Columns

There are two versions of the Disneyland story that created a storm in the media and elsewhere, both in Sri Lanka and in India: State Tourism Minister Diana Gamage’s one and the Walt Disney Company’s one.

Minister Gamage claimed at a media conference at no less a venue than the Government Information Department this week that she’s in discussions to bring the world’s best known entertainment park, Disney, to Sri Lanka–to open South Asia’s first Disneyland in the wild-elephant and white-elephant hinterlands of Hambantota. She was later quoted by media as saying she will leave for the United States for these talks, indicating a degree of progression in the deal.

When contacted by the Sunday Times this week however, the Walt Disney Company said there are no current plans to open a park in Sri Lanka.

Ms Gamage’s version of events was first questioned by a tech journalist. He revealed on Twitter that a fake “statement” purported to be from Ms Gamage’s office quoting Alexia Quadrani–who leads investor relations for Walt Disney–as saying they were looking at a US$ 16-18bn investment in Hambantota.

Notwithstanding the Walt Disney Company’s position that there were no plans in the pipeline, Minister Gamage prevaricated when the Sunday Times asked her who she was in touch with at the American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate.

When we asked her whom she was in contact with at Disney, she asked us that question. “Who did you contact?” she asked. We divulged the name and what we were told, in great detail.

And then she said: “I don’t have to give any information out about anything. I didn’t give out any story. Somebody has got the story and put it out in to the media.”

“But did you not mention this at a media conference?” we asked.

Ms Gamage then had a memory recall: “Oh, yes, I did mention it… that I will bring Disney to Sri Lanka. But I didn’t say who, how, when, what and where. I just said I have planned it and I’m having talks with Disney to get them to Sri Lanka.”

We asked: “Did you start talks?”

Ms Gamage: “Yes.”

We asked: “With whom?”

Ms Gamage: “Whoever is handling the subject… let me handle it. When it’s ok, then you all will get to know. Thank you very much. Bye bye.”

And she hung up.

And thereby hangs a tale.

Presidential Secretariat cannot track devices given during the Yahapalana era

It was revealed in one of our Cafe items on this page recently how the Presidential Secretariat is on a mission to recover missing digital instruments which were given to senior government officials under the previous government for official use. But they failed to return them to their respective departments when they left office.  

After the Secretariat wrote to them seeking the return of these items in their possession or face a Police inquiry, many turned up and handed over the mobile phones, iPads and other digital equipment that rightfully belonged to the State.

As the Secretariat is also under a tight budgetary allocation when it comes to sourcing digital equipment and considering sharp increase of prices, the latest move is to trace back these machines that were given to officials during the Yahapalana government as far back as 2015.

Unlike in the previous government where a list was maintained to document issuance of official resources, officials could not find a similar one during the Yahapalana period. The Secretariat’s senior officials had been directed to track any official document trail to recover those missing state resources from those who served in the Yahapalana government under
various capacities.

N’Eliya clock tower:  Residents going bong-kers with four different times

If anyone happened to visit Nuwara Eliya town these days, they would be surprised to hear random bong sounds coming from the clock tower located in the middle of the city with four clocks on the four sides of the tower showing different times.

It has become a nuisance to the people including tourists, when the malfunctioning clocks make random bong sounds throughout the day, sometimes at ten minute intervals. Locals alleged that the tower was declared open in 2019 by the Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council, but there had been no proper maintenance.

A local trader in the vicinity was heard saying he had lost sense of the time despite lodging complaints to the council to repair the clock, but in vain.

Former cadres urge India to lift ban on LTTE

A group of former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres who have been actively involved in political work after rehabilitation were in New Delhi in India recently to take part in an event organised by a group that maintains close ties with India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Some leading BJP stalwarts took part in the meeting.

The ex-cadres identify themselves as the ‘Democratic Cadres Party’ and they had discussions with various influential political actors and policymakers in the Indian capital. But what caught the attention of some were the issues they put forward during these exchanges.

One of the main requests from them was to urge Indian authorities to lift the ban on the LTTE–an organisation of which they were one time members and which was responsible for the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

While reiterating the full implementation of the 13th Amendment that was forced on Sri Lanka by the Indian government in 1987, the group listed some other issues as well, including allegations that Hindu shrines were being acquired by the Archaeology Department and the Wildlife Department under questionable circumstances. The latter claim seemed to have stricken a cord with the audience, given the BJP’s recent aggressive campaigns based on Hindutva ideologies.

The highlight of the event was when one ex-cadre recalled that in October, exactly 35 years ago, the LTTE began an operation against the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF) in the North and East of Sri Lanka against what it claimed were human rights violations by the visiting jawans which included killings and how now, its one time cadres are able to walk freely in the Indian capital.

Key Performance Indicators for State officials but not for politicians

When a Parliamentary sub-committee referred to as the “National Council Sub-Committee on Identifying Priorities in Formulating Short, Medium and Long Term Policies” was appointed recently, many were clueless about the mandate of this new committee.

The sub-committee chaired by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa convened on Wednesday.

At the meeting, it was decided to introduce Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the performance of government institutions, particularly State owned enterprises (SoEs).

To streamline the government mechanism efficiently, the need to prepare metrics to review the progress of government agencies and government officials was emphasised, according to a statement issued by the committee.

One Opposition MP, who was also member of the committee, told a reporter that appointing young Namal Rajapaksa as chairperson is to facilitate the comeback of the family after its image took a bad hit due to recent anti-government protests. Going one step further, he asked why there were KPIs to be introduced only for SoEs and government officials and not for politicians, whereas those politicians who took decisions that wrecked the country’s economy still walk free.

SJB accuses Govt. of trying to put off polls; asks if PM was scraping coconuts for a decade

The move by the Government to request another Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms has been met with anger and derision by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), claiming it is a blatant attempt to postpone the upcoming local council elections due before March 20 next year.

Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe wrote to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena this week calling for the appointment of a fresh Parliamentary select committee to study and submit recommendations to Parliament on a suitable electoral system for electing members to Parliament, provincial councils and other local councils.

Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella is having none of it. He noted that it has only been four months since the final report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms was tabled in Parliament. The committee was chaired by then Public Administration Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. Mr Gunawardena, now Prime Minister, has chaired committees on electoral reforms since 2012, when he was first appointed by then President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the chief opposition whip said.

“Mr Gunawardena has been looking into electoral reforms for ten years. He actually submitted some good recommendations. So why is the Government asking for another Parliamentary select committee now? Does this mean that it believes the Prime Minister was only scraping coconuts for the past decade (pol gawada)?” Mr Kiriella asked.

He insisted that the appointment of a fresh Parliamentary select committee was a last, desperate attempt by the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) to put off local government elections since it knows it will be “wiped out.” He said the SJB will initiate legal action if any move is taken to put off the elections.

Burglars turn to booze and fail in their bid to rob

There has been a sudden spike in robberies being reported across the the country as the economic crisis is taking a toll on the lives of ordinary citizens. Sometimes, even the Police cannot do much considering the overwhelming number of complaints they are receiving on a daily basis in addition to other tasks they are assigned with.

Once such robbery which turned into a booze party was reported at Vaddukoddai in Jaffna this week when two men allegedly broke into a house to steal were diverted when they saw two bottles of liquor that were kept in the house.

They took a couple of shots from a bottle and felt free to prepare some side dishes as well in the kitchen, as the house owner was away for work. They were drunk to the level that both of them had fallen asleep on the sofa without accomplishing what they came for in the first place.

By the time the house owner returned, both were still tipsy and one of them managed to escape while the other was caught by people in the area. When Police took the individual into custody he changed his tune, saying they never intended to rob the house but only wanted to have a meal since they had not eaten a good meal for days. Further investigations are underway by the Vaddukoddai Police.