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The road
to lawlessness: All private bus
conductors and drivers were ordered by
the Supreme Court to wear uniforms from
January 1. However, many private bus
conductors and drivers were seen
sporting casuals despite the court
order. It seems if the government can
ignore court directives so can the bus
crews. |
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Tax Dept. to probe 'black money' in Golden
Key
The Inland Revenue Department is to probe
the investments of the Golden Key depositors
to ascertain whether there was 'black money'
involved in the transactions.
The Sunday Leader learns the Golden Key
Company had book deposits over Rs 26 billion
at the time the scam carried out by sections
of the management was detected.
Informed sources said among the depositors
were a large number of politicians,
sportsmen and businessmen who had invested
tens of millions in the credit card scheme
which was offering interest in the range of
25% to 30%.
Chairman, Ceylinco Group, Lalith Kotelawala
has pledged to all depositors their
investments will be paid back fully.
Kotelawala last week announced he will sell
the Seylan Bank shares of the Ceylinco Group
and his personal shares in the bank to meet
the commitments to the depositors.
The Chief Executive Officer, Golden Key
Company, Khavan Perera who had according to
a statement issued by Kotelawala admitted to
the mismanagement of funds is yet to make a
public comment on the 'scam' despite
widespread allegations levelled against him
by the top management of the Ceylinco Group.
The Sunday Leader learns the Inland Revenue
Department will call for a record of the
depositors with Golden Key and investigate
whether they have accounted for the millions
deposited in their tax returns or even
disclosed the investment.
Informed sources said apart from a number of
politicians including those holding
ministerial office, top businessmen and
cricket stars, even Buddhist monks including
at least one sitting member of Parliament
from the JHU had deposited large sums of
money with Golden Key.
FM ruffles feathers over
Dpl posting
While two fundamental rights petitions have
been filed in the Supreme Court asking to
immediately cease all arbitrary political
appointments to Sri Lankan missions abroad,
there is now a rush at the Foreign Ministry
to expedite these appointments in
anticipation of a court ruling halting such
appointments, Foreign Ministry officials
charged. The officials charged that the
latest to join the list of political
appointees is Manoranee Silva, estranged
spouse of the Chief Justice.
"Her hurried appointment is believed to
have been expedited to ensure that the Chief
Justice would not sit on the bench that
would rule on the fundamental rights
petitions filed by two retired Foreign
Service officers. Manoranee Silva is to be
made the Deputy High Commissioner for
Pretoria, South Africa, a post created in
that capital for the first time.
"Until now there had been only a handful of
Deputy High Commissioners in crucial
stations such as
New Delhi,
Chennai and London. Isuru Balapatabadi, the
son of a justice has already been posted to
the Netherlands. His fiancee is a daughter
of another justice raising concerns over a
conflict of interests when these petitions
are taken up," these officials charged .
Meanwhile, over a dozen career Foreign
Service officers have been given postings
within the course of last week with
immediate effect. This too they allege is in
anticipation of a court ruling which might
order non career political affiliates to
return to the country. By posting these
career officers it could be argued that
there are no more officers available to
replace the political appointees and
therefore allow them to remain in their
current posts. Interestingly Minister
Bogollagama addressing the staff of the
Foreign Ministry on the 1st of the year had
said that the discipline of the Foreign
Service demands that career officers should
serve in whichever capital they are posted
to without any qualms, the officials also
alleged.
The editor of The Nation newspaper Lalith
Alahakoon has been also given a diplomatic
posting, it was alleged. He joins a long
list of journalists who have been given
postings including Walter Jayawardene in
London, Bandula Jayasekara, the Consul
General in
Toronto and Neville De Silva designated for
Bangkok, the officials charged.
"This is in addition to Sisira Kothalawala,
former DG of Rupavahini, Sunil Sarath Perera,
former Chairman of SLBC, Sugeeshwara
Senadira of the Government Information
Department, Chandrapala Liyanage, former
Director of Presidential Media Unit and
numerous other loyalists who are already
enjoying diplomatic postings," these
officials also charged.
Informed sources said however that Alahakoon
has still not accepted his appointment. "R.K.S
Sureshchandra from the BOI is to be posted
to one of the most vital stations as the
Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in
New York.
Although politically appointed, this crucial
mission is headed by former Secretary to the
Foreign Ministry H.M.G.S. Palihakkara.
Sureshchandra is only the latest of a long
list of family and friends posted abroad by
Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.
This astonishing list includes the posting
of his brother- in-law, Palitha Ganegama as
the Deputy High Commissioner to New Delhi
which happens to be where his daughter
Dilshani is studying. His Sister-in-Law,
Jayathri Ranjani Samarakone has also been
appointed Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to
Singapore where Bogollagama's son Dakshitha
is studying.
It is widely known that Aminda Rodrigo, the
24 year old son of a business tycoon whose
only feasible qualification to be a diplomat
is being the intended son-in-law of
Bogollagama is posted to the politically
vital capital of Washington DC. With the
pressure from the new Obama Administration
mounting on Sri Lanka on its human rights
record and various other issues, young
Rodrigo would no doubt rise to the occasion
with his ample experience.
Aminda Rodrigo is not the only "offspring of
the privileged" to be made a diplomat over
night. One Oceanie De Silva whose aunt is
said to have close affiliations to even
higher levels than Rodrigo is now posted as
the Third Secretary to Malaysia. Bandula
Athauda, Chameera Ranaweera, Premitha
Bandara Tennakoon are a few others with
politically powerful family connections, the
officials alleged in an e-mail circulated
among the Foreign Ministry staff.
The e-mail contains a list of some of the
recent political appointments to Sri Lankan
missions abroad which are given below. These
are in addition to the numerous individuals
who have been appointed as Heads of Mission
(Ambassadors, High Commissioners, PRUN
etc.). All of them the officials allege have
been selected based on political
affiliations, nepotism and political
loyalties.
Karuna won't form new
party
The TMVP will officially announce its stance
with regard to the internal rift on January
10, TMVP Spokesperson Azath Moulana last
week said while the Karuna faction said
there was no move to form a separate party
by the former LTTE Eastern Commander.
Moulana said that a meeting of the party
high rankers was held recently and the
issues within the party were discussed.
"We will officially release our stance on
this whole issue on January 10," Moulana
said.
Meanwhile, spokesperson for MP
Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan alias Karuna
Amman, D. Kamalanathan told The Sunday
Leader that the party name would remain
unchanged.
There were reports last week in the media
that Karuna Amman would form a separate
party following the dispute between the
TMVP and Eastern Province Chief Minister
Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan.
Pillayan, a couple of weeks ago had said
there were no such issues within the party
and that Karuna had told him that there were
no moves to form another party.
Kamalanathan said that there were no issues
within the party and that there were no
reasons for the party to split.
"Kamalanathan denied reports that Karuna
would form a separate party if the TMVP
politburo does not accept his proposal of a
name change.
"These news items that appeared two weeks
ago are baseless and exaggerated. There are
no such plans or any need to do that.
"There were no rifts within the party at all
in the first place. All these reports were
exaggerated by those who wanted disharmony
within our party and those who were not
happy with the party's healthy progress
within a short span," Kamalanathan said.
Opposition protest
campaign on Jan. 7
By Nirmala Kannangara
In order to urge the Mahinda Rajapakse
administration to reduce fuel prices to
reflect world prices, and the cost of living
(CoL) the joint opposition is to hold a
protest campaign at the Lipton Circus on
Wednesday, January 7, UNP General Secretary
Tissa Attanayake told The Sunday Leader.
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC),
Democratic People's Front (DPF) and the SLFP
(M) Wing are to join the UNP at the protest
while discussions are underway with the New
Left Front (NLF) led by Dr. Wickremabahu
Karunaratne and Siritunga Jayasuriya to get
their participation too at the protest
according to Attanayake.
"This agitation is for a common cause but
not to gain any political mileage. So the
UNP expects the people who are undergoing
severe difficulties to join the protest to
pressurise the government to reduce the fuel
prices and also to bring down the
CoL,"
Attanayake said.
According to Attanayake all patriotic trade
union fronts too are to join the protest.
"All the trade unions affiliated to the
parties that would take part in the protest
will join us to show the might of the joint
opposition. What we want the present
administration to do was first to heed the
Supreme Court (SC) order and then to bring
down the CoL. Its more than two weeks since
the SC has ordered the Treasury to reduce
the petrol prices but so far the government
has failed to implement it. The reason for
the government's decision not to reduce
petrol prices was that if they lose the
income that is generated by the sale of
petrol, the government would not receive
adequate funds to maintain the world's
largest cabinet. As a result of maintaining
a jumbo cabinet at public expense, the CoL
has skyrocketed over the years. That was why
the joint opposition is to urge the
government to bring down petrol prices and
the CoL immediately and provide relief to
the already burdened masses," Attanayake
added.
UNP commends security
forces for liberating Kili
The UNP on Friday commended the security
forces for the liberation of Killinochchi
and called on the government now to pass the
benefit to the people by reducing the fuel
prices with immediate effect.
Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said
since most of the army personnel use
motorcycles as their mode of transport they
would welcome a reduction in petrol prices.
Wickremesinghe made this statement when he
was speaking to the contestants from Kandy,
Matale and Nuwara Eliya districts for the
Central Provincial Council elections at the
Hindu Cultural Centre in Kandy.
"The government charged unreasonable rates
as taxes from the people by making the war
and the soldiers fighting the war an
excuse. Five months ago when a metric tonne
of milk powder was sold as US$ 4500, a 400g
packet of milk powder was sold at Rs. 275 in
the country. But now although a metric
tonne of milk powder has come down to US$
2000 the government has reduced a packet of
milk powder only by Rs. 15. The government
can sell a packet of 400g milk powder at Rs.
160 but it is not giving the public that
relief. If the government doesn't give the
public this relief we will on behalf of the
people stage a protest against the
government," Wickremesinghe said.
Removal of health
workers irks trade unions
By Nirmala Kannangara
A directive by the Public Service Commission
(PSC) to remove 207 health sector employees
has irked the health employees, the Health
Services Trade Union Alliance (HSTUA) said.
Secretary, PSC on
December 5, 2008
has instructed Health Ministry Secretary to
remove the 207 Health Management Assistants
that was recruited in 2006 August and
December citing the mode of recruitment was
against the service minute of the health
management assistant service.
According to President HSTUA Saman
Rathnapriya although the PSC claims that the
recruitment was illegal, the vacancies were
Gazetted and the tests were held according
to the government rules and regulations.
"In August 2006, 20 Health Management
Assistants were recruited out of 600
applicants through a test while the balance
187 were recruited out of 33,000 candidates
who sat for a written test in December
2006," Rathnapriya told The Sunday Leader.
According to the Secretary PSC, the
recruitments were made without the PSC
approval and also against the service minute
of the Health Management Service.
"May be the PSC directive is right but still
the 207 recruitments were made through a
Gazette notification and the selection was
through a test that was conducted under the
government rules and regulations. If the PSC
claims the procedure was illegal then it was
the fault of the Health Ministry officials
and not the innocent employees," added
Rathnapriya.
Blaming the Health Ministry officials for
failing to follow the proper recruitment
procedure Rathnapriya said that the PSC
should take action against those who were
responsible for the mistakes done but should
not remove the 207 employees who have been
working in the Health ministry for the past
two years.
"We are strictly against the removal of
these 207 health sector employees and are
considering legal action if they are
removed. As a result the Health Ministry has
postponed the decision to remove the Health
Management Assistants for the moment,"
Rathnapriya stated. According to Rathnapriya
in the event if the Health Ministry follows
the PSC directives stern trade union action
would be taken to avert the decision.
Busmen agitate for
train fare reduction
By Risidra Mendis
Private bus owners have questioned the
government as to why they are not reducing
the train fares after introducing a fuel
price reduction recently.
The National Transport Commission's (NTC)
decision to reduce bus fares by 4% effective
from January 6 has caused concern among
private bus operators.
Speaking to The Sunday Leader President
Lanka Private Bus Owners Association Gemunu
Wijeratne said the last time the fuel prices
were reduced bus operators reduced their
fares.
"However at that time the train fares were
still the same. This is the second time the
government has said that bus fares should be
reduced because the fuel prices were brought
down. Then why is the government making
these requests only from private bus
operators? Wijeratne said.
He added that even though private bus
operators are presently running at a loss
they willingly reduced bus fares because
they were thinking of giving the public some
relief.
"If we can reduce bus fares despite running
at a loss why cannot the government bring
down the train fares especially since a
larger number of people travel by train,"
Wijeratne queried.
CPC money systematically
robbed, unions claim
By Nirmala Kannangara
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation's (CPC)
failure to deposit the cheques they received
from their dealers on time has deprived the
corporation of millions of rupees, the
Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya Petroleum Branch (JSSPB)
said.
The latest loss to the CPC has been
calculated at Rs.1.8 million and if this
procedure continues any further it would
affect the CPC badly, alleged Secretary,
JSSPB, Ananda Palitha.
According to Palitha although the cheques
received from their dealers have to be
deposited the following day, with the
appointment of the present Deputy Transport
Manager (DTM) on political affiliations,
this procedure has been violated.
"Since the corporation has taken bank
overdrafts, the cheques have to be deposited
on time if not the CPC has to pay the banks
a penalty. The DTM's failure to deposit the
cheques amounting to well over Rs.402.6
million on December 26, has cost the CPC
Rs.1.8 million," Palitha told The Sunday
Leader.
According to Palitha, the former Chairman
Asantha de Mel based on political
affiliation appointed the DTM, and as a
result he has not taken action against the
DTM for his failure to discharge his duties.
"Delaying to deposit the cheques on time was
a trick by the DTM as the more he delays the
more he gets financial assistance from the
dealers. Since the DTM ignored the
depositing of the cheques on December 26 all
the cheques were deposited on Monday,
December 29, three days after the due date,"
alleged Palitha.
"During the former DTM's tenure he was very
strict and there were no delays in banking
cheques and the corporation did not have to
pay the banks any penalty. But since the
then Chairman De Mel could not have his way
with him, he was removed for no reason and
an unqualified person attached to the fire
and safety section was appointed as the DTM
despite the employees' agitation," Palitha
alleged.
Meanwhile Palitha claimed former Chairman De
Mel too was behind this racket and said that
this was the reason for De Mel not to take
action against the DTM for his continuous
failure to deposit cheques on time.
"The Chairman and the DTM shared the income
they received from the dealers but the
question that has now arisen is whether the
present management too is supporting the DTM
to earn money illegally. If not why was
disciplinary action not taken against him?"
alleged Palitha.
All attempts to contact Chairman CPC, A.B.
Toradeniya for a comment by The Sunday
Leader failed.
Trishawmen frown on cheap petrol conditions
By Risidra Mendis
Trishaw drivers have criticised the
government for offering them a petrol
reduction on the basis that they fix taxi
meters on their vehicles.
At a press briefing held on Tuesday (30) the
government as part of its relief measures to
the public stated that trishaw drivers would
be given a reduction of Rs. 20 per litre for
four litres of petrol per day up to a
maximum of 75 litres per month. The
following day the government announced that
all trishaws with taxi meters would be able
to purchase petrol at Rs. 20 less.
Speaking to The Sunday Leader President, All
Island Three Wheeler Drivers' Welfare
Association (AITWDWA), Lalith Dharmasekera
said the government's decision to give
trishaw drivers a reduction on petrol costs
was good if they had a proper plan to
implement it.
"The government has said they will issue
coupons to all trishaw drivers who have taxi
meters to purchase petrol at a lesser price.
Issuing coupons may cause problems when this
programme is implemented, because there
could be a delay in the printing of the
coupons and the issuing of the coupons.
There is bound to be a long queue of trishaw
drivers to collect these coupons from the
petrol sheds," Dharmasekera said. |
