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He captained the prestigious club and then went on to captain the national team to great heights winning the World Cup, so it was quite in order for the Executive Committee of the Grand Old Club to organise a felicitation for its illustrious member who had now gravitated into politics and become a Cabinet Minister.

The proposal came from those committee members who were from the minister’s old school and the rest of the committee found it a worthy suggestion to vote for. These are a choosy lot, they are. A few months ago they snubbed a former Minister of Sports by refusing him club membership on the footing that he was a no good fellow to warrant their company what with cases of bribery and corruption against him and all that.

Just as preparations were afoot to felicitate the cricketer-turned-politician, now minister, news broke out in the media that the minister had appointed his brother to a key installation under his charge — a case of naked nepotism against which the minister had strenuously campaigned during the former dispensation. His defence was a familiar theme of the past; “who else can I trust but my brother”.

Suddenly, interest in the felicitation fizzled out. A show of hands to check attendance was not encouraging and the President of the Club, the gentleman he is, announced that committee members seem to have other busy schedules and so, postponed the felicitation, if any. Now that is good governance.

Nodding off: Service Chiefs, parliamentarians and foreign dignitaries

No tea break, only long lullabies on Budget day
The host for the tea party was busy reading his Budget, one of the longest, when MPs slipped out every now and then. That was for their tea in the Parliament canteen.  There was no break for tea as Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake continued.
Posted on the Facebook of the Foreign Correspondents’ Association were a set of photographs of MPs in the well of the House. They showed them fast asleep.

Foreign Ministry coming to Jawatte
A modern building for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to be built in a land in Colombo’s Jawatte area, just behind the Department of Irrigation.
Thus, plans to locate the Foreign Ministry near Parliament on the Japan-Sri Lanka Friendship Road have been dropped.

Ravi unplugs World Bank
In the days and weeks when the Government’s Budget, presented in Parliament on Friday, was in the making, the role of the World Bank figured at a ministerial meeting.

“We won’t be dictated to by the World Bank. We will do what is good for us,” declared a defiant Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake.

President seeks end to infighting
President Maithripala Sirisena rubbished reports that he was wooing United National Party (UNP) members to his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) fold. His denial came at last Wednesday’s weekly ministerial meeting where controversial utterances by ministers formed the subject of discussion.

It began with Telecommunications Minister Harin Fernando raising issue over a visit to his Ministry by the son of a minister, who had sought to obtain personal details about him. Commenting on the recent spat in public between two ministers who were making contradictory statements to the media, President Sirisena said it should be brought to an immediate stop. Added Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe: “Ministers should honour collective responsibility.”

Premier’s advice on VAT prevails
Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake heeded a request by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe not to include a proposal in his Budget to replace the existing VAT (Value Added Tax) with a Business Turnover Tax (VAT).
The Premier said it would have a ‘cascading effect’ and cause serious difficulties. Those representing the tourism sector, among others who know about difficulties in revenue collection, also complained that the preferred option was the existing VAT scheme that was accepted by most modern nations.

Past sins add to SLFP’s financial burden
Fears of facing police probes or a Commission of Inquiry are prompting those in the previous administration to pay up outstanding bills to State organisations, even in small instalments. The latest is an order given years earlier to the Government Printer. Bills were sent to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) office followed by messages to pay up. An administrative official in the party has already paid three instalments and insiders say the fourth is now due from a bill of a few million rupees.
Raising issue over the matter was the current SLFP General Secretary, Minister Duminda Dissanayake.

Picked and dropped
It seems a case of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing.
When diplomatic postings were being considered, among those considered is a retired flier who is now under investigation by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID). The other is a one-time sailor. The names were dropped only when someone pointed out that the duo were now under the pay of a controversial firm whose interests they were guarding.

TNA explodes over prisoner issue
Internecine battles in the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) have come out in the open when two of their leaders visited the prisoners who were campaigning for their release last Monday. The differences were on display in front of the weary prisoners who were expecting that their leadership was unitedly working to get them out after the long stay in custody.

The prisoners have called off their fast unto death on Monday following a Government assurance that they will be put under a rehabilitation programme. When the Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran visited them they were lying on mats in an open hall. He assured them that he will take up the issue with President Maithripala Sirisena himself and find a solution to their plight.

Shortly after his arrival, TNA Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran arrived with Prison Reforms Minister D.M. Swaminathan. They joined the chief minister.

Saying they were tired of TNA’s assurances and promises, the prison inmates had a heated argument with the TNA Parliamentarian accusing him of not exerting enough pressure on the Government to secure their release.The Northern Province Chief Minister was seen making a hasty withdrawal saying goodbye to the prisoners and left without mingling with his own party colleague.

The prisoners asked the two Parliamentarians about what had happened to the earlier assurance that they would be released before November 7 as promised by Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan. The prisoners asked the lawyers later how these politicians were going to secure their release if they were divided among themselves.

The next day, Chief Minister Wigneswaran released a strongly worded statement as a response to one by Mr. Sumanthiran who claimed the Chief Minister was working against the party. He went one step further and called for the MP’s eviction from the party.

Beware of Ranjan, PM warns Lakshman
At the Parliament canteen, MPs were trooping in for tea on Friday afternoon. It was then that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe saw actor-turned-politician Ranjan Ramanayake talking to Minister Lakshman Seneviratne.

He said: “Lakshman, balagena eyath ekka katha karanney. Oya dannathuwa oyage file eka genehing dei bribery ekata (Lakshman look out when you talk to him. He will take your file thereafter and give it to bribery sleuths.)”

There was laughter around. Earlier Premier Wickremesinghe had cautioned Ramanayake after he complained to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption against Minister Rajitha Senaratne.