President Ranil Wickremesinghe had reserved most of his time last week to meet children, foreigners and youth groups.
During the weekend, he walked along the beach from Tangalle to Galle to find out the shortcomings of the tourism sector. President Wickremesinghe, who took Mahamaya Vidyalaya students to the Cabinet for the first time in history, spent time with thousands of scouts on Wednesday.
The President, who resolved the problems related to tourism, came to the office on Monday to engage in the duties scheduled for that day.
The President, who opened the housing scheme built under the Indian Credit Line for the plantation people via Zoom technology, saw a group of students in the corridor of the office and engaged in a conversation with them.
Knowing that they were student parliamentarians of Mahamaya Vidyalaya, President Wickremesinghe greeted them. The Student Parliament was held in the old Parliament in the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and the President’s Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka.
When the President came to the Cabinet meeting in the evening, he saw these children waiting in the corridor of the first floor of the Presidential Secretariat and went to the children and asked, “Are they still here?” So how, did you see the old parliament building?” he asked, approaching the children like a father.
The female students answered and asked the President where he was going. “I am going to the Cabinet meeting. Are you coming too?” When asked by the President, the children immediately agreed to it.
The Ministers were surprised to see the President bringing the children. Explaining the matter, the President asked the Cabinet Secretary and other officials to explain the role of the Cabinet of Ministers to the children. At the end of the briefings, the President sent a Cabinet paper saying that he will present a special Cabinet paper today.
The President had arranged to present and give the Cabinet paper to the Cabinet and to the student parliament representatives. The Ministers and the children were surprised when they saw the contents of the document, which was received as an emergency Cabinet paper. The Cabinet paper mentioned a proposal to give a holiday to Kadawatha Mahamaya Girls’ School on Thursday.
Although it was a surprise, there is no doubt that it was a good lesson for the student parliament representatives on how to present a Cabinet paper. When the schoolgirls were about to leave, the Ministers said that the Cabinet had passed a resolution to give a special holiday to the school. The students who thanked the President left feeling proud as the first school in history to attend a Cabinet meeting.
After meeting the Security Council on Tuesday, President Wickremesinghe went to Kurunegala to pay his last respects to Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera.
President meets UNP Management Committee
The President, on his return to Colombo, met the UNP Management Committee to discuss the future activities of the party.
Party General Secretary Range Bandara presented a report on the progress of activities and the electoral level documents to vest power were given last week.
After studying the reports, President Wickremesinghe criticised the people who did not renew the branch societies at regional level. “The guys simply talk all the time but do no work. They don’t go to the village to do the assigned duty. If this is the case, the party cannot move forward.”
Meanwhile, when a discussion about positions came up, the President said that it is not possible to talk about positions without the Working Committee members. He said to discuss the matter when the Working Committee meeting is held next month.
State Minister Janaka Wakkumbura was asked to come to the Presidential Secretariat to take oaths as the State Minister of Environment. It was decided to give it to Janaka Wakkumbura as it is a ministerial position of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).
Minister Wakkumbura, who was present for the swearing-in of the ministerial position, faced a predicament because he suddenly came on the President’s invitation.
The Minister had not even brought a pen though he had to sign the oath. When he was looking for a pen, President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake gave him his pen.
President Wickremesinghe, who was watching all this carefully, called Janaka Wakkumbura after all the swearing-in procedures were completed. “Don’t forget to take a pen when you are going to get married. Signing the marriage register or taking an oath are important things in life.” After saying that, President Wickremesinghe left, asking him to do the job well.
There are three priorities in the President’s second Budget. The first of these is the grant of Urumaya freehold deeds. The second is the Aswesuma and the third is the increase in the salaries of public servants.
Of these, President Wickremesinghe is most interested in the grant of Urumaya freehold deeds. The President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake has been entrusted with the responsibility of checking whether the work is done properly by contacting the Ministry of Lands.
At present, if there is any problem in the grant of Urumaya deeds, a hotline telephone number has been introduced for the people to talk to and the expectation of the President is to distribute one million deeds as soon as possible.
While the Israeli Transport Minister came to Sri Lanka and met the President, the Iranian Foreign Minister also came to Sri Lanka and met the President.
The Ministers and officials asked the President about the ability to deal with two opposing parties at the same time, and the President’s answer to all of them was only a smile.
Scout Jamboree
The President went to Trincomalee on Wednesday morning as the chief guest of the National Scout Jamboree. There were scouts representing many countries. When President Wickremesinghe went towards the students, they started taking selfies with the President.
But the Indian National Flag there prevented the children from posing for selfies at the place where the Indian scouts were. The President immediately took it upon himself and took selfies with the Indian Scouts as per the request of the children.
The President visited the Lalith Athulathmudali Vocational Training Centre during his observation tour and engaged in a friendly discussion with the students there. The President, who answered the children’s questions, had to pose for selfies with the students before leaving.
The teachers there said that the President is now popular among children like a movie actor. National Youth Services Council Chairman Pasidu Gunaratne, said with a smile that receiving this kind of response from the children is like a gesture of gratitude to the President who ended the era of people standing in fuel and gas queues day and night.
Unfair
President Wickremesinghe visited the Ministry of Finance as usual on Thursday morning and a group of Ministers were also present. There was also a discussion about the salary increase of the Central Bank officials.
“It is unfair for Central Bank officials to increase their salaries. When they do something like this when the people are in trouble, they paint a wrong picture of the Central Bank,” Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said.
“Central Bank officials have gained a lot of value with the change in the country’s economy. Therefore, they have got a good demand for jobs in foreign countries and we can’t do anything with the new monetary law,” State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said.
However, MP Wajira Abeywardena was of the opinion that this story should be told properly to the people. The President listened silently but did not make any comment.
Minister Prasanna Ranatunga is having an extremely busy time these days with the Kandukara Dashakaya project. He is at a meeting every week somewhere in the country. Minister Ranatunga had to intervene to solve many unresolved problems.
The problems that had arisen with the Provincial Council and the public representatives were resolved immediately, especially regarding the appointment of school principals.
“The Provincial Council and the Central Government should work together. If not, it will not be able to implement the development projects on behalf of the people,” Minister Ranatunga told the officials.
“This is excellent work. The problem of these principals had become a headache to me. You immediately solved this problem,” former Minister Johnston Fernando told Minister Ranatunga.
“Own mistakes”
After the coordination committee meeting, a discussion was held with the former chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Local Government bodies of the Kurunegala district chaired by District Leader, former Minister Johnston Fernando. It was also noteworthy that Minister Prasanna Ranatunga and Johnston Fernando went to that meeting in the same vehicle.
“Now nobody cares about us. It is good that you have come like this,” they said. “We all have problems. Let’s resolve it soon. If we are divided at this time, the party will fall. This has happened to us today because of our own mistakes. We need to stay together if those stupid things won’t happen again,” Minister Ranatunga said.
“Let’s say that the President is helped. But how will we be treated? Now look at former Minister Johnston Fernando, the District Leader. But he does not have a ministerial portfolio” was another accusation.
“Yes, he should be given a ministerial portfolio. But we need to understand the current situation. I am the Chief Government Whip. Earlier, Johnston Fernando held this position. I still believe that he should hold this position. I have not removed any of the officials who were there during his tenure,” Minister Ranatunga said.
“All of us have to face some injustices. Let’s tolerate them and work patiently. That’s what I always say, let’s strengthen the party first. Then we can come into power,” Minister Ranatunga said.
Last week, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga participated in a special meeting. It was a UNP Gampaha district electoral organisers meeting at the Presidential Secretariat.
“I am not used to sitting in a UNP meeting. But you have to do things you are not used to,” said Ranatunga.
UNP Gampaha District Leader Ruwan Wijewardene only laughed at Prasanna’s joke and said nothing.
UNP organisers of the Gampaha district including Ruwan Wijewardene, Kithsiri Manchanayake and Waruna Deeptha Rajapaksa were present.
Minister Ranatunga said, “I came to this meeting at the request of President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Ruwan Wijewardene. I’m a pure SLPPer and Mahinda Rajapaksa was my leader then and now. That won’t change until I die. I am still talking to former Minister Basil Rajapaksa about political matters.”
“It is not a problem, Minister. You do your work. We will do our work,” Ruwan Wijewardene said.
Another UNP Convention was held last Saturday in Polonnaruwa. UNP Chairman, MP Wajira Abeywardena, UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara, UNP Deputy Leader Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, President’s Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Prof. Ashu Marasinghe and President’s Trade Union Director Saman Ratnapriya were present.
It was also significant that a large number of people representing the Polonnaruwa district participated in this Convention.
A resolution was proposed that Ranil Wickremesinghe should be the candidate for the Presidential Election in the Polonnaruwa district and in other districts and all those present raised their hands and passed the resolution.
Addressing the Convention, UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena said especially the farmers in Polonnaruwa and the people working in the private sector pay the salaries of all the public sector workers with the money they earn through their sweat. They earn money and pay taxes, and the Government machinery is run by those taxes. Therefore, the Government machinery also has a duty and responsibility to stand up for the rights of these hard-working farmers and working private sector people and act for their fairness.
He said, “The JVP is also a group that has helped to form and overthrow Governments throughout history. Sirimavo Bandaranaike was helped by Rohana Wijeweera in 1970. After helping and she was elected, the JVP launched the 1971 insurrection. It destroyed a lot of young lives in the country. A large number of security forces personnel lost their lives. The country’s middle class disappeared.”
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ajith Rajapaksa recently participated in a function in Galle. This was organised by the ‘Sanasa Movement’ to inform the former local government representatives of Galle district under the program to develop 5,000 villages. Many of the Local Government representatives who were present told Deputy Speaker Rajapaksa that they appreciated him coming to meet the local government representatives in this manner. “We are helpless. This 5,000 village development program is very good. We do a lot of work for the villages. Please look into our problems too,” they said.
These days, MP Namal Rajapaksa is visiting temples all over the island, and getting their blessings of Chief Incumbents . Recently, he visited several temples including the Kelaniya Rajamaha Vihara, Bellanwila Rajamaha Vihara and Sunethradevi Pirivena.
The Chief Incumbent of the Bellanwila temple had said something wonderful to Namal. “If your father, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had not lost the 2015 Presidential Election, the country would have been saved. The country would not have gone bankrupt like this.”
Namal said, “Yes. That is true Ven. Thera. During the tenure of the Yahapalana Government, the economy was pushed back a lot.”
“It doesn’t matter, you are a young leader, be sensitive to the issues and see what the needs of the people are.” Namal received valuable advice from the Nayaka Thera.
