• UNP tells government to quit
• Bribery sleuths quiz the kids
• Vehicle drama shakes ginger group chief
• LTTE warns Tamil infiltrators
• Indika hits out at fiscal policy

UNP tells government to quit

The UNP yesterday called on the government to resign, rejecting overtures by some cabinet ministers to form a government of national reconciliation.

At least six cabinet ministers have made public comments to the effect that the government would find it difficult to continue in this manner and that it would be difficult to carry on parliamentary business even if the no-confidence motion against the government was defeated.

The comments came as Opposition UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe turned down a proposal by Constitutional Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris to work out a broad consensus between the government and the UNP, on the grounds that the no-confidence motion would be given priority before considering any proposals.

The UNP leader's position was made clear to Minister Peiris when they met at Prof. Peiris's residence on an invitation extended by the minister.

The Sunday Times learns that Mr. Wickremesinghe had said they had no objections in reaching a consensus on some of the important issues in the country, but at the moment the priority was the proposed no-confidence motion against the government.

The opposition leader had said it was too late to consider any other proposal at this moment.

Minister Peiris's meeting came a day after he met the Mahanayake Theras of the Asgiriya and Malwatte chapters in Kandy and called for their co-operation to urge all parties to build up a national consensus on resolving some of the major issues in the country.

The Mahanayaka of the Malwatte Chapter, Ven Rambukwelle Sri Vipassi Thera, told The Sunday Times he had pointed out to the minister that he had no objections in working out a broad consensus to resolve some of the important national issues in the country, but it was a matter for politicians to decide.

Mr. Wickremesinghe in a hard hitting statement yesterday declared that the cabinet and the government had no alternative other than resigning after the PA lost its majority in Parliament.

Mr. Wickremesinghe speaking at one of the series of UNP protest meetings held in the Western province yesterday called on the government to tender its resignation as it had already lost the majority in Parliament .

"It is the party with a majority in Parliament that has the power to pass laws, pass the budget and even pass emergency regulations and whenever the ruling party loses its majority, it cannot carryout its functions. Therefore automatically the party which loses its majority has to hand over power to the party which has the majority," Mr. Wickremesinghe said.

The government is trying to retain power by playing the war drums. In support of this government's lust for power, the state media advocated the necessity for the PA to continue only if to prosecute the war, he added. 

State media were meanwhile engaged in what appeared to be a news-blitz to show that the LTTE was preparing for a massive attack on security forces as part of its 'Black July' campaign which falls on July 5, the day before Parliament is to take a vote on extending the state of emergency.

Early yesterday, Air Force jets launched a series of attacks on LTTE targets in Pooneryn and elsewhere "in order to prevent a major LTTE offensive in the Jaffna peninsula," the Director of Government Information said.

In an official news statement, he added, "The LTTE has been making intensive preparation for a major battle against the security forces in the recent weeks."

Justice Minister Batty Weerakoon came on national TV and the state media have voiced the official view that if the emergency was allowed to lapse, the ban on the LTTE would automatically be revoked. The question of LTTE suspects continuing in custody has also been raised.

Former Attorney General and UNP National List MP Tilak Marapana, however, contested that position saying that whether the LTTE was 'banned' or not, the violence perpetrated by the LTTE and its unlawful actions could be dealt with even without an 'Emergency'.

Though the LTTE had been proscribed under the Emergency Regulations, this was a dead letter and these Emergency Provisions had never been used to deal with the LTTE or its cadres, he added.

He said that in 1989 President Premadasa lifted the emergency for some months and at the time LTTE and even JVP suspects arrested under the emergency were brought under the PTA.

Political analysts say that if the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress which has been voting for the emergency till last month continues to vote that way, the government will be able to retain the emergency without relying on the UNP.

The JVP and the Tamil parties confirm they would vote against the emergency while the solitary Sihala Urumaya MP will vote for the emergency.

In the meantime, the JVP has stated that its demands for the five independent commissions _ the public service , judiciary, police, elections and the media _ remain firm.

Its Propaganda Secretary Wimal Weerawansa said the government was talking of implementing one, two or three commissions, but the JVP was sticking to its five, and how it would vote on the no-confidence motion would be decided accordingly.

A stinging attack on the JVP by Minister and SLFP general secretary S.B. Dissanayake has hardened the JVP's stand, it is learnt. 

Mr. Dissanayake, who recently returned from a stint at Harvard University is reported to have told his cabinet colleagues as well as opposition UNP MPs that the government would need to look beyond the no-confidence motion because even if they won the vote, they would have to be begging or borrowing votes from parties like the JVP and the SLMC for their existence.

This has fuelled speculation of a government of national reconciliation between the ruling PA and the UNP, something Minister Ronnie de Mel, who has served in both parties twice over, publicly advocated at a recent meeting with shippers.

UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya told The Sunday Times the drafts for the five independent commissions were ready and would be finalised soon. He said these private members' motions would be presented to Parliament as the 17th Amendment to the Constitution.

Meanwhile the UNP will reconsider its vote stance on the extension of the emergency; the JVP remains undecided on its stance on the no-confidence motion against the government and the opposition will table the draft proposals to legislate for five independent commissions next week. Opposition leader Wickremesinghe told The Sunday Times yesterday his party would reconsider how it should vote at the monthly meeting of Parliament to extend the state of emergency in view of the fallout that could arise if the government was unable to win the vote.

He warned that the line of the Government to browbeat the opposition into submission might backfire on it because UNP hard-liners were advocating a tough line, though others were recommending that the UNP abstain from voting, a line it adopted during the first two months of this Parliament.

Among the ministers who have conceded that the PA would find it tough to rule the country was Minister A.H.M. Fowzie who said that it was difficult for the government to continue under the present electoral system.

The UNP's reluctance to discuss about working out any broad consensus with the government came after the Presidential Secretariat issued a statement distorting details about the discussion between President Kumaratunga and Mr. Wickremesinghe during the previous week.

Mr. Wickremesinghe at the June 22 meeting had vetoed a proposal for the government and opposition to issue either a joint statement or separate statements indicating a common stand by political parties against LTTE preconditions for peace talks. 

The UNP in a statement on Wednesday hit hard at the government saying that the allegation that Mr. Wickremesinghe proposed to the President that the ban on the LTTE should be lifted was "completely false". 

Bribery sleuths quiz the kids

By Shane Seneviratne

Bribery Commission officials are recording statements of about 50 Year One students who have gained entry to Dharmarajah College, Kandy after their parents allegedly furnished false documentation.

The officials acted on complaints made by other parents. The Kandy Fraud Bureau is maintaining files on each of the 50 children who were questioned on where they lived and their mode of transport.

Vehicle drama shakes ginger group chief

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

The privilege had been withdrawn in the April budget but after representations, special permits were again issued to more than 70 MPs.

According to party sources, the MPs found some flaws in the new permits and after discussions, they decided to return all the permits to the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry.

At a special cabinet meeting held on Monday to discuss counter strategy in the current political crisis, President Kumaratunga reportedly said she was aware that Mr. Mawallage had been the leader of the protest over the vehicle permits.

The Sunday Times learns that Minister S. B. Dissanayake and others had defended the PA backbenchers saying they were facing serious public disenchantment in their electorates over the rising cost of living and other problems. 

Sources said some accommodation had now been reached and fresh permits might be issued.

LTTE warns Tamil infiltrators

By Chris Kamalendran

As a warning, the LTTE reportedly shot dead two alleged informants at Kokkadicholai on Wednesday with people being invited to watch the execution of so-called 'traitors.'

In letters of warning, the LTTE claimed it had detected as many as 30 claymore mines planted in the Batticaloa area by pro-government groups.

Earlier, a claymore mine blast killed a Tiger intelligence wing leader identified as Nizam in an LTTE controlled area.

Indika hits out at fiscal policy

In a hard-hitting speech at the launching of a Development Studies Institute in the University of Colombo, Mr. Gunawardene hammered out at some Central Bank officials who blindly followed the IMF policies and thought they knew all the solutions.

Mr. Gunawardene said he himself had been a rural economist and learnt all about it under the eminent economist Nimal Sandaratne. 

He said he saw serious flaws and dangers in the current world economic order and he was hoping that Sri Lanka would be able to get out of the IMF noose.

The minister blasted Central Bank officials who were boasting about the IMF standby loan and were obviously proud of it. "It is nothing to be proud of. We have stooped to the bottom by agreeing to this," he said.

The minister said Sri Lanka was facing a serious economic crisis with social polarization and millions of people facing severe hardships. He urged all Sri Lankans to come together in building up a just and fair society.

Mr. Gunawardene said one of the IMF conditions was the slashing of the number of Samurdhi recipients by 30 percent and he feared this could precipitate a backlash from the poorest of the poor.

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