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A ding-dong debate is under way at the highest levels of the United National Party (UNP) on whether the party should accept all 21 Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) MPs who want to support the UNP-led government.

Some say they should pick and choose and have given the names, too. Others, however, contend that the entire lot would bolster their majority. This is in the light of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), expressing support for Ranil Wickremesinghe to become Prime Minister but saying the aliance would not serve in the government.

Among the SLFPers tipped to be picked, UNP sources say, are Duminda Dissanayake, Faiszer Musthapa, Vijith Vijithamuni de Soysa, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Weerakumara Dissanayake, Angajan Ramanathan and Lakshman Seneviratne.

President Sirisena who met the 21 SLFP MPs told them that he would not allow the SLFP to have a formal agreement with the UNP though they were free to support the government and would not face disciplinary action.Moves to form an electoral alliance between the SLFP and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) have also not materialised. The two successive Supreme Court rulings have put paid to the moves.

Even before the ruling, a Committee of the two sides was to meet this week to discuss the matter further. However, convenor Thilanga Sumathipala had not informed the participants and, therefore, only two from the SLPP attended.

Top police officer barred from high-level meeting
A top police officer was recently barred from taking part in a high-level conference where matters of national security were discussed.
The move, insiders say, is till the conclusion of an inquiry for allegedly leaking information of matters discussed at a previous meeting. It is being conducted by the Ministry of Defence.

Concerns have been raised at a recent meeting over the presence of some former members of guerrilla groups after the political turmoil in Sri Lanka. Some are living in a leading hotel and they have been identified. A probe is under way to determine the purposes of their visit.

Harsha politically twists his twitter handle
UNP Parliamentarian Harsha de Silva may now be forced to revise his official twitter handle again after the latest political developments.
It was only last week he revised it, responding to an item which appeared on this page. He also made the change and informed the Sunday Times of the amendment made.

Last week, the Sunday Times reported that the MP’s official Twitter handle referred to him as State Minister although the earlier cabinet had been dissolved.
He revised his Twitter profile, by calling himself a “legally appointed but illegally removed State Minister”.

He explained that he had not changed the description on his Twitter handle earlier since it was an act of “defiance”.
However, with a new cabinet, state ministers and deputies being sworn in he will need to make changes again.

LECO deaf to regular blackouts
Power failures have become as common as day following night for residents in Nugegoda and its wider environs.
Just last week, a drunken motorist knocked against a lamp post. It took the Lanka Electricity Company a whole day to restore connections.
The worst affected are schoolchildren who cannot study ahead of their class the next day.

At least one household faced the worst. One had a patient’s injection, worth over Rs 100,000 in the refrigerator. It could not be used for it was not kept under refrigeration for over 12 hours. When power is disrupted, a common feature is that the LECO depot telephones are off the hook. Callers end up receiving an engaged tone.

GMOA pulling out surgical knives if Rajitha comes back
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) is again on the warpath, this time over the possible appointment of Rajitha Senaratne as Health Minister.
There is strong speculation that Dr. Senaratne, who was the Health Minister in the Cabinet prior to the events of October 26, will retake oaths as Health Minister tomorrow. The GMOA hierarchy, which had been at constant loggerheads with Dr. Senaratne during the past three and a half years, is not pleased with the news.
The possibility of Dr. Senaratne being reappointed prompted the association to send out a statement yesterday hinting that the GMOA may even resort to trade union action if he was appointed. The statement noted that the GMOA had earlier handed over to the President, a petition signed by 14,000 medical professionals requesting the President to refrain from appointing Dr. Senaratne as Health Minister.

The GMOA’s move also raises questions as to whether it is planning to revert to its pre-October 26 days of island-wide strikes. In direct contrast to its role before October 26, GMOA officials met publicly with those from the Rajapaksa camp, praised the appointment of Chamal Rajapaksa as Health Minister, and even submitted meekly when Mr Rajapaksa’s short-lived government announced that the Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement would not be cancelled. The only time the GMOA sounded a voice of protest was over the decision taken by the Rajapaksa government to cut down the sugar tax on soft drinks. Even then, its protest amounted to a letter sent to Mahinda Rajapaksa, kindly requesting him not to come to a final decision.

With the previous government set to resume office, the same GMOA that submitted meekly to the Rajapaksas has again found its voice.

The old plaque was reinstalled in a new place

Iranamadu’s Senanayake plaque restored after ST exposé
President Maithripala Sirisena took swift measures to restore the distorted plaque of the late Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake and Dudley Senanayake at Iranamadu, following an exposé by the Sunday Times.

Last week, this newspaper reported that the old plaque was removed to make room for a new plaque that bore the name of President Sirisena.
However, following a series of instructions, the old plaque was restored the very next day but this time at a different location.
One wonders what would have been the fate of that monumental plaque had it not been highlighted by the media!