Two weeks of March madness began with145th battle of the blues where Old Royalist President Rail Wickremsinghe was seen singing with school mates “Bivuaneda wadakaha sudiya and Suranganee to Malu genawa” faded this week with President Ranil emerging as the savior of the nation receiving IMF accolade for his advocated a pluralistic economic reforms.
Wide angle shot of Sri Lanka’s economic and political affairs this week depicts glorious uncertainties like in cricket where you never know the result until the last ball is bowled.
In an uncertain and unbecoming move of National People's Power team led by Marxist subversive JVP leader Aniua Kumara Dissanayake’s series of foreign visits staring from US in October 2023 then, India on February 05, and Now Canada to address Sri Lankans living there and to meet with some Canadian politicians raised eye brows of Sri Lankans both here and overseas.
What the benefit of his foreign trips he accrued for the welfare of suffering people of this country .JVP leader has to answer this million dollar question? He and his party has done nothing to bring even for a few dollars after destroying billions of dollars’ worth of public property in 1971 insurgency and 1987–1989 JVP insurrection, also known as the 1988–1989 revolt
Anura Kumara who is vociferous critic of official foreign visits of the President, ministers and high officials raising their expenditure and details of outcome of the trips. But no one is questioning about these visits and how he has obtained visas and who are the sponsors of such lucrative foreign trips.
This a glorious uncertainty in country engulfed in economic crisis with people suffering silently with economic hardships and unbearable cost of living. .
Be it as it may, President Wickremesinghe is moving on swiftly to achieve his targets in socio political and economic reforms after the IMF staff team and the Sri Lankan authorities have reached staff-level agreement on economic policies to conclude the second review of the 4-year EFF-supported program and the 2024 Article IV Consultation on Thursday 21.
Once the review is approved by IMF Management and completed by the IMF Executive Board, Sri Lanka will have access to (about US$337 million in financing, bringing the total IMF financial support disbursed under the arrangement to about US$1 billion, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.
Paying a tribute to the President who is also the finance ministry of the country the IMF claimed that macroeconomic policy reforms are starting to bear fruit.
Sustaining the reform momentum and addressing governance weaknesses and corruption vulnerabilities are critical to put the economy on a path towards lasting recovery and stable and inclusive growth it added. .
This new funding - combined with the IMF-driven fiscal measures to reduce state expenditures and increase fiscal revenue collection - should provide Sri Lanka with a much-more stable and sustainable economic base for the coming years. The IMF package also reduces banks' risk profile from holding domestic sovereign debt.
The high level shot then turns to low angle capturing an unexpected scene at a leading Hotel meeting of so called deal king and SJB founder cum political strategist with the high official of the Sri Lankan Airlines and an Indian acuity fund head who is a facilitator of Indian investor for acquiring of SL SOEs.
Outcome of this meeting might be deal with an Indian aviation company for acquiring a stake in Sri Lankan Airlines, eye witnesses said adding that calling for EOI’s had been extended till April 22 as there was no prospective bidders up to now .
With the State-owned entity owing a staggering debt of $ 1.2 billion, the Government is in the process of restructuring it. Accordingly, the Government earlier this month decided to absorb $ 510 million of its outstanding debt
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has held a discussion with Basil Rajapaksa on Thursday 21, where attention was drawn to the upcoming elections and the future political affairs.
This meeting comes after President Wickremesinghe had informed the Cabinet of Ministers to make preparations for the presidential election first.
Thus, Basil Rajapaksa has communicated to the President the SLPP’s stance with respect to the upcoming elections, political sources said.
It is also understood that a crisis situation has been emerged within the SLPP due to the two contradictory opinions held by the party members regarding the presidential election.
A spokesperson of the SLPP, however, expressed hopes of unifying all party members under one opinion after holding extensive discussions with the President.
In major twist in Central Bank high salary saga, it has informed COPF today that they accept all recommendations in the COPF report on the salary revisions, Committee Chief Harsha De Silva said.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa emphasized the necessity of conducting a general election before the presidential election during his visit to the Sri Maha Bodhi Vahanse in Anuradhapura. He expressed concerns to the media, stating that failure to do so could result in an overwhelming victory for the winning party in the presidential election.
The COPF requested President Ranil Wickremesinghe to appoint a committee to review the CBSL salaries, until which the salary increases will be deferred for next month.
Central Bank high official management is considering to reduce 27-70 percent salary hike by 25 percent amidst protests of the CBSL trade unions.
Wide angle lens is zoomed out to a Long shot all the way to see Former President Maithripala Sirisena in a startling revelation claiming he is aware of the true mastermind of the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks and that he is prepared to disclose the information to the judiciary if inquired from him or issues an order regarding the matter.
Addressing an event to mark the fourth anniversary of the Easter Sunday attacks, the Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said that the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, on the Easter Sunday attacks, had revealed that the intelligence agencies had been aware of the seventh bomber involved in the attack, Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed.
“He went into the Taj Samudra Hotel, and came out without detonating the bomb for some reason. The intelligence agencies even went to his house and spoke to his wife.
That means the intelligence agencies knew him well. Why wasn’t he arrested; why was he allowed to take his life. He was walking about in Dehiwala for hours. Did he blow himself up or was the bomb detonated by remote control?” he said.
“If he had been arrested and questioned, a lot of information could have been ascertained. Why wasn’t he arrested?”
This stunning question is an indictment by the most highly situated Sri Lankan personality in the global institutional order, of the moral-ethical rottenness of this country’s establishment and its processes
