Category: Politics

Semasinghe’s request on privilege issue raised over SC interim order on LG polls (Adaderana 10-03-2023) State Minister Shehan Semasinghe has requested the Deputy Speaker of Parliament to instruct relevant authorities not to act on the interim order issued by the Supreme Court regarding the 2023 Local Government polls until the inquiry carried out by the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges comes to an end. Furthermore, he also asked the letter sent to the Finance Minister by the Election Commission Chairman, to be referred to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges. The state…

Tamil parties in the North reject HRCSL’s ‘homegrown’ recommendations The Morning (7-03-2023) TMTK’s Wiggy and TNA’s Sumanthiran say HRCSL has portrayed Northern demands inaccurately Responding to the recent recommendations made by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) that the Northern people are agreeable to an internal mechanism provided that the Truth Commission comprises members of competency and integrity, Tamil political parties in the Northern Province stated yesterday (6) that this does not fairly correspond to what the people in the North have been saying and noted that no…

Sri Lanka remains open to discussions with UNHRC – Sri Lanka’s UN envoy Sri Lanka has once again expressed the country’s objection to resolution 51/1 adopted against the island nation by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in October last year. During a recent general meeting at the 52nd session of the UNHRC, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva Himalee Arunathilaka has noted that such resolutions are unhelpful to the people of Sri Lanka and will fail to serve the objective of promoting reconciliation…

All Opposition parties demand EC hold election by 19 March (The Morning 6-03-2023) NPP, SJB, SLFP, TNA unite in letter to Election Commission Say no need to consult Treasury Secretary after Supreme Court order All main Opposition parties – namely the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), National People’s Power (NPP), Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC), Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), and breakaway factions of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) – jointly wrote to the Election Commission (EC) yesterday (5), demanding that the…

LG Polls funding: Treasury to abide by Court order ( The Morning 5- 03- 2023) Following the interim order issued by the Supreme Court on Friday (3) preventing the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance from withholding the funds allocated through the 2023 Budget for the Local Government (LG) Polls, State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said the ministry would respect and act according to the decision. “We should abide by the court decision. It is our responsibility. Therefore, as the Finance Ministry, we respect the decision and will act…

UNP fast eroding its Liberal image for power (MSM Ayub Mirror on line 4-03-2023) If the relevant authorities are to go by what President Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament on February 23 about holding Local Government elections that had then been scheduled by the Elections Commission to be held on March 9, those elections have been laid to rest.    The main argument in his speech was that the Local Government elections have not been legally announced on the Ground that the decision by the Elections Commission to hold the elections…

SJB backs full implementation of 13A: Kiriella  Mirudhula Thambiah (The Morning 23-02-2023)    The main Opposition in Parliament, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya yesterday (22) stated that the Party supports the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, noting that National Land and Police Commissions would control related provincial commissions so that no issues would arise. Speaking to The Daily Morning, Chief Opposition Whip and SJB Parliamentarian, Attorney Lakshman Kiriella said: “We are for the 13th Amendment. It was former President and incumbent Government Parliamentarian Mahinda Rajapaksa who said that…