Columns

From providing financial assistance for medical treatment to granting relief to low-income groups over the years, the President’s Fund is now, literally broke.President Maithripala Sirisena, under whom the Fund functions, wants at least a billion rupees immediately as a temporary measure to fund the Fund.

Towards this end, he has come up with three different proposals to ensure that the flow of funds is not curbed and there is a steady flow of applicants seeking help. One is to impose a levy on the excess funds of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and get the revenue credited to the Consolidated Fund. Thereafter, the Treasury is to direct that revenue to the President’s Fund.
Another proposal is to exempt the Development Lotteries Board from all taxes since the contributions from there are utilised for providing medical assistance and other forms of financial assistance to low income groups. The third is for the Treasury to provide annually to the President’s Fund an amount which is part of proceeds of various taxes levied by the Department of Inland Revenue.

The President’s Fund which is chaired by the President functions under a Board of Governors. Other members are the Prime Minister, the Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition and three other members.

The President’s Fund is at present wholly dependent on funding by the Development Lotteries Board, an institution which has just been brought under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Fund has spent Rs 1.4 billion every year on medical assistance to the needy. This was from around Rs 1.85 billion provided by the Development Lotteries Board. The Board had also credited 50 percent to the Mahapola Higher Education Scholarship Trust Fund.

President Sirisena has noted that judging by the revenue forecasts of the Development Lotteries Board for 2017, it could contribute around Rs 154 million to the President’s Fund for 2017 following the recovery of Rs 1,807 million by the Department of Inland Revenue. However, the requirements of the President’s Fund to meet demands for financial assistance and other payments are said to be around Rs 1,400 million.

President Sirisena has opined that no taxes should be levied on the funds contributed to the President’s Fund by the National Development Lotteries Board. He has suggested that ministers should examine amendments to relevant laws to make this possible to common people, low income groups, who were the beneficiaries.

President solves Kabir-Yapa spat, but shows he is in control
President Maithripala Sirisena not only resolved a dispute of sorts, but also ended up sending a veiled message to his UNP partners this week.

State Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena addressing the staff at his office at the World Trade Centre building after the President intervened to solve a dispute he had with Minister Kabir Hashim (on his right)

It was over the appointment of Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena as the Minister of State for Public Enterprise Development. He had earlier walked out of the World Trade Centre offices of the Ministry complaining that he was given a lesser number of rooms than his predecessor, who was a Deputy Minister.

That was to see Enterprise Development Minister Kabir Hashim, who is also the General Secretary of the UNP, raising issue with President Sirisena allegedly on the tenor of the remarks made publicly by Mr. Yapa Abeywardena. The President responded by asking for time to sort out matters and even suggested that he would make the newly appointed State Minister, Chief of Staff of the President.

However, the President later succeeded in persuading Mr. Yapa Abeywardena to stay as the Minister of State for Public Enterprise Development. And when he decided to eventually move into his office at the World Trade Centre this time, President Sirisena turned up to take part in the ceremonies.

Minister Hashim made a brief speech when the ceremonies began. “It is a pleasure to have a one-time MP as State Minister now,” he declared rather acidly. Then, he left the event not knowing that President Sirisena was on his way.

The President was somewhat surprised to see a large turnout of media personnel at the ceremony. The new State Minister Yapa Abeywardena explained to the President that the media wanted to know what was going on at SriLankan Airlines. Mr. Sirisena remarked laughingly that with the media around “we cannot discuss matters.”

When President Sirisena left, a journalist asked the UNP turned SLFP State Minister what the President said. “Well, it is clear. He has appointed me as his State Minister,” the new State Minister declared. The remark – and President Sirisena’s presence at the function — assumes more than the eye meets, particularly in the light of the political tug-of-war between the coalition partners of the National Unity Government.

Legal action in Lanka against visa overstayers in Korea
Foreign Employment Minister Thalatha Athukorale has sought the help of the South Korean government to identify Sri Lankans who are visa overstayers in that country.

The appeal came when she visited Seoul and held talks with her counterpart Lee Ki-Kweon.
She learnt from the South Korean Minister that there are 50,000 Sri Lankan workers in that country under the Employment Permit Scheme.

According to the Minister Athukorale, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment has introduced a bond scheme where workers proceeding to South Korea are required to sign a guarantee to return. As a result of the scheme, some of the visa overstayers who returned to Sri Lanka are now facing legal action, she said.

Technological University to be set up in Padukka
The Sri Lanka Technological University to be set up is to be the first of its kind residential research body, the Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure claims.It is to be located on a 36-acre site alongside the Satellite Earth Station in Padukka.

The proposed University has already entered into student transfer agreements with the Lancaster University (UK) and the Deakin University (Australia). Negotiations are under way with the Georgia Tech University, Texas (USA) and the Lincoln University in New Zealand. The degree awarding university will offer four-year engineering degree programmes.

Diplomats’ tussle draws big boss’ retort
It was the intervention of the big boss of the land that has prevented the change in the status quo of a Sri Lanka diplomatic mission in Europe.

Feuding in that mission are the number one and two. Insiders say that the tussle has been going on ever since the numero uno turned up and assumed duties. The crisis reached a climax last week.

This was when the numero uno declared that there would be no option other than give up the posting. This is if the number two is not removed forthwith.An angry big boss at home said that it was wrong to dictate terms to his Government. Those posted should be willing to work with others who were also representing Sri Lanka, he said.

Envoy in Kenya recalled to Colombo
Sri Lanka’s envoy in Kenya C. Dahanayake has been recalled to Colombo.Foreign Ministry officials declined to comment on reasons for the withdrawal, but said a career officer will succeed him.

In Colombo, in the meanwhile, two envoy-designates, one to Paris (Buddhi Athauda), a US dual citizen, and to Berlin (Karunasena Hettiaratchchi) were cleared on Friday by the High Posts Committee of Parliament.