President's house in the marsh

By Hiranthi Fernando

Work on the new multi-million rupee Presidential Palace is now underway at Sri Jayawardhanapura, Kotte. Three years ago, plans for a palace at Sri Jayawardhana-pura ran aground following protests from house owners in the neighbourhood. Some houses had been earmarked for acquisition at the time. The palace is now being constructed at a new location, which does not involve any private owned lands.

The new site is located in the marshlands between the Sri Jayawardhana-pura Hospital Road and the Parliament. The property belongs to Parliament. The Urban Development Authority, which is handling the project has given a contract to the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC) to undertake the necessary filling of the site. The Diyawanna Oya is being extended so that it lies on both sides of the Japan-Sri Lanka Friendship Road. The filling of land, extending and dredging the oya, estimated to cost around Rs. 200 million, commenced in May last year. It is expected to be completed by December.

Twelve acres are being filled for the buildings, which comprise the Presidential Palace, Secretariat and the security complex. The buildings are sited in three locations on the land. The Diyawanna Oya is being extended so that it would balance the water retention capacity lost by the filling of the marsh. A portion of the Friendship Road is to be filled up to form an island. Huge mounds of earth have been piled up on the side of the road to be used for the island. A new road is being constructed leading to the palace. A bridge will also be built over the oya.

Local contractors from the ICTAD list have prequalified for the contract. The tender is expected to be awarded soon and the piling to start by the end of December. The construction of the buildings would begin at the beginning of February and is scheduled for completion by the end of next year. Further, it is learnt that an environmental study has been carried out and approval obtained from the Central Environmental Authority.

It is learnt that a new Defence Headquarters complex is also being constructed at Sri Jayawardhanapura.

The radio station opposite the Army camp at D.P. Wijesinghe Mawatha (formerly Akuregoda Road) has been earmarked as a site for the new Defence Headquarters. A new road allowing restricted access is being constructed to the Defence Complex so that D.P. Wijesinghe Mawatha need not be used as an access road.

White elephant to get an extension

By Chandani Kirinde

The Cabinet is to extend the term of a government funded Safety Oversight Project in the Civil Aviation Department despite allegations of corruption surrounding those connected to it.

The project was initially approved for a term of two years but now its mandate has lapsed. Hence the Director General of the Department has requested a further extension of one and a half years to complete it, the Sunday Times learns.

The newly appointed Minister of Aviation and Airports Development Jeyaraj Fernandopulle has signed the Cabinet paper approving the extension of the project. It is due to be presented to the Cabinet.The project was started in August 1998 and was to conclude in August 2000. Already the government has spent over Rs. 180 million (US $1.87 million) on the project.

Department sources say that it is a colossal waste of state money as the same project is available under the SAARC umbrella which would cost less than one million rupees per year.

The project was started after the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which carried out an assessment in February, 1997 found glaring shortcomings in the safety functions of the department.

The organisation threatened to suspend international flights of Sri Lankan registered aircraft unless the government implemented its action plan which demanded the appointment of an ICAO project to enhance the safety oversight capabilities of the department.

Death fast to save raggers

By Shane Seneviratne

A fast unto death by Peradeniya undergraduates is scheduled to start tomorrow demanding a reduction in penalties imposed on raggers.

The students are calling for the reduction in punishment meted to student council members following a ragging incident.

However, the newly appointed Vice Chancellor has refused to reduce the punishment as it was one meted out before he took over as Vice Chancellor.

There are no signs that the crisis will be resolved soon.

The crisis is in the Science Faculty where students who wish to engage in their studies peacefully are harassed and threatened by radical students.

Only the students of the English Department of the Arts Faculty are engaged in lectures while all other students are boycotting lectures.

Meanwhile, sources state that the normal procedure is to close down the university if lectures are not held for three days.

However, since the English Department has been continuously holding lectures the authorities have decided that the university will not be shut down.

The university authorities state that the Sinhala and Tamil department students will not be given repeats of the lectures due to take place on the days they keep away from lectures. However, students of the Sinhala and Tamil Departments have requested that the university be closed.

The Students Council has banned all resident students from leaving the campus premises, even though they are not attending lectures, in order to involve them in their protest campaign.

Hope amidst black bands and fiery words

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti, Lobby Correspondent

The morning was washed with new life, as the ceremonial opening of the 11th Parliament heralded a new beginning and hope.

Provincial flags flew along with the national flag, and an air of expectancy prevailed with excitement reaching fever pitch. The security was intense while the galleries were filled to capacity by an assortment of families of legislators, diplomats, officials and journalists.

President Kumaratunga arrived at 9.35 am, swathed in pale gold, escorted by mounted police and the police mascot. It was a historic occasion when the head of state was received by her own brother Anura Bandaranaike, in his capacity as the Speaker.It also symbolized the prevalence of dynastic politics in Asia.

The UNP however was in a black mood, sporting black arm bands in protest of the alleged poll malpractices and a top heavy Cabinet. But they managed to contain their protest to the 'black band display' as President Kumaratunga presided over the ceremonial sitting. Barring the occasional jibe about political amnesia and the like, the opposition silently listened to the 75- minute delivery, in which the President spelt out her commitment to the resolution of the ethnic conflict through negotiations and reiterated the necessity for a new constitution.

"It is well understood that the 1978 Constitution has failed to solve the conflict. It is to give the Tamils better representations that the administration has accommodated a former militant group amongst its ranks and made its leader a Cabinet minister."

Pledging to abolish the executive presidency, her comment that this was the first time the people re-elected the government of its true choice caused some UNP murmurs which was instantly quelled.

The President explained that the principles of the Chelvanayakam Pact and the most recent proposals would form the basis for a solution to the ethnic problem.

The ceremonial feeling evaporated by afternoon when the House assembled for the debate on the extension of emergency, amidst UNP whimpering about Parliament being reduced to a monthly assembly to pass emergency alone. But it was the JVP which ushered an air of militancy to an otherwise lame debate by breathing fire inside the chambers in the aftermath of a successful protest outside.

It was Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake who moved the motion for the extension of emergency, and the implication was not lost on the opposition as its new deputy UNP whip wished to know in which capacity the premier moved the motion.

"If there is no deputy defence minister, there ought to be a minister responsible to parliament on defence matters. A precedent was created when President D. B. Wijetunga was also the minister of defence while prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was answerable to the House on defence issues," he declared.

But premier Wickreman-ayake was quick and shrewd as he evaded premature disclosures and assured: "We shall follow that very precedent".

But the very first item the government moved invited trouble. Minister S.B. Semasinghe moved the National Institute of Co-operatives Development (Incorporation) Bill which roused UNP heckler A.H.M. Azwer, (incidentally sporting two black arm bands) to claim it was unconstitutional.

The member judiciously declared that every bill should be moved anew after prorogation, and argued that according to the gazette notice, this has been previously moved in the House. As a perplexed deputy Speaker Sarath Moonesinghe stressed that the bill was permitted, Azwer was certain that Erskine May disagreed, unless of course the government had its own local Earskine May to interpret parliamentary tradition to suit political needs. And the wizened prime minister soothingly announced that in adherence to the best of traditions, the government would re-submit the motion.

It was UNPs new Deputy Leader Karu Jayauriya who in his customary soothing tone pointed out that once a wealthy Asian nation, Sri Lanka had become poor- both financially and morally. The recent election was marred by poll malpractices, over 80 killings, destruction to property and gang rapes to mention a few, he noted with concern.

" We should not be in a self-congratulatory mood about being elected because this was not a fair poll. It has been internationally condemned as being 'blood-soaked and corrupt' and enough blood had been spilt," he said.

Mr. Jayasuriya noted that while the PA had obtained 41% of the total vote, 54% had voted against the PA. In that sense the government was in a minority and was duty bound to accommodate the view point of the 54% represented by opposition political parties forming the true majority.

" Enough of these divisions, slayings and shedding of blood," he said- inviting all parties to join the UNP in a quest to create a new political culture. Making his appearance after the controversial arrest in connection with the Bindunuwewa incident, UPF leader P. Chandrasekeran blamed authorities for what he called a malicious arrest.

"I am not above the law because I am a parliamentarian. But it was an invisible political hand that caused my arrest. Shouldn't they at least check their facts before people are arrested," he asked.

He claimed that he was not a communalist and had no problems with other communities. Even the protest he organized was an all party concern where people collectively condemned the Bindunuwewa incident and critiqued the government for its failure to protect those who willingly surrendered to the state.

With the JVP quick to brand Rauf Hakeem as the "Shylock" of our times with a penchant for demanding a little more than the pound of flesh, the minister appealed not to label him and his party as being communal.

" The JVP should stop calling us communalists. We have never pursued a military struggle to win our rights and thereby threaten the political stability of the country. We have always treaded the democratic path and should be treated in that manner" he explained. Next it was the turn of S.B. Dissanayake who gently reminded the JVP of its own past. He said that the government was being blamed for everything, the latest being the Bindunuwewa massacre.

The minister, uncust-omarily composed reminded the JVP that the 1971 and 1989 insurgencies were the creation of the JVP where governments were pushed to take drastic actions to maintain normalcy.

" It is the duty of any government to prevent anarchy and destruction. If we are labelled as brutes for the enforcement of the law, what does it make you for breaking it?" he queried. In a country which is accustomed to explosions of all kinds, small political bombs like the one exploded by ACTC leader V. Vinayag-amoorthy causes hardly any ripples. But when he upheld the LTTE as the sole representative of the Tamil people and viewed it as the best vehicle to fulfill Tamil aspirations, many a member seemed perturbed, specially Jaffna UNP member T. Maheswaran, the first Tamil member for the UNP to represent Jaffna since 1952.

The MP in a solo performance thundered that legal protection against arbitrary arrest, torture, detention and the like all got naturally suspended under the present emergency regulations. The same arbitrary legislation was shamelessly used against MP Chandrasekaran. Did the police at least inform the Chair prior to his arrest, he demanded. And a fitting finale to the first session came when JVP publicity secretary Wimal Weerawansa made an inspiring contribution, urging the government to take corrective measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents like Bindunuwewa.

And then he unleashed his political ammunition at Mr. Hakeem who silently suffered the barrage of accusations.

"You shamelessly auction your votes and demand portfolios, diplomatic postings and a million other things. What makes you think that this country requires to be more divided than it is already? There is no need for Muslim political parties to represent Muslim grievances exclusively. Similarly there is no need for Tamil and Sinhala chauvinistic parties to exclusively represent their grievances" he charged.

In pin drop silence, the fiery member thundered that all political parties should represent all the people. Citing minister Fowzie as a national example, he said communal charges could not be raised against him as he was painting on a broader canvas of national politics.

"He also represents the Muslims and is doing his duty by them while working for the entire country. If the Sinhalese were racists, there should have been more 'bow and arrow- representatives in the legislature. If the Tamils were communal in approach, the EPDP would have got better representation" he charged , appealing that sectarian politics should be cremated, if the phoenix bird of fresh political hope is to take wing in a new political horizon.

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