• Govt. concludes ISB restructuring, 98% to be exchanged; LSE noted only 73% acceptance for HRB
• AKD to meet with Modi, key Indian Govt. members; discussion to continue on Indian projects in SL
• RW continues to show his Indian links; Christmas this year will be in India, speech delivery on 27th
• Govt.’s mix-up over fertiliser gift irks Russians; senior ministers apologise, ensure event proceeds
• Offices of Asgiri, Malwathu Mahanayakes become hub for foreign diplomats to gather information
• Lalkantha becomes Govt.’s newsmaker; challenges anyone to probe MPs’ educational qualifications
• Speaker’s educational qualifications drama expands to other members of the JVP/NPP Govt. as well
• Inclusion of ‘Dr.’ for many MPs being blamed on data enterer to Parliament members’ directory
• RW calls SJB’s Kabir and Kavinda, asks Opposition to push for a PSC to probe MPs’ education
• SLMC takes SJB to court over National List slot; Sajith gives seats to SLMC, ACMC, TPA, and Sujeewa
• RW busy teaching governance to AKD, Opposition work to Sajith; Ravi supports Faiszer to enter House
• RW learnt of Faiszer’s nomination from outsiders; Wajira releases statement on NDF’s ‘political robbery’
• Sajith and Ravi engage in friendly chat in the House; Ravi says ready to take COPF lead, COPF for Harsha
• SLFP says no more alliances with the NDF or ‘gas cylinder’; future polls under PA’s ‘chair’ symbol

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and his Government faced its first major setback last week since assuming office, with the resignation of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) Asoka Ranwala from the post of Speaker less that a month after being appointed to the post, following the controversy over his educational qualifications – especially the doctorate he claims to possess.

The first order of business for Parliament that convenes for two days this week starting Tuesday (17) will be to appoint a new Speaker to the House.

Ranwala’s resignation and the continuing controversy over the educational qualifications of all JVP/NPP MPs has resulted in Opposition members signing a no-faith motion against the former Speaker, calling for an examination of the qualifications claimed by Government-side MPs as well as calling for the resignation of those MPs who have made false claims about their qualifications.

It is now a clear case of the JVP/NPP having to make an attempt at closing the can of worms opened by the party during the recent election campaigns, where JVP/NPPers questioned and criticised Opposition politicians especially over their minimum educational and other qualifications to enter Parliament. 

The JVP/NPP, in its overenthusiasm to claim credit for fielding the highest number of intellectuals, academics, and professionals to contest the last Parliamentary Elections, seems to have overlooked the need to confirm the qualifications stated by each individual in its fold.

Apart from the Speaker’s controversy, the AKD Government is also facing pressure over the high prices of commodities in the market, especially during this festive season. One of the key issues has been the rice saga, where prices have seen an escalation in the market due to short supply. 

This has resulted in the AKD Government going back on one of its claims to not import rice and to find and release to the market rice stocks held by large rice mill owners as well as traders. A continuous supply of rice to the market has been assured through rice imports that were permitted by the Government recently.

President AKD meanwhile locked horns with large rice mill owners recently, but the desired outcome is yet pending.

It is well known how issues related to rice have impacted governments in the past, resulting even in electoral defeats, as witnessed by the Dudley Senanayake Government and the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Government. President AKD is also well aware of the impact rice could have on his Government given that he hails from the Anuradhapura District, which is one of the main districts in paddy cultivation.

However, the AKD Government had some successes last week as well, the highlight being the announcement by Finance Ministry Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana last Friday (13) that Sri Lanka had successfully concluded the restructuring of International Sovereign Bonds (ISBs), bringing closure to one of the most complex and challenging sovereign debt restructuring exercises in recent history. 

“The debt restructuring process provides Sri Lanka with substantial debt relief, which we must use diligently to rebuild our fiscal and external buffers and set the foundation for economic recovery and growth,” Siriwardana also cautioned.

The Finance Ministry stated that there was high participation in an offer to swap new securities for defaulted sovereign bonds, which is expected to result in 98% of bonds being exchanged.

However, Sri Lanka had reportedly received acceptances on an offer to exchange defaulted 2022 bonds of only 73%, in which Hamilton Reserve Bank, a holdout investor, has a stake, according to preliminary data filed with the London Stock Exchange.

Be that as it may, last week’s announcement on the positive move in the restructuring of ISBs is welcome news for Sri Lanka’s economy, which is on the mend. 

The conclusion of the ISB debt restructuring was nevertheless overshadowed by the Speaker’s controversy.

It is not easy for President AKD and his Government to steer the ship of Sri Lanka on the course to economic recovery with the likes of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe standing ready to take credit for any and all positive measures undertaken by the incumbent Government while also making snide and critical remarks about the President and his Government to undermine their efforts.

Recently, Wickremesinghe was among several invitees of Government and Opposition political parties at the opening of a new luxury hotel in Colombo. At the event, the former President had leaned over to Minister Vijitha Herath and told him that it was good that the Government was moving ahead with Sri Lanka’s programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Responding to bar licences

Meanwhile, former President Wickremesinghe last week spoke about the allegations being levelled against him over the issuance of bar licences during the two years he governed. 

The JVP/NPP Government had claimed that the former Wickremesinghe Government had issued bar licences as political bribes to politicians, both in the then Government and the Opposition, to sell the licences for cash.

Wickremesinghe however had told several of his confidants last week that he had not issued the bar licences for free and that the Government had earned billions of rupees through them. The former President had pointed out that the Excise Department was a key revenue generator for the State and that the funds earned through the issuance of these controversial bar licences had amounted to billions of rupees for the Excise Department, and in turn, the State coffers.

Wickremesinghe had said in a lighter vein that very soon he could be accused of committing a crime by getting rid of the long queues that made people stand for long hours in order to fulfil their basic needs during the height of the economic crisis.

However, Wickremesinghe’s office last Monday (9) issued a statement explaining the issuance of the liquor licences. 

“The previous Government did not provide liquor licences for charity but introduced a new, transparent exercise enabling the Government to earn additional revenue during a difficult period. We adopted a new strategy to earn additional revenue,” the statement noted, adding that the Government had earned a revenue of around Rs. 3.1 billion in 2024 through this programme.

Indian visit

Be that as it may, President AKD and his Government are in the process of putting the final touches on the President’s first official overseas visit since assuming office. The President will leave for India today (15) and conclude his visit on Tuesday (17).

It is learnt that a nine-member delegation will be accompanying the President on his first overseas State visit. It is also learnt that Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Kshenuka Senewiratne, who was recalled by the Foreign Ministry last month, had been asked to delay her return to Sri Lanka until after President AKD’s State visit to India.

During the President’s visit, he is expected to meet Indian President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and several other key members of the Indian Government, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. A meeting has also been planned with several key Indian business chambers to promote the many business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka.

The exchange of agreements between Sri Lanka and India is to take place at 1 p.m. tomorrow (16).

Pressure on projects

It is further learnt that there will be no finalisation of Indian projects that have been discussed for the past few years. These include the investment zone in Trincomalee, the power connectivity line, and several others. However, there will be an agreement reached on moving forward with the discussion between Sri Lanka and India on these matters.

Despite the many requests by the Indian side from President AKD and his Government to look at taking some of the Indian projects to the next level during the President’s State visit to set the tone for relations between India and Sri Lanka under the AKD administration, the Sri Lankan Government initially maintained that the Government required more time to re-evaluate the proposed projects.

The Indian side had submitted details and current statuses of all the Indian projects that are ongoing and are under discussion, seeking a positive response from the AKD Government to move forward. President AKD and his Government however had intimated that the Government was not prepared to move forward and finalise the Indian projects in the pipeline yet, until a complete review was carried out.

The AKD Government has further maintained that the JVP/NPP Government had received its mandate against all actions and programmes of previous governments and a fresh observation needed to be made before moving to the next level.

The response by the AKD Government has now created a fresh geopolitically sensitive issue, with neighbouring India keeping a close watch on the Government’s engagement with China as well. It is learnt that the Indian Government, while expressing its comprehension of the AKD Government’s requirement for more time to scrutinise the Indian projects, had opined that the same approach should be adopted with Chinese projects in Sri Lanka as well.

In this backdrop, it became evident that if President AKD and his Government were to sign any form of development agreement with China during his next overseas State visit to China after the Indian visit, it would have a negative impact on Sri Lanka’s relations with India, which served as Sri Lanka’s first responder with aid, fuel, and other assistance during the 2022 economic crisis.

The AKD Government had then decided to take the middle ground by expressing that Sri Lanka did not have plans to shelve the key Indian projects in the country and that agreement would be reached to take the discussion on these projects to the next level.

It is also learnt that the proposed land bridge between Sri Lanka and India will be pushed back among the projects that will be taken to the next level of discussion. 

New info gathering ways

Meanwhile, ‘The Black Box’ recently learnt of a new mode used by some members of the diplomatic corps to gather information about other diplomats.

One of the key places where at least one diplomatic mission is looking at getting information on one of their geopolitical rivals is Kandy. All politicians as well as senior foreign diplomats serving in Sri Lanka visit Kandy to meet the Mahanayakes of the Asgiri and Malwathu Chapters. 

During these visits, while seated in the waiting room where there are also local media personnel to cover the meetings of the Mahanayakes scheduled for the day, some diplomats, it is learnt, use this time to inquire from the media personnel about heads of foreign diplomatic missions in the country who visit the Mahanayakes.

It is learnt that a diplomatic delegation headed by the ambassador in Sri Lanka representing a powerful Asian country in the Far East during a recent visit to the Mahanayake Theras had inquired from the local media personnel about the frequency of visits by diplomats representing the mission of one of Sri Lanka’s neighbouring countries as well as the details being discussed with the Mahanayake Theras. 

The media personnel had been surprised by the questions and later discussed among themselves the geopolitical sensitivities and the manner in which some diplomatic missions were engaged in gathering information.

Christmas in India

Meanwhile, former President Wickremesinghe continues to play the role of the ‘annoying brat’ by repeatedly implying to President AKD that he continues to maintain close ties with India and is continuously invited for key events held in the country.

Wickremesinghe is expected to spend his Christmas holidays in India, which will take place a week after President AKD’s State visit. The former President had made this statement in response to questions posed by several MPs at the recent hotel opening about his (Wickremesinghe’s) recent visit to India.

Although Wickremesinghe’s recent Indian tour was not an official one, he made several statements to the Indian media regarding Indo-Lanka ties while predicting the future of relations of the two countries under President AKD.

It is learnt that Wickremesinghe is expected to travel to India between 21 and 23 December and attend the seventh Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memorial Lecture on 27 December at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi as the keynote speaker.

Russian displeasure

Meanwhile, the AKD Government had angered Russia last week over the 55,000 MT of fertiliser that was provided to Sri Lanka as a gift from Russia. The ship containing a stock of fertiliser from Russia was welcomed last Thursday (12) by Agriculture Minister K.D. Lalkantha and officials from the Agriculture Ministry.

It is learnt that Russia had initially expected high-level participation of the ranks of the President or Prime Minister to welcome the ship on behalf of the Sri Lankan Government. The Government’s decision to only send the Agriculture Minister had first disappointed the Russians.

However, what made the Russians lose their cool was an announcement issued by the Health and Media Ministry that Sri Lanka would be receiving a stock of fertiliser that was a donation from the World Food Programme (WFP). Seeing the media post, the Russians decided to express their displeasure to the Government by stating that the country’s Media Ministry had slighted Russia and was publicising that the fertiliser stock was a gift from the WFP. 

The Russians, while pointing out that the WFP had only played the role of facilitator for the gift from Russia, had questioned whether it was an intentional omission or the actions of a new team that didn’t know how to work. Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Levan Dzhagaryan had also informed his embassy staff that he had second thoughts about attending the official hand-over ceremony.

However, senior members of the AKD Government had apologised for the mistake and the Russian Ambassador attended the event that was chaired by Lalkantha last Thursday.

However, at the event, the Russian Ambassador took a firm stand, stating that Russia’s approach to the Sri Lankan Government would depend on the practical way work was being carried out, going beyond catchy slogans.

Late arrival

Another incident affecting the Government’s handling of diplomatic affairs was the late arrival of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya to the event held last week to hand over uniform materials that were given to Sri Lanka as a grant by the Chinese Government.

The Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka and members of the Chinese Embassy had been kept waiting for nearly an hour for the Chief Guest of the event, the Premier, to arrive.

Anti-corruption action

Amidst the Government’s learning curve on handling international relations, President AKD continued to speak of his anti-corruption agenda last week. The AKD Government’s agenda has so far received the support of many members of the international community.

President AKD expressed a firm stand on the anti-corruption agenda by noting the performance of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), revealing that 69 cases had been filed in 2021, of which 40 had later been withdrawn. Similarly, in 2022, 89 cases had been filed and 45 had subsequently been withdrawn.

He claimed that no matter how many laws were enacted or institutions were established, justice could not be ensured to citizens if those responsible for enforcing them failed to implement them properly.

The US meanwhile imposed sanctions and visa restrictions last week on two former Sri Lankan officials for their involvement in significant corruption.

Former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SriLankan Airlines Kapila Chandrasena is accused of accepting bribes to ensure the airline purchased overpriced Airbus aircraft. Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga allegedly orchestrated a corrupt scheme involving the procurement of MiG aircraft for the Sri Lanka Air Force.

The US Department of State, under Section 7031(c), has publicly designated both individuals and their immediate family members, barring them from entry into the US.

President AKD also referred to these cases in his address at the Anti-Corruption Day event last Monday (9). The President questioned if Sri Lanka had conducted thorough and fair domestic investigations into global cases related to Sri Lankan individuals and institutions.

The President went on to list several cases in Sri Lanka that had received global attention. “One such case involves Imam Subheru, a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent in the US, who was sentenced under the Money Laundering Act. During the investigation, it was revealed that he had received $ 6 million from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL). Presently there is a court case in the US that involves the CBSL. 

“Another significant case was heard in the High Court of England regarding the Airbus company offering bribes to officials in order to secure the purchase of aircraft in respective countries. This investigation was conducted collaboratively by the US, France, and England. It was revealed that the Airbus company had also paid bribes to SriLankan Airlines,” he said. 

He added: “A case was heard in the US where the Sri Lankan Ambassador was convicted under the Money Laundering Act for purchasing a new embassy building. He admitted guilt. He apologised to the court. 

“When the Pandora Papers and Panama Papers were published, Sri Lankans were also implicated there. In Australia, an investigation revealed that an Australian company had paid bribes while supplying medical equipment to the Hambantota Hospital. When the investigation is going on, Hambantota takes the spotlight.”

Speaker’s controversy

Meanwhile, the JVP/NPP Government has thus far managed to face criticism levelled against it in a shrewd manner. The resignation of the Speaker from office and the President’s claim that action will be taken against any form of wrongdoing regardless of the position held by them were aimed at controlling the damage caused by the drama over the Speaker’s educational qualifications.

One of the key criticisms that was thrown at the Government during the last parliamentary sessions was related to Speaker Ranwala’s education qualifications. Several academics and activists also questioned whether the Speaker possessed a doctorate as claimed by him in his education qualifications. There were posts on social media also expressing doubts about the Speaker’s suitability to hold the post if he had lied about his qualifications.

After maintaining silence amidst the criticisms, Speaker Ranwala first stated last week that there was no need to respond to claims made by individuals with vested interests. He had added that he possessed the education qualifications claimed by him and that he would only reveal details about them for a valid reason and to appease the quest of various individuals.

Meanwhile, Ranwala’s academic qualifications continued to be under scrutiny after the Sri Lanka Parliament website’s members’ directory had removed the title ‘Dr.’ from his profile. Previously listed as ‘Dr. Asoka Ranwala,’ his name last week had appeared as ‘Asoka Ranwala, MP’.

However, by Friday (13) Ranwala announced his resignation from the post of Speaker.

Incomplete degrees

The Ranwala saga has opened up a whole can of worms with regard to education qualifications of JVP/NPP members, especially members of the JVP.

It is learnt that several senior JVP members, who had entered universities in the late 1980s, were unable to complete their degrees at the time due to their involvement with the party’s 1987-’89 insurrection. The insurrection at the time resulted in the closure of universities for a prolonged period of time as well.

Some JVPers who were in universities at the time had in some instances completed their degrees much later since they were unable to attend universities soon after they were reopened following the insurrection since they were either in hiding or in custody.

Story behind ‘Dr.’ posts

Meanwhile, the story behind the removal of ‘Dr.’ from Ranwala’s profile on the Parliament website was that it was a mistake by a Parliament staffer without considering the consequences.

It is learnt that the Speaker had written his name as ‘Asoka Sapumal Ranwala’ when he had filled the form with his details to be included in the members’ directory on the Parliament website. However, the Parliament staffer who was feeding the data to the system had included the word ‘Dr.’ along with Ranwala’s name after hearing him being referred to as ‘Dr. Ranwala.’

However, when controversy had erupted over Ranwala’s educational qualifications, the Parliament staffer had been worried about his action to include ‘Dr.’ in the MP’s profile and had decided to take it down without discussing the matter with any superior official.

Following the media spotlight on the omission of ‘Dr.’ from Ranwala’s profile on the Parliament website, the Parliament staffer had been questioned about the matter by his superiors and he had explained what had happened.

Apart from the members’ directory issue, all other communications issued by Parliament about the Speaker have continuously referred to him as ‘Dr.’ Ranwala. 

RW’s sly move

Former President Wickremesinghe, who seems to be eagerly waiting for moments to create some controversy, was quick to act on the Speaker’s controversy and had called several MPs from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) with a request.

As soon as the United National Party (UNP) had received a response from the Waseda University that an individual named Asoka Sapumal Ranwala was not in its records, Wickremesinghe had called several SJB MPs including Kabir Hashim and Kavinda Jayawardana.

Wickremesinghe had asked these Opposition MPs to call for a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to inquire into the educational qualifications of members of the 10th Parliament. According to Wickremesinghe, the SJB, being the main Opposition in Parliament, despite holding the responsibility to check on the Government MPs and expose any false claims made by them, had failed in this task.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Namal Rajapaksa claimed that JVP/NPP MPs who were unable to prove their educational qualifications and were found to have made false claims about their qualifications should resign from their respective seats in the House.

More allegations

With the educational qualifications of senior JVP/NPP MPs put under the spotlight, there were revelations of several more senior members of the Government, especially two Cabinet Ministers, whose educational qualifications were also questioned by the public.

Urban Development Minister Aruna Karunathilake, who was being referred to as ‘Dr.,’ is reportedly still reading for his doctorate. 

Also, the media reported that the ‘Dr.’ reference before the name of Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara had also been dropped last week. However, Nanayakkara and the Parliament both clarified that the use of ‘Dr.’ before Nanayakkara’s name was an error on the part of Parliament since it was a mistake made when entering data of the MPs into the Parliament members’ directory.

No-faith motion

Meanwhile, the Opposition parties SJB and SLPP last week claimed that a no-faith motion would be moved in the House against Ranwala.

The SJB maintained that the motion would be moved if it was confirmed beyond doubt that Speaker Ranwala had lied about his doctorate while the SLPP called on all Opposition parties to join forces to move the no-faith motion against the Speaker.

SJB and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa signed the no-faith motion against Ranwala last Friday, hours before Ranwala announced his resignation from the post of Speaker of Parliament.

Call to resign

Amidst the ongoing controversy over the Speaker’s educational qualifications, the UNP last Tuesday (10) called on Speaker Ranwala to resign from his post, claiming that the party had verified from the Waseda University in Japan that Ranwala did not possess a doctorate from the university.

Former MP Thalatha Atukorale told a press conference that Ranwala should immediately resign from the post of Speaker since he had made false claims about his educational qualifications. She added that the NPP had deceived voters.

Doubts were also raised about the educational qualifications of other JVP/NPP MPs, especially those who claimed to hold degrees and doctorates. 

However, Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa last week noted that Speaker Ranwala would be making a statement over his educational qualifications.

When asked if the JVP/NPP would take action against Ranwala if he had made false statements about his qualifications, Dr. Jayatissa observed that a decision would be made after looking at the outcome of Ranwala’s statement.

This week’s parliamentary sessions will therefore be interesting, given the Speaker’s controversy as well as the President’s India visit.

Meeting at President’s House

Meanwhile, JVP/NPP parliamentarians had held their first group meeting at the President’s House in Fort the day prior to the first session of the 10th Parliament that commenced on 3 December. The meeting was chaired by President AKD.

Although the meeting on 2 December was earlier scheduled to be held at the JVP Head Office in Pelawatte, it was rescheduled to the President’s House since the President and ministers were to attend the meeting after the weekly Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Secretariat in Fort.

It was the first time a Government parliamentary group meeting was held at the President’s House since 2022 during the tenure of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

This week’s JVP/NPP parliamentary group meeting venue is yet to be notified to the MPs.

Lal the newsmaker

While every Government has a newsmaker, Minister K.D. Lalkantha has become the key newsmaker in the JVP/NPP Government.

Lalkantha, who has always been an outspoken politician even as a Politburo member of the JVP, is once again in the spotlight for several reasons. The first time he became a newsmaker this time around was due to his casual dress code when engaged in ministry work. 

The latest incident that focused attention on Lalkantha was his statement about wild animals that damage crops of farmers. The Minister maintained that farmers had the legal right to shoot or kill any animal that entered their cultivation lands in order to safeguard their crops, pointing out the massive crop loss incurred annually due to animals.

Several senior JVPers had recently discussed the latest development and had said that it was not easy to stop Lalkantha. It was further evident when the media had asked him about Opposition plans to probe the educational qualifications of JVP/NPP MPs in Parliament. Lalkantha’s response had been: “Ask them to probe and see. I’m Lalkantha and that’s it.”

SJB finalises National List

On the opposing side of the divide, the SJB, which was in the midst of much controversy over finalising the four names to fill the party’s remaining National List slots, concluded the process last Thursday amidst much drama.

The SJB leadership decided to assign three seats to minority parties in the SJB-led alliance – the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC), and Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) – and one seat to the SJB, which was assigned to Premadasa loyalist Sujeewa Senasinghe.

It was however the SLMC that took the first step in getting the SJB to finalise the National List after initiating legal action and obtaining an enjoining order claiming that the SJB could not finalise the National List without including the name of SLMC General Secretary Nizam Kariyapper in the list. 

The threat by the SJB-led alliance partners to initiate legal action over National List slots was revealed by ‘The Black Box’ in the previous week.

Harsha for COPF

Meanwhile, appointments to key parliamentary committees like the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), Committee on Public Finance (COPF), and Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) are to be made during this week’s parliamentary sessions. While the Government is to head COPE, the Opposition has been given the lead in COPF and COPA.

After much deliberation, the main Opposition SJB has decided to nominate former COPF Chairman, MP Dr. Harsha de Silva to head the committee once again.

However, a final decision is yet to be made with regard to the COPA lead.

Sajith-Ravi chat

It is also learnt that New Democratic Front (NDF) MP Ravi Karunanayake and Opposition Leader Premadasa have cast aside political differences and other issues of the past by engaging in friendly chats in Parliament. 

Both Premadasa and Karunanayake were seen in the Parliament canteen during the last parliamentary session, surprising many SJBers who remembered the rivalry between the two when Premadasa was in the UNP.

During one of these chats, Karunanayake had informed Premadasa that as a former Finance Minister and an accountant by profession, he (Karunanayake) preferred to lead the COPF on behalf of the Opposition.

Premadasa however had responded saying that the SJB had already decided on nominating Dr. de Silva as the COPF chair, but that Karunanayake’s name could be nominated to the committee as a member.

Faiszer follows Ravi

However, the Wickremesinghe-led NDF that contested the Parliamentary Elections under the ‘gas cylinder’ symbol faced an unexpected development last Tuesday (10) when NDF General Secretary Sharmila Perera sent a letter to the Election Commission nominating senior Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) member Faiszer Musthapha, PC, to fill the remaining National List slot of the party.

By Tuesday afternoon, the Election Commission had sent Musthapha’s name to be gazetted as the National List MP of the NDF.

Musthapha’s entrance to Parliament is similar to the manner in which Karunanayake was nominated by the NDF General Secretary as a National List member without the consensus of the NDF coalition parties. Karunanayake’s appointment as an NDF National List nominee caused much controversy, with objections being raised by coalition parties over the NDF’s violation of the agreement reached when forming the alliance in the run-up to the Parliamentary Elections.

Wickremesinghe and the UNP were caught unawares and appointed a committee to probe the appointment and make recommendations on the course of action to be followed against Karunanayake. 

The SLFP, which was a coalition partner of the NDF alliance, is however pleased with Musthapha’s appointment although the SLFP was not part of the final decision-making process. It is learnt that the SLFP and the New Alliance led by Nimal Lanza had no objections to Musthapha’s appointment since they had earlier written to the NDF General Secretary proposing his (Musthapha’s) name to fill the National List slot.

RW unaware again

As when Karunanayake was appointed, Wickremesinghe was once again unaware of Musthapha being nominated as the NDF’s remaining National List member.

It is interesting that while Wickremesinghe was busy trying to teach the AKD Government how to govern and Premadasa how to manage the Opposition in Parliament, he had failed to address the issue of nominating a member to the NDF National List slot and lost the chance due to his own negligence and laissez-faire attitude.

As a result, Musthapha got his path cleared to enter Parliament, while the ‘gas cylinder’ alliance, unaware of the NDF’s plans, continued to discuss the matter of nominating a member to Parliament through the remaining National List slot even early last week. 

Since Wickremesinghe is known for his time-buying exercises whenever there is heat over any issue, the vacant National List slot was creating much controversy. The last time the UNP received a National List slot after the 2020 Parliamentary Elections, the seat was kept vacant for several months until the pressure to appoint a member ceased with time.

Suspicion had arisen as to whether Wickremesinghe was delaying the appointment to the remaining National List slot to hold the seat until he was prepared to enter Parliament.

However, on Tuesday, when Musthapha’s name was sent to the Election Commission by the NDF General Secretary, Wickremesinghe and the UNP were focused on calling for the resignation of the Speaker over the educational qualifications drama. While arrangements were being made to hold a presser at Wickremesinghe’s Flower Road, Colombo 7 office to inform of Waseda University’s response to Ranwala’s doctorate, Karunanayake and the NDF had swiftly moved to nominate Musthapha’s name to fill the NDF National List slot.

It was when Musthapha had called and thanked several individuals who had supported his claim for the NDF National List slot that news of his name being nominated to the NDF National List had become known. Several individuals had then called Wickremesinghe and inquired whether a final decision had been made about the vacant National List slot.

Wickremesinghe had immediately asked several of his confidants who were present at the Flower Road office at the time to check into the matter. Whilst Wickremesinghe loyalists were trying to obtain confirmation about Musthapha, Wickremesinghe started to receive telephone calls from SLPP dissidents who had contested under the NDF along with several other coalition partners.

Several senior UNPers, upon hearing about the latest NDF development, claimed that it was a good lesson for Wickremesinghe for failing to heed advice by those who had been loyal to him and instead listening to a group of individuals who had pushed their agendas through Wickremesinghe in the party and overall politics.

Kanchana loses chance

Amidst Musthapha’s National List drama, the SLPP dissidents who had contested under the NDF at the last election claimed that an agreement had been reached to propose former Minister Kanchana Wijesekera’s name to the last National List slot. This was announced by former Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana.

The Podujana Eksath Nidahas Sandhanaya, which was formed by a group of SLPP dissidents, had sent a letter on 18 November to NDF General Secretary Perera signed by a group of former MPs stating that there was an agreement to propose Wijesekera to the National List slot.

The SLPP dissidents also claimed that Karunanayake had supported Musthapha’s entry to Parliament since Musthapha and his father were handling his (Karunanayake’s) ongoing cases before court.

Sharmila writes to RW

Meanwhile, NDF General Secretary Perera had written to Wickremesinghe on Tuesday (10) explaining the reason behind nominating Musthapha’s name to the party’s National List slot.

Perera had stated in the letter that she had sent Musthapha’s name to the Election Commission to fill the remaining National List slot since the coalition partners had failed to reach a consensus on whom to nominate. She had noted that there had been immense pressure placed on her by leaders of the coalition parties in the alliance as well as the media.

According to Perera, she had convened the party’s (NDF’s) Politburo to discuss the matter and it had been decided that Musthapha, who had the support of a majority of the leaders of stakeholder parties, should be nominated to the vacant National List slot. 

She had pointed out that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for coalition parties to contest under the NDF at the Parliamentary Elections had been signed by the Podujana Eksath Nidahas Sandhanaya (Dr. Pathirana), SLFP (Nimal Siripala de Silva), People’s Alliance (PA, Lasantha Alagiyawanna), and New Alliance (Anura Priyadarshana Yapa). Therefore, Perera had noted that apart from Dr. Pathirana’s party, the rest of the parties had nominated Musthapha’s name for the National List slot.

Political robbery

Wickremesinghe meanwhile directed UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena to issue a statement on Musthapha’s appointment to Parliament.

Abeywardena claimed that Musthapha’s appointment through the NDF National List without a consensus of coalition party leaders was akin to a ‘political robbery’. He pointed out that an agreement reached between the coalition parties of the NDF alliance had been handed over to the NDF General Secretary when the alliance had been formed and that her actions in nominating members to the alliance’s National List slots was in violation of this agreement.

According to Abeywardena, Perera had also failed to provide copies of the agreement to any coalition partners of the alliance. “The decision on whom to nominate through the alliance’s National List is up to the coalition leaders and not the General Secretary of the party,” Abeywardena charged.

RW’s latest plan

However, Wickremesinghe had told a group of Opposition MPs from the ‘gas cylinder’ alliance that he did not have any interest in returning to Parliament.

Wickremesinghe had met with a group of NDF seniors including MPs and he had been asked if he had plans to return to Parliament. He had responded saying that he had no intention of doing so.

The former President had in fact noted that he had planned to assign the whole of next year to write a book about his life story that would give many lessons to young politicians. “I would like to give my political knowledge to the younger generation.”

He had turned to MPs Anuradha Jayaratne and Jeevan Thondaman, asking them to take leadership as young politicians.  

Dullas hits out at RW

Meanwhile, the Freedom People’s Congress (FPC) that was formed by a group of SLPP dissidents led by former MP Dullas Alahapperuma has levelled several serious allegations against former President Wickremesinghe.

Alahapperuma has explained these allegations in a letter sent to President AKD titled ‘Pay the price for aborting democracy: A criminal charge against President Ranil’. The letter has also been copied to the Opposition Leader, all MPs, and the CIABOC.

Alahapperuma had also stated that Wickremesinghe’s action to postpone the Local Government Elections due in 2023 without any justifiable reason was a “political abortion committed after mass corruption as well as economic murder committed financially”. 

He had pointed out that the postponement of the elections had resulted in the loss of around Rs. 720,000,000 that was spent for preparatory work. The monies will now be wasted since fresh nominations are likely to be called to hold the delayed Local Government Elections through the allocation of fresh funding.

The letter further states that the FPC is waiting with anticipation to see what actions the new Government led by current President Dissanayake will take against these “economic hitmen”.

The letter has added that Wickremesinghe has sufficient time left to add a civilised and moral chapter to political history by returning the public tax money that he has squandered.

SLFP takes the ‘chair’

Meanwhile, the SLFP last week parted ways with Wickremesinghe and the ‘gas cylinder’ alliance, claiming that the party would not have any dealings with the NDF in future.

Political parties, especially the ones representing the Opposition, seem to have had only a limited time to overcome the despondency felt following the recent electoral defeat. Political parties are now discussing the preparations to be made to gear up for the delayed Local Government Elections expected to be held in the first quarter of next year.

The SLFP meanwhile has decided to contest under the PA and its ‘chair’ symbol.

The party had reached the decision at a meeting of its Central Committee, according to PA General Secretary Lasantha Alagiyawanna.