Consumer Affairs Minister Bandula Gunawardena has predicted that wheat flour prices will continue to increase in the local market and that it was beyond the government’s control, as it was a result of the global food crisis.

He said, as a result of the price increase bread could go up to Rs. 100 per loaf.

Gunawardena’s comment was made in response to the possibility of Prima Ceylon Ltd., increasing wheat flour prices by Rs.10 per kg.

Gunawardena said that the price of wheat flour could see a further increase and that it was beyond the government’s control.

He also said that as predicted by him on a previous occasion, the price of bread might go up to Rs. 100.

Addressing a public gathering previously, he said that at the rate the price of wheat flour was rising not even Vaima the son of Sakka could stop a loaf of bread rising to Rs. 100 in Sri Lanka in the future.

Last week, Chairman, Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), Rumi Marzook said that although it is the CAA that has the authority to authorise any consumer price hike in the country, Prima has never obtained the approval of the CAA for any of their price hikes in the past.

"Prima has never sought CAA permission to increase the price of wheat flour even on previous occasions. They always increased prices arbitrarily. I was told that they have said that an application had been submitted to the CAA for the approval of a price revision but they have not done so," added Marzook.

Gunawardena said the only answer to the problem was to reduce wheat flour consumption by resorting to consuming more rice. He said that due to the global food crisis the wheat flour prices would continue to increase.

According to Gunawardena, it was the people from the estate sector who consumed a large amount of wheat flour, and in order to encourage them to consume rice instead, the government was providing them rice Rs. 10 lesser than the market price.

Rice prices to balloon

Rice prices, already recording increases between 60 and 90%, will come under more pressure due to the losses in the Maha harvest with the recent rains.

According to the Department of Agriculture, an anticipated shortfall of 10% between local production and demand had now increased to 12.5% after the rains. Rains from March 12 have been lashing the main rice producing districts of the country including Ampara, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura and Mannar and has left 2.5% of the total harvest in ruins.

The rains and the subsequent floods are also likely to affect the quality of the rice as well the availability of seed paddy for the next season, especially in the districts hit.

Rice prices have been on an upward trend in the last 12 months some varieties have recorded gains over 90% compared to last year. According to the recent prices put out by the Department of Census and Statistics, samba rice that was between Rs. 36 and Rs. 43 per kilo a year ago had increased to between Rs. 73 to Rs. 80, an year on year increase of between 86 to 99%. Even varieties like nadu and raw rice have recorded increases between 60 to 75%.

Last year mid March, the cheapest rice in the market according to the Department of Census and Statistics was raw (white) variety at Rs. 32 per kilo. The same variety is now going at Rs. 75.

President-Pillayan clash over CM post

President Mahinda Rajapakse and Pillayan had a heated exchange of words last week over the chief ministerial candidate of the UPFA in the Eastern Provincial Council elections, it is learned.

The verbal battle between the duo had taken place at Temple Trees during a discussion on the eastern provincial polls.

Although the Presidential Secretariat had extended an invitation to the Pillayan Group to visit Colombo following their victory at the local government polls in Batticaloa, Pillayan did not join the delegation that arrived in Colombo. It is learnt that he refused to visit Colombo since he was not sent a separate vehicle to travel in.

Pillayan had refused to travel in the luxury air-conditioned coach sent by the Presidential Secretariat for the group to travel to Colombo.

Pillayan it is learnt had said that the government should send him a separate vehicle if they wished him to arrive in Colombo.

The Presidential Secretariat on a later date sent a separate luxury vehicle to Batticaloa for Pillayan to travel to Colombo.

Once he arrived in Colombo, during his discussion with the President, Pillayan has said that if he was to contest the eastern provincial polls with the government, he should be named as the chief ministerial candidate.

Rajapakse had objected to the request outright and it is learnt that the President had also warned Pillayan that he was going overboard with his actions.

The UPFA has informed Pillayan they will not announce the chief minister candidate until the election is concluded to ensure the Muslim vote will not go entirely to the SLMC and UNP.

It is also learnt that efforts made by the JHU to resolve the misunderstanding between the President and Pillayan have so far been a failure.

TMVP opposes Muslim unit in east

The Pillayan led TMVP will oppose any move to carve out a separate Muslim unit in the east.

TMVP media spokesperson Azath Moulana told The Sunday Leader that the east belonged to all three communities and a separate unit for the Muslims would result in conflict between the communities.

He stated that the unity of the Sinhalese, Tamils and the Muslims, who have been living in the east together, would be harmed if measures were taken to carve a separate unit for the Muslims.

"All three communities have been living in the east for a long time. The east belongs to the people of all communities. We are against measures taken to give a separate unit for the Muslims. We will not endorse that," Moulana said.

The APRC last week came out with a proposal for a north-east merger subject to a separate Muslim unit.

Military fighting in north without any goals charges LTTE

The military lacks operational goals on the northern battlefronts, LTTE military spokesperson Rasiah Ilanthirayan was quoted as saying in an interview to the Australian Tamil Broadcasting Corporation last week.

He had said the military had been fighting in the northern battle front with no specific goals or strategies and added that such operations for a long time with no successes, would result in personnel being de-motivated.

"They have no goals. They don’t know what their goal is. They don’t know when or where it would end," he had said.

"This was evident when a soldier had shot his superior when he was not granted leave," he had also said.

Ilanthirayan in his interview had further said that the Mahinda Rajapakse government was in a state where it could not end the war it had started.

He added that the government had miscalculated that defeating the LTTE was easy.

"Mahinda had the war as an option when he took over the country. But, it has become his full-time job now. He has made the same mistake made by earlier Presidents and commanders."

Ilanthirayan also stated that the military had not achieved successes in the northern front despite using its maximum ability.

He had stated that the military was facing heavy resistance by the LTTE in Weli Oya as well.

He also added the recent attack on the Navy in Mullaithivu would affect the transportation of goods to the military in the peninsula.

"Even a sack of rice goes through the area. This path is used for 80% of the goods transportation to the military in the peninsula," Ilanthirayan had also said.

Ilanthirayan further stated that the observers were aware that the LTTE had not been weakened considering the attacks on Anuradhapura air base and Katunayake air port.

"On the other hand our operations such as Unceasing Waves 1, 2 and 3 are still in the minds of everyone. The observers have now started warning the government that the LTTE has not lost its abilities to carry out such operations," he had said.

OPA issues President a Red Notice

The Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) has called upon President Mahinda Rajapakse not to make any further appointments to the Supreme and Appeal Courts bypassing the Constitutional Council if he wishes to pre-empt further action by the professionals’ body.

The letter signed by OPA President Attorney Elmore Perera also draws the attention of President Rajapakse to a quotation by King Solomon — " if a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked."

The OPA has pointed out that the appointment of the Chief Justice and judges of the Supreme Court, the president and members of the Court of Appeal, the members of the Judicial Service Commission, the Attorney General, the Auditor General, the Inspector General of Police, the Ombudsman and the Secretary General of Parliament are all subject to Article 41C (1) of the Constitution which provides that "No person shall be appointed by the President to any of the above posts, unless such appointment has been approved by the Council upon a recommendation made to the Council by the President."

The OPA has further said "it is abundantly clear, therefore, that no lay person, no lawyer and not even the Attorney General, can truthfully and lawfully advise Your Excellency that making any appointment to the above-mentioned posts, without first getting the approval of the Constitutional Council, is legally valid and is not an intentional violation of the constitution."

"Vacancies already exist, and more will occur, in some of the posts referred to above. Whilst not discounting the many positive actions initiated by your Excellency, we strongly urge Your Excellency to refrain from making any unlawful appointments to the said posts, until the Constitutional Council is activated by forthwith appointing the persons duly nominated for such appointment, and thereby pre-empt the need for any further action by the OPA, in this regard," the OPA has added.

The OPA has also cited a decision of nine judges of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Neville Samarakoon in the case of Visuvalingam V. Liyanage, in respect of the immunity granted by Article 35 of the Constitution, which states as follows:

"Actions of the executive are not above the law and certainly can be questioned in a Court of Law. Article 35 of the Constitution provides only for the personal immunity of the President during his tenure of office from proceedings in any court. The President cannot be summoned to court to justify his actions. But that is a far cry from saying that the President’s acts cannot be examined by a Court of Law. Though the President is immune from proceedings in court, a party who invokes the acts of the President in his support will have to bear the burden of demonstrating that such acts of the President are warranted by law. The seal of the President by itself will not be sufficient to discharge that burden." (1983 1SLR 205)

The OPA has said this decision has not, thereafter, come up for consideration by a bench of nine or more judges of the Supreme Court.

"Notwithstanding any decisions of the Court of Appeal or of any Supreme Court bench of less than nine judges, to the contrary, Your Excellency well knows that the above decision is therefore still the legal position on this matter," the OPA has further pointed out.

The participation of school children at the third convention of the JVP affiliated Socialist Students Union (SSU) held recently has drawn fire from child rights activists and human rights activists in the country.

Despite the strict directives of the Education Ministry that school children should not be permitted to take part in any private or state functions due to security reasons the SSU’s failure to adhere to the Education Ministry instructions has come under severe criticism by the Education Ministry.

Chairman, National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) Jagath Wellawatte told The Sunday Leader that this violation of child rights by a political party clearly demonstrates as to what their political plans are and that it was a clear indication of their political bankruptcy.

"No one has the right to persuade underage children to take part in political interaction. The child is a child till he becomes old enough to take his own decisions. Why encourage such innocents to take part at such political functions?" queried Wellawatte.

When asked what action the NCPA would take regarding the violation of child rights, Wellawatte told The Sunday Leader that the NCPA would take action if any child abuse had taken place. Since this incident was not connected to child abuse the NCPA does not have the power to act on the issue. "But if the parents of a child who had participated at the convention lodged a complaint with the NCPA for causing mental agony to the child, then we could take action against those responsible," Wellawatte further added.

Meanwhile an officer from the Human Rights Commission on the basis of anonymity told The Sunday Leader that "This should be nipped in the bud."