President Maithripala Sirisena said today the Death Penalty would be introduced from next year with the approval of Parliament.

By Ram Madhav

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived in New Delhi yesterday (September 14) on a three-day bilateral visit, his first international visit after taking over as Prime Minister last month. Mr. Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) together with its allies secured a near-majority in the parliamentary election last month. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena engineered a division in the ranks of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), thus effectively isolating former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The result was the formation of a national government under the prime ministership of Mr. Wickremesinghe, with both UNP and SLFP as partners. With the two main parties coming together to form the government, the opposition space has been left to the third largest group in Parliament, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

The new dispensation is considered to be a strong votary of closer India-Sri Lanka relations. The President, the Prime Minister as well as the Leader of Opposition are all seen as friends by India. The last few years have seen a trust deficit between the two countries. Many in India suspected the Sri Lankan leadership of encouraging forces inimical to its interests in its vicinity. Unfortunately, the Rajapaksa government did precious little to alleviate India’s misgivings.

Challenges for the government

The new government in Sri Lanka has many challenges to face: the country’s economy is sagging; the United Nations Human Rights Council is going to take up a resolution on war crimes in Sri Lanka for discussion later this month — a very sensitive issue for both the Tamil and Sinhala population in the country. The government has to walk a tightrope on the issue.

It is in these circumstances that Mr. Wickremesinghe is visiting India. A Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will be one of the important issues that India would like to clinch during this visit. However, there is considerable concern about, if not vocal opposition to, the agreement in the Sri Lankan business circles. India needs to correct the perception that CEPA will only benefit the Indian side and the non-tariff barriers in India will be an obstacle to Sri Lankan businessmen.

The other perception problem that India needs to address is that it doesn’t walk the talk on big-ticket projects. The Sampur coal-fired power plant is one such project which has lingered for more than a decade. The delay in its implementation has led to several new problems. Its revival is mired in land and environment-related controversies. Within the 500-acre power plant area, there are around 30 Tamil families who have been living for many years. They have to be rehabilitated elsewhere with proper compensation. In addition, more than a thousand Tamil families, who have been additionally settled just on the periphery, may also raise objections to the project coming up. Some of them have lands inside the power plant area. Environmentalists are also opposed to the power plant. They might go to court. While India may argue that it has technologies that address pollution concerns, these issues have the potential to get entangled in legal problems.

Another issue which is more than a decade old, on which India has not made much progress, is that of oil tank farms on the east coast. These British vintage storage farms give India enormous scope for oil trade in the whole of South East Asia. India should quickly operationalise these oil tank farms. It must not forget that the previous government in Colombo had offered them to the Americans. It should start negotiations for setting up a refinery in Trinco area to treat crude oil.

India’s strategic and economic priority should be to develop the east coast of Sri Lanka, especially the Trincomalee-Batticaloa belt. The Trinco belt has an enormous potential for trade, tourism, industry and commerce. It has vast stretches of virgin beaches. The Trinco port can be developed into a major port. A new airport can be developed in the area and can be connected directly with Tamil Nadu for the benefit of the Tamils in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Most importantly, by entering Trinco coast, India will be making a big presence in the trade routes of the Indian Ocean.

There are a couple of contentious issues on which India and Sri Lanka might have to be cautious. The Tamils of the north and east must be complimented for their overwhelming support to the TNA in the parliamentary elections that has helped the party secure 16 seats. TNA leader R. Sampanthan has become the Leader of the Opposition. TNA fought the elections on the principle of greater constitutional rights to Tamils for just and honourable place in the Sri Lanka constitutional mechanism. The radical elements have been rejected by the Tamil voters there. The Sri Lankan government should gratefully acknowledge this huge contribution of the TNA and move forward with specific steps to address the Tamil issue. Granting more constitutional powers to the provinces is the first important step.

The UNHRC resolution on war crimes is another important issue on which both the countries have to reach an understanding. Sri Lanka can gain from the expertise available in countries like the U.S., India, and so on, to facilitate a credible investigation by its agencies. It is important for justice to be seen by the Tamils and the international community to be delivered.

Dispute over fishing

Another contentious issue that defies any immediate answers is that of fishermen. The historic waters between India and Sri Lanka have become a battleground between the Tamil fishermen on both sides, leading to frequent clashes, incarcerations, and even deaths. A negotiated solution needs to be found on this issue. Pending the dispute over fishing, the adverse ecological impact of bottom trawling must also be addressed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Colombo early this year raised the hopes in that country of a stable and reliable friendship. Lakshman Kadirgamar, former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka and a great friend of India, had once described India-Sri Lanka relations as “irreversible excellence”. Centuries-old cultural and religious ties make the relationship irreversible. But the challenge is to make it ‘excellent’. It is too important a relationship to be left to the officials alone. Sri Lanka requires political handling.

*Ram Madhav is National General Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party, and Director, India Foundation.

(The Hindu)

President Maithripala Sirisena said that the national government will be in power for five years and no one will be able to topple the government.

Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of new state and deputy ministers, Sirisena said that the new government will be a stable one and will last until 2020.

He also pointed out that the SLFP and the UNP has embarked on a new journey to work together for a certain period of time. Both parties should work together to create a new political culture, said the President.

Some opponents argue that the government has been taken over by a Western conspiracy, Sirisena pointed out, adding that he will not respond to such claims at the moment. He will respond in time with his deeds, Sirisena also said.

If former President Mahinda Rajapaksa could become an MP, there is no reason why former Ministers cannot work as Deputy Ministers, Sirisena said.

Several Cabinet Ministers and 45 State and Deputy Ministers will be sworn in this afternoon, at the Presidential Secretariat.

The swearing-in ceremony is expected to begin at 1.45pm.

According to the motion passed in the Parliament on September 3, the new national government can have 48 Cabinet Ministers and 45 State and Deputy Ministers. Forty three Cabinet Ministers have already been sworn-in.

The SLFP is expected to receive four of the remaining Cabinet portfolios. The party is also expected to receive 18 State and Deputy Ministerial portfolios.

Four Cabinet Ministers and 45 State and Deputy Ministers are likely to be sworn in tomorrow afternoon, political reports said.

According to the motion passed in the Parliament on September 3, the new national government can have 48 Cabinet Ministers and 45 State and Deputy Ministers. Forty three Cabinet Ministers have already been sworn-in.

The SLFP is expected to receive four of the remaining Cabinet portfolios. The party is also expected to receive 18 State and Deputy Ministerial portfolios.

President Maithripala Sirisena will meet UPFA Provincial Councilors from Western and North Western Provincial Councils this afternoon to discuss the replacement of Chief Ministers in the two councils.

The positions were vacated when Western Province CM Prasanna Ranatunga and North Western Province CM Dayasiri Jayasekara were elected to Parliament.

Reports say that there are several PC Members vying for the post of CM in both Provinces.

President Maithripala Sirisena thanked the United National Party for its leading role in making a change in the country on January 8.

Speaking at the 69th Convention of the UNP at Sirikotha party headquarters, President Sirisena, who is also the SLFP Chairman, stated that the challenges faced by the government should be faced together. The new political culture of cooperation between the UNP and the SLFP should go to the grass-root level, he said.

Sirisena, who was once a senior member of the Mahinda Rajapaksa Cabinet, left the then government on November 21, 2014, to become the common candidate of the opposition in the January 8 Presidential Election. Sirisena said that he took the decision to leave the Rajapaksa government following discussions with former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Ranil Wickremesinghe.

He said that there were no prior agreements with the UNP.

The UNP and the SLFP agreed to form a national government following the August 17 general election.

Sri Lanka Freedom Party Chairman President Maithripala Sirisena will be the Chief Guest at the 69th UNP party convention held at Sirikotha party headquarters.

Meanwhile, leaders of the parties which contested the recent election under the UNP ticket have also been invited.

UNP Spokesperson Akila Viraj Kariyawasam told media that this is a positive development at the backdrop of the formation of a national government.

Former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Bandarnaike Kumaratunga visited India for her first visit since the surprise defeat of her successor Mahinda Rajapaksa, a man who was once a close associate and now a political enemy whose regime she was instrumental in overturning. She spoke for the first time to a group of Indian journalists including The Hindu’s Suhasini Haidar about how the opposition and Rajapaksa’s own party members were united.

In an interesting revelation, Kumaratunga said that the mobile application Viber helped topple Rajapaksa's government since the intelligence services were unable to tap into it.

Excerpts from interaction with former President Kumaratunga on September 5th,2015:

Q: You are in India to attend the Hindu-Buddhist conclave in Bodh Gaya on behalf of Sri Lanka…what is the importance of this conclave that PM Modi also attended?

Chandrika Kumaratunga: I think its very important for Sri Lanka because the protagonists are from these two communities. So if we can find common ground between the two religions as opposed to diversities it would be useful. Of course the Tamil question never involved the religious aspect.

Q: This is also your first official visit to India since President Sirisena’s government was sworn in, and you have been appointed the envoy for reconciliation. How do you see India-Sri Lanka ties at present?

Chandrika Kumaratunga: Historically all Sri Lankan governments have had excellent relations with India. Except one government before Rajapaksa had various problems, which exacerbated the war in Sri Lanka. And the Rajapaksa regime did not have easy relations with India. But for our (Sirisena) government it wasn’t difficult to pick up from where my Presidency left off (in 2005). We saw the bad consequences of Rajapaksa’s policies towards India.

Q: Did India have any role in Rajapaksa’s electoral defeat? In an interview to The Hindu he had blamed Indian intelligency agency R&AW and Western countries of a conspiracy against him.

Chandrika Kumaratunga: That’s not true. No outside force had anything to do with. Except that right through Rajapaksa’s regime, international community lamented his policies, and asked me why I wasn’t returning to politics. But apart from that they had nothing to do with it. We can manage our own affairs….Because he expected to win the election, he was in shock when he lost, and tried to look for scapegoats.

Q: You had a pivotal role in bringing together the opposition in defeating him. How did that happen?

Chandrika Kumaratunga: It just happened. Because everyone in the country starting from about two years into President Rajapaksa’s regime began to turn away from him. Even people from the opposition who normally would not have accepted my leadership, civil society in a big way came and asked me to return to politics. I said no, because I was very clear I wouldn’t return to electoral politics, not to hold positions. After the end of the war when President Rajapaksa won the elections in 2010 I thought he would improve. But that wasn’t the case, he was getting worse. You cant force the hand of history. So we couldn’t force a coup, it is the people who must want a change. So when people started protesting, civil society, fishermen, university professors, it was evident people wanted the change. People called me and said, I had brought the President in, I had to do something about him . I did feel I had done enough, my family had done enough, but I was ready to help. The real problem was that the opposition didn’t have someone who could win the election against Rajapaksa. So I had to start looking around, under great difficulties. Mr. Rajapaksa had forbidden every single person of our party the SLFP from talking to me. MPs used to run when they saw me. Otherwise they would get a call from the President. Amidst such circumstances, I identified Maithripala Sirisena. There weren’t many more to identify as it was to difficult to find anyone in the SLFP who wasn’t known to be corrupt or a murderer (laughs). It was very difficult to find someone from my party at a leadership level like that. I had worked with Maithripala and I knew he fitted the bill, atleast somewhat. Nobody’s perfect. Now I had to send messages through people to him. Sometimes I used messengers. The same messenger couldn’t go often, because it would be reported. It was a police state.

Q: Is there any truth to the story India provided communication devices, DRDO made satellite phones?

Chandrika Kumaratunga: No..completely false. We were using Viber. And the government didn’t know how to tap Viber. Apparently it is difficult for any intelligence agency anywhere to tap into Viber, although some can identify out who is calling whom. But Sri Lanka didn’t have that technology, otherwise we would have all been dead. I couldn’t afford a big office, I could only hire 2 people as Rajapaksa had closed down my office. But we managed somehow, and I can say that the main reason we were successful is that civil society really rose up. They were allies along with the UNP. Ranil Wickremshinghe wasn’t afraid to meet. I realised that we would need an alliance, because the opposition in our country had been weakened. So I had a hand in bringing them all together, and that was it. Eventually the common enemy brought us together.

Q: Given that, how much were you worried about Rajapaksa’s return to power in the recent elections that were won by the UNP? Especially given the strain within the party over the SLFP party ticket given by President Sirisena to Rajapaksa…

Chandrika Kumaratunga: Yes there was a strain between all of us, not only between the President and the PM. But that has since been resolved. And President Sirisena has redeemed himself during the campaign by his actions and statements during the campaign. I know that he was determined not to let the “baddies” come back. But the President was trying to keep the party together, and was misled by the two secretaries of the party who deceived him because they were for Rajapaksa. Finally he did sack them, but we felt he should have sacked them much earlier.

(The Hindu)

All ministerial portfolios of the national government will be filled by the middle of next week, political sources said.

The President appointed 42 Cabinet Ministers yesterday. This brought the total number of Ministers to 43, since Mangala Samaraweera had already taken oaths as Foreign Minister.

The Parliament on Thursday approved the President to appoint 48 Cabinet Ministers and 45 State and Deputy Ministers. Accordingly, five Cabinet Ministers and the 45 other ministers are yet to be appointed.

Meanwhile, the President yesterday said that the Cabinet will have 33 UNP and 15 SLFP ministers. The 43 ministers appointed include 32 from UNP and 11 from SLFP. Therefore, one UNP MP and four SLFP MPs will be appointed as Cabinet Ministers.

Furthermore, reports indicated that the SLFP will be given 18 state and deputy ministerial portfolios.