had reached an agreement that SLFP MPs would not be allowed to join the alliance individually as the talks held so far had resulted in building consensus over the fact that the SLFP needed to join as a party.

Race for the post

Meanwhile, on the side of the SLFP, the ongoing internal crisis has been further compounded by a race among several party seniors to secure the now vacant post of SLFP general secretary. 

The recent removal of MP Dayasiri Jayasekara as the party’s general secretary has resulted in a split within the party on who the next general secretary should be.

Party sources have been quoted as saying that Senior Deputy Secretary Sarath Ekanayake and National Organiser Duminda Dissanayake are two of the top names being coined for the general secretary slot.

Following Jayasekara’s removal, Ekanayake was appointed by SLFP Leader Sirisena as the Acting General Secretary. However, the appointment was prevented by a court order.

Since the court order directed the appointment of an acting general secretary through the party’s Executive Committee, Sirisena convened the Executive Committee, where it was decided to appoint MP Dushmantha Mithrapala as the Acting General Secretary.

Dayasiri blocks Maithri

However, the Colombo District Court on Thursday (21) issued an enjoining order preventing the operation of a letter sent by SLFP Leader Sirisena to Jayasekara calling for explanation over several allegations and suspension from the party.

Colombo District Court Judge Sandun Vithana had delivered the order taking into consideration a plaint filed by Jayasekara. The enjoining order will be effective till 5 October.

Jayasekara, through his lawyer, had challenged the legitimacy of the letter issued by Sirisena dated 18 September 2023, calling for explanations prior to taking disciplinary action against him (Jayasekara) over several allegations.

Jayasekara had maintained that the Party Leader was not vested with powers by the party Constitution to issue such a letter in an arbitrary manner.

US’ anti-corruption support

Meanwhile, the Government of Sri Lanka has sought technical assistance and training from the US in the fight against corruption. The US had also underscored the importance of adopting robust anti-corruption measures and Sri Lanka had provided updates on its proposed anti-corruption legislation, seeking technical assistance and training from the US Government.

The US and Sri Lanka marked the 14th Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council Meeting in Colombo on Monday (18), solidifying their commitment to enhancing trade and investment relations.

The technical level meeting, co-chaired by K.J. Weerasinghe of the Government of Sri Lanka and Acting Assistant United States Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, had witnessed productive discussions on a wide range of crucial issues.

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung and Acting Secretary to the President Chandanie Wijayawardhana had set the tone with their opening remarks, acknowledging the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations between the two nations.

During the TIFA Council Meeting, both delegations had addressed policies impacting the investment climate, recent labour reforms, intellectual property protection and enforcement, customs and trade facilitation, technical barriers to trade, and market access.

Transparency and efficiency in approving Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) had been emphasised as key drivers of domestic economic growth and foreign investment attraction.

Vajira’s accusation

While Sri Lanka expressed commitment to combating corruption in the country, the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing into the causes for the economic crisis and bankruptcy on 15 September saw United National Party (UNP) MP Vajira Abeywardena calling for an investigation on Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe and Finance Ministry Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana.

The Parliamentarian, who is the sole representative of the UNP in Parliament, has reportedly accused both officials of arbitrarily declaring Sri Lanka as being bankrupt and suspending foreign loan repayments.

It is also reported that former CBSL Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal and SLPP MP S.B. Dissanayake as well as several Wickremesinghe loyalists in the committee had sided with the UNP MP and made comments against Weerasinghe and Siriwardana.

According to Abeywardena, the country had the ability to repay $ 3.1 billion of foreign borrowings due in 2022, out of a total debt of $ 70 billion, but bankruptcy was claimed on 12 April in that year.

However, there is now much focus on Abeywardena’s statement, given his loyalty to President Wickremesinghe, with some in the PSC wondering if the President had some disagreements with Weerasinghe and Siriwardana.