President Ranil Wickremesinghe spent last Sunday and Monday in New Delhi following the official invitation of the Government of India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister for the third time on Sunday afternoon at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India.
President Wickremesinghe left for India on an Air India flight departing from Colombo at 8.20 am. Its cabin crew had a conversation with the President and it ended after they took a selfie with him.
After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony, Indian Prime Minister Modi kept President Wickremesinghe on his left side and called all the Heads of State present to the main platform.
The Prime Minister accompanied the State Leaders from the main platform to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Wickremesinghe entered the President’s House with Vice President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif. There, President Wickremesinghe asked him if this was the first time that he was coming to Rashtrapati Bhavan. He answered “yes” and asked the same question from the President.
“I came to the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the first time in 1984. It was to meet the then President of India to express my condolences on the death of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. I was a young Minister then. I was accompanied by the Senior Ministers of our country, Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake, along with Foreign Affairs Minister A.C.S. Hameed.” The Seychelles Vice President was astonished on hearing the President’s seniority.
“I am the only one alive now.” While the President was speaking, the Vice President of Seychelles wished President Wickremesinghe long life and said that he has a lot to learn from him.
When Prime Minister Modi met the Heads of State separately, President Wickremesinghe congratulated him on his victory and invited him to visit Sri Lanka.
Prime Minister Modi had arranged for President Wickremesinghe to sit next to him during the dinner. Most of the food at the dinner was prepared in Indian style. In the friendly conversation between the Indian Prime Minister and President Wickremesinghe, Premier Modi said, “You have to face an election in the future, don’t you.” When Prime Minister Modi asked President Wickremesinghe nodded his head and responded with a smile.
While thanking President Wickremesinghe saying that he was strengthened by his brief visit, the Indian Prime Minister said, “There has been such a bond between India and Sri Lanka since the time of the kings. The kings of Sri Lanka were involved in the coronation of Indian kings.” President Wickremesinghe said recalling the close relations between the two countries.
“I wish you all the best for winning the forthcoming election. Come on an official visit to India after the elections.” Prime Minister Modi told President Wickremesinghe who came out after the dinner.
On Monday morning, President Wickremesinghe joined the bilateral discussions with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh as well as with the Indian External Affairs Minister.
As soon as he received an official invitation from India, President Wickremesinghe told Director General of Government Information, Dinith Chinthaka Karunaratne, that he will take a group of journalists from Sri Lanka on his visit to India. Within a short time, he contacted President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake and completed all the arrangements to take the journalists to India. The journalists received an opportunity to go to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and cover the event.
President Wickremesinghe, who returned to Colombo on Monday evening after completing his visit to India, went to the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday morning as usual for the Security Council meeting.
In the evening, the Cabinet meeting was held and the details of the President’s visit to India as well as receiving the loan installment from the IMF.
After that, a committee headed by former Presidential Secretary Udaya R. Senaviratne was appointed to investigate and report on the salary anomalies in the public service.
On Tuesday evening, the President attended an event at the Water’s Edge to educate the youth participating in the Sectoral Oversight Committees.
President meets SAARC Secy. Gen.
President Wickremesinghe met SAARC Secretary General at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday morning. The meeting focused on addressing issues related to various projects among SAARC countries, with the President urging impartial intervention by the Secretary General.
The discussion also covered the country’s agricultural modernisation program and explored potential support from SAARC member nations. The development of the SAARC Cultural Centre for Modern Art in Sri Lanka was a key topic of conversation.
On the same day, the report of the committee appointed to investigate the construction of a monument of reconciliation and reparation was presented to the President.
On the same day, President Wickremesinghe appointed another committee to investigate the action taken based on the prior information received about the bomb attack that took place on April 21, 2019.
It had been decided to release the third tranche of the IMF at the staff meeting held on Wednesday evening. The Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka informed the President of this news and the President did not fail to thank Chief of Staff Ratnayake and officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank, including President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake.
“Sagala Ratnayaka intervened to settle the difficult issues between the IMF team and the Sri Lankan team,” the officials said.
‘Val Palama’
After that conversation, the President went to the President’s House at night to join the dinner hosted for the Ministers. First, President Wickremesinghe thanked the Ministers who supported the Government’s work during the past two difficult years.
“You all supported me when I was making difficult decisions. Without your support, I wouldn’t be able to come this far on the ‘Val Palama’, President Wickremesinghe said with emotion.
After the applause of the Ministers, Ministers Prasanna Ranatunga, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Kanchana Wijesekera and Bandula Gunawardena spoke thanking President Wickremesinghe for taking over the country at a difficult time and bringing it to this state in a short time as a mature leader, when everyone else was running away from responsibilities. During the dinner, they also discussed the upcoming elections. It was said that President Wickremesinghe will host a dinner for State Ministers the next day. On Thursday morning, the President went to join the meeting of Central Bank Governors of SAARC countries.
On that day, a group of Ministers came to the Presidential Secretariat and discussed the Economic Transformation Bill as well as receiving the third tranche of the IMF.
State Minister Shehan Semasinghe told the President, “SJB MP Harsha de Silva, who often said that the IMF support should be obtained, is now opposing the Economic Transformation Bill.”
“I don’t know how he can speak against the Economic Transformation Bill now,” MP Wajira Abeywardena said. “Actually, they should support the Bill. However, after this Bill is passed, they will have nothing to talk about,” said Prof. Ashu Marasinghe joining the conversation.
President Wickremesinghe said nothing but listened to all these stories. During the weekend, President Wickremesinghe left for Mannar to look into several projects and to meet the Archbishop of Mannar.
Flood threat in Kaduwela
While the President left for India on Sunday, Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka went to Kaduwela to find a permanent solution to the flood threat. He spoke about the shortcomings from Kolonnawa to Kaduwela and advised the people to meet the officials and discuss first and then talk to him.
When Ratnayaka went to open the UNP office in Kesbewa, he gave a fitting answer to a question asked by the journalists, with UNP General Secretary Range Bandara by his side. “The General Secretary drops bombshells from time to time. However, we will have the election at the right time.” When Sagala said, everyone burst out laughing.
It was during this time that the head of Adrian Seeka Company who had decided to make a big investment in the Southern Province came and had a conversation with Ratnayaka. He discussed with officials about the development program of Colombo and of Trincomalee and inquired about the progress and transmitted the information to the President.
Talk of the town
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa’s visit to the Northern Province was the talk of the town because he met the Leaders of all the political parties representing the North.
TNA Parliamentarians M.A. Sumanthiran and Dharmalingam Siddarthan and former TNA MP Mavai Senathirajah, and others joined a discussion with the Opposition Leader at the head office of the TNA.
Premadasa also met former MPs Suresh Premachandran and Anandi Sasidharan at the ‘Fox’ Hotel and met Parliamentarian C.V. Wigneswaran at his home in Nallur.
Premadasa openly exchanged ideas with all these Leaders of the North about the problems faced by the people of the North. When the Opposition Leader met all the Leaders of the North, he said that he will work under a SJB Government to implement the 13th Amendment which has already been included in the Constitution. It was reported that the representatives of the political parties in the North expressed one particular idea about it. They said that they are disappointed that the statements made by the political leaders of the South in the run-up to the elections as the promises have not been implemented in reality.
Suresh Premachandran had told a discussion that while talking about 13 plus, the previous rulers who did not implement 13th Amendment and sometimes even did 13 minus.
He said that Provincial Council schools and provincial hospitals were taken over by the Central Government, resulting in a situation where the Provincial Councils did not even receive provisions.
Therefore, he said that if a positive intervention is not made to solve the problem in the North and if it is not an expression of their feelings, the proposal of a common candidate has been presented as an alternative.
Trust
The Opposition Leader told them that trust is a very important factor here. He said that in the vision of the SJB, the formation of Sri Lankan identity has been made an ideal, and that his statement about the 13th Amendment should not be considered similar to the statements made by others.
MP Eran Wickramaratne, who joined the discussions, said changes are being made to implement the state financial policy more effectively to the Provincial Councils. It is expected to amend the regulations on capital formation for Provincial Councils based on the policy of decentralisation and implement stronger Provincial Councils.
Following these discussions, MP Wickramaratne said in Colombo that although they discussed separately, there are serious differences of views among the Tamil parties in the North. They are keeping an eye on a reliable leader from the South and they realised that the Opposition Leader has the most opportunity.
At that time, MP Nalin Bandara said, “Our Leader went to the North and talked about the 13th Amendment. Then Anura Dissanayake suddenly went to the North and said that they will also give 13A. I don’t know if it’s a story to laugh or cry.”
MP Mujibur Rahuman said, “It was the JVP that set the country on fire because of the 13th Amendment. Candidates who contested the Provincial Councils were killed. For the first time in the Provincial Council elections, the people who cast their votes first were killed.’’
MP Nalin Bandara said, “It was the JVP which said that the 13th Amendment is an opportunity for Indian expansionism and boycotted Indian goods.”
How many thousands did they kill? The Maha Sangha, political leaders, trade union leaders, thousands of innocent people and they set fire to buses, transformers, broke bridges and culverts, destroyed tea factories and closed the country with chits and bankrupted the economy.
The JVP now goes to the North and says that we will also give the 13th Amendment. We have never seen in history a group of people like the JVP which engaged in opportunistic politics that made slogans such as ‘Both sides are alike’.
Chamith Wijesundara of the SJB said, “The JVP leaders who led youth against the 13th Amendment and closed universities, should be held accountable for the deaths of thousands of people. They should explain to the youth of today about the youth who were misled and killed some time ago.”
MP Eran Wickramaratne said, “During his visit, the Opposition Leader said that if he wins after the Presidential Election, the first responsibility will be to hold the Provincial Council Elections and strengthen the Provincial Councils under the 13th Amendment and launch a special program to develop the entire country including the North and the East.
“Northern politicians also drew special attention to the fact highlighted by the Opposition Leader that he will make arrangements for a summit to receive international aid for Sri Lanka, which was not done by the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government or the Ranil Wickremesinghe Government during the post-war period.
“Under the ‘Sakwala Program’, the Opposition Leader provided smart classrooms to a number of schools in the North. One thing that stood out at that time was that SLFP MP Angajan Ramanathan, MP Sumanthiran and MP Siddarthan participated in these events. All of them gave special thanks to the Opposition Leader, appreciating the example set by being in the Opposition and doing what the Government should do,” he said.
Emotional occasion
The Opposition Leader joined an extremely emotional occasion during this visit. That is the meeting with the children of Nafeel Visually-Impaired College in Kaithady area of Jaffna. There, Opposition Leader Premadasa and the group became emotional by the speech given by a visually-impaired child welcoming the Opposition Leader.
The Opposition Leader appreciated the mission of the college administrator Father S.P. Nesakumar and made a financial donation for the development of the college.
“Did the Opposition Leader meet a group of youth who were protesting in front of the Jaffna Chief Secretary’s Office during this visit?,” asked MP Nalin Bandara.
MP Mujibur Rahuman said, “How important is it for the Opposition Leader to go to the unemployed youths, inquire about them, discuss them and get an understanding of the problem. It shows that the Opposition Leader is trying to understand the problems and find solutions without running away from them.’’
MP Eran Wickramaratne said, “New answers to old questions should be sought through a new program, not old answers. Throughout the Opposition Leader’s visit to the North, I saw his commitment to that.
“When the journalists met in Jaffna, they directly questioned the Opposition Leader, especially about the 13th Amendment. One of the journalists asked the Opposition Leader whether there is any opposition to the 13th Amendment within his own party. The Opposition Leader said there is no such thing. The statement he made about the 13th Amendment is in accordance with the policies and vision of our party,” he said.
MP Mujibur Rahuman said, “Then Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa presented the 13th Amendment to the Constitution to Parliament. In Parliament on that day, Prime Minister Premadasa said that the 13th Amendment was reviewed by the Supreme Court and added that there was no challenge to the sovereignty and independence of the country.
“Therefore, Prime Minister Premadasa had said that he will submit this proposal to Parliament. The JVP which set the country on fire against the 13th Amendment saying that they are undermining the Supreme Court decision and dividing the country, today goes to Jaffna and say they also endorse the 13th Amendment, then we need to think intelligently about it,” he said.
MP Nalin Bandara said, “The Opposition leader knows the history very well. Everything is done after studying them. He has won the trust of the people of the North and the East by speaking the truth and not by opportunistic politics.
The IMF released the third tranche of US$ 336 million to strengthen Sri Lanka’s economy under the extended credit facilities on Thursday morning. It is also the opinion of the leading scholars of the country that there is no other solution apart from the agreements made by Sri Lanka with the IMF, which is the world’s last lender.
Hornet’s nest
Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena, who is also an expert on the subject of economics, analysed this situation very clearly in and outside Parliament throughout the recent past. The extent to which this has hurt SJB politics was revealed in the middle of last week with a statement made by the Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance, SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva about Minister Bandula Gunawardena at a press conference.
He said that Dr. Gunawardena does not need to tell him how to change these things and that he would tell Bandula to make a movie, write a book or do something else. It seems that this statement will stir a hornet’s nest again because there is talk now that Dr. Gunawardena, who often clashes with Dr. Harsha will launch a counter attack very soon.
