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Whether material or cash should be given to schoolchildren for uniforms has become a controversy among United National Party (UNP) Cabinet ministers.
At the weekly ministerial meeting last Tuesday, Housing Minister Sajith Premadasa said the present practice of issuing cash coupons was not working and was riddled with corruption.

He said President Maithripala Sirisena should send an independent team to different districts and he would be able to ascertain the position. It was his view that eight out of ten recipients wanted the material. The issue of free uniforms to schoolchildren was the brainchild of the late R. Premadasa. The scheme, however, was changed by Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam.

Mr Kariyawasam claimed at last week’s ministerial meeting that at least thirty per cent of the material issued had been leaking to the market. Moreover, he said, poor quality material had been used. He argued that when coupons were given, the recipients could choose the material they wanted.

President Sirisena told Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera to study the issue and take an appropriate decision.
Another issue over whether it should be cash or kind centred on fertiliser. President Sirisena expressed the view that the payment of money led to abuse and said he believed fertiliser should be given.

Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake and Finance Minister Samaraweera were requested to formulate a scheme for approval by the ministers.
Two ministers – Navin Dissanayake (Plantation Industries) and Rajitha Senaratne (Health) – locked horns over the ban on glyphosate, a weed-killer once used widely in tea plantations. Mr.Dissanayake wanted the ban lifted whilst, Dr. Senaratne said it should remain.

A three-member ministerial team has been tasked to study the issue and make recommendations. They are Ministers Navin Dissanayake, Duminda Dissanayake and Rajitha Senaratne. Minister Senaratne proposed that Ven. Athureliya Rathana Thera, who led the campaign against the use of chemical fertiliser be co-opted. The team has been asked to submit its proposals within a month.

If you want Air Force souvenirs, this is the place
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Commander, Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy, unveiling a plaque to declare open the SLAF’s first souvenir shop in Colombo.
The SLAF Chief of Staff Air Vice Marshal Sumangala Dias, Members of the Air Force Board of Management, SLAF Commanding Officer (Station Colombo) Air Commodore Waruna Gunawardana, Officers and other ranks were present on the occasion.

‘Meet my demand, if you want my vote’
Exigent political situations often prompt politicians to cash in on their own demands. Wednesday’s no-confidence motion on Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is no exception.One UNF Government Minister told a colleague that he had given an ultimatum to his leadership that he would resign his post if the development funds promised for his area were not given.

Interesting enough, he wants them allocated before the motion is taken up in Parliament. Another is a move by a group of UNP parliamentarians that include Palitha Range Bandara, the policeman turned politician representing Puttalam.

Ahead of the no-confidence motion, they want to seek a declaration from their leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, that he would make changes to the UNP constitution. That is for the Working Committee of the party and the parliamentary group to elect all office bearers. But a question still remains – Who will bell the cat?

Banker offered to head SriLankan
Moves are afoot for a change in the Board of Directors of SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier.
Those familiar with the changes say the post of Chairman has been offered to Ranjith Fernando, a former Chairman of the National Development Bank. A response from him is being awaited.
Though the current Board of Directors was expected to resign last week, the matter has been put on hold.
Expected to be on the new board are Mano Tittawala (currently serving in the Finance Ministry) and the first chairman of Airlanka, Captain Rakhita Wikramanayake, 80.

MoD denies MoD letter
The Defence Ministry’s Media Centre has responded to last week’s report in these columns headlined “S 300, Buk 27 Missiles or Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles are being considered for SLAF.” Our story said the Government was negotiating with Russia to purchase these missiles.

The MoD statement says; “Please note that no such moves as alleged in the said report are being considered by the Sri Lanka Air Force. You are therefore requested to correct this position in your next issue as it could lead to misunderstanding, please.”

Jamis Banda adds: Very strange indeed!! The MoD’s left hand does not seem to know what its right hand is doing. It was on February 8, 2018 that the Defence Ministry Secretary wrote to the Russian Government giving a list of four different costly procurements Sri Lanka wishes to make.

Unless there is a change of plans, in fact, he is even to lead a delegation to Moscow in the first week of this month to discuss these matters and is to be accompanied by an Air Force official among others.

The fourth item on that letter is “To purchase a Qty of Radar Controlled Air Defence Guns and Missiles.” The S 300 and Buk 27 radar controlled missiles are the only two radar controlled versions manufactured in the Russian Federation. A more advanced type of these same missiles is highly expensive.

The Defence Secretary’s February 8, 2018 letter has also been copied to the Air Force Commander, the Director General of the External Resources Division and the Chief Executive Officer of Lanka Logistics and Technologies Ltd.

Hence, it is pertinent to ask how a misunderstanding arises and over whom or what? It is a standard practice for the Ministry of Defence to procure what a service arm requires. In this instance, it is the SLAF. Both, the MoD and the SLAF should be aware of this, since the correspondence is available with them.

I have only referred to one item from the list of four sought to be procured. Hence, I will refrain from mentioning what the other three are for the moment. I might add that the cost of these items would far exceed US$ 135 million which the Government wanted to pay to procure a Russian-built Gepard 5.1 Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) after renewing a credit line for US$ 300 million.

An agreement for this procurement is yet to be signed and it is not immediately clear whether the Defence Secretary would do so during his planned visit. This purchase did generate controversy as to who really is interested in these Russian arms, and what purpose they are for a country not at war.