The popular narrative that Ranil Wickremesinghe is a ‘gentleman and politician’ is both true and misleading. It is true because he gracefully left Temple Trees after the electoral defeat in 1994, paving way for a democratic transition of power to the Chandrika Kumaratunga led People’s Alliance.

He left amidst rumours that Gamini Dissanayake, who by that time had returned to the UNP, was plotting a coalition government with the support of the then SLMC leader late A.H.M. Ashraff.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, on his part, sensed, rightly indeed that the UNP had overstayed its welcome in power. Dissanayake could have succeeded, if not for Wickremsinghe’s gesture which discouraged Ashraff from siding with Dissanayake. That could have been the second part, unfolding in a much uglier way of Fransiscoozation, the infamous episode of abduction and subsequent manipulation of a provincial councilor to deprive the majority for the People’s Alliance in the Southern provincial council. (Read More)

Democratic Peoples Front Leader Mano Ganesean has informed UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe that there is no need for any meeting with him regarding the national list issue.Mr. Ganesan made this clear in a letter addressed to Mr. Wickremesinghe yesterday. “No more personal meetings are necessary with you as we are convinced that you have deceived my party and the Tamil people. And we consider the national list dispute over’ said Mr. Ganesan in his four-sentenced letter to the UNP leader in respeonse to his letter on May 10. Mr. Wickremesinghe had sent this letter to Mr. Ganesan prior to his departure to India

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will present what is being described as a mini budget of the re elected United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) administration on June 29, a finance ministry spokesman said yesterday. (Read More)

National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Housing and Common Amenities Minister Wimal Weerawansa says proposed far reaching constitutional changes are likely to be implemented on a staggered basis. The 17th Amendment to the Constitution and executive presidential powers and privileges will be dealt with first of all.

Addressing the media at the NFF headquarters at Battaramulla yesterday, Minister Weerawansa said that the second and third phases envisaged amendments to the electoral system and the creation of an Upper House. Responding to a query by The Island, he said the entire process could take one and a half to two years. He declined to comment on how soon the first phase of the constitutional amendments could be implemented.

The SLFP-led UPFA needs six more MPs to achieve the magical two-thirds majority in parliament. The UPFA secured 144 seats at the April 8 general election, whereas the UNP obtained 60, TNA 14 and the DNA 7.

Minister Weerawansa said that a few days back leaders of UPFA constituent parties had met at Temple Trees to discuss the issue at length. He said that a second round of discussion would take place shortly to reach consensus on proposed amendments to the Constitution. (Read More)

Although the release of a report on the proposed reforms of the UNP is scheduled for Friday, a majority of the party Working Committee members including parliamentarians have not made their submissions yet.

There are 77 Working Committee members and 48 parliamentarians but not even one fourth of them had sent in their suggestions, sources said. (Read More)

The Government has declined to offer the chairmanships of the Parliamentary Committees on Public Accounts (PAC) and Public Enterprises (COPA) to the Opposition, which the main opposition UNP cited as a breach of Parliamentary traditions.

The two bodies are considered the Parliamentary watchdogs on public finances. Each body comprises 31 members representing all the political parties in the House. They have powers to examine financial activities of any State institution and report to the House. During the last Parliament, the PAC, under the chairmanship of SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem, exposed the multi-billion rupee VAT fraud along with those responsible for it. (Read More)

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mrs. Sumeda G. Jayasena said yesterday that she intended to seek the Cabinet approval next week for the issuance of duty-free vehicle permits for the MPs.

Mrs. Jayasena said she would consult the other party leaders in Parliament before taking a decision on this matter.

She said the MPs who had completed five years in Parliament would be entitled to this benefit, along with those who had elected to the House for the first time without representing any Provincial Council earlier. (Read More)

Mr. Wickremesinghe had mentioned this to senior party members hours before embarking on a personal visit to India on Monday, UNP sources said. (Read More)