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SLFP women to the fore at next elections
The SLFP women's organization will be active throughout the next few months, bracing for possible elections and the organizational structures will be revamped.
The restructuring will be completed in two months and the SLFP women's organization national convention would be held in Colombo. The women's organization wings will be strengthened with island-wide leadership training programmes and workshops, former Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi told The Sunday Times.

The women's organization programme which kicked off two weeks ago at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Colombo, with President Chandrika Kumaratunga's participation, was rounded up by a special fund-raising event at the Hotel Taj Samudra, which was seen as successful, both in organization and much needed political exposure for the President.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Odel Unlimited said, none of their representatives were present at last week's fund raising dinner at Taj Samudra, as reported in The Sunday Times, last week.

Odds and Ends

Having to eat the leftovers
The Catering Department of Parliament was asked to prepare short eats for 50 persons who were coming to attend last Thursday's function where a stamp was being issued in honour of late UNP politician Anandatissa De Alwis.

However, some 80 persons had turned up and after consuming all the available short eats then proceeded to serve themselves from the lunch prepared for the parliament press reporters while the helpless staff members looked on. The journalists coming in for lunch were compelled to eat the leftovers.

Time for undivided loyalties
PA parliamentarian Richard Pathirana who not long ago had been sending mixed signals as to his party loyalties was full of praise for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe when talking to a group of journalists in the corridors of Parliament.
"He is a good leader. He is a stickler for punctuality", he said speaking about the time when the President and Prime Minister had been invited as witnesses at a recent wedding and two 'nekaths' had to be prepared to accommodate the President whose disregard for punctuality is now a well know fact.

When asked whether there was any improvement in his once strained relations with the President he said, "She's still angry with me." This answer at least for now reveals where his loyalties lie.

Walk out with a huff and a puff
Speaking of punctuality, Government and Opposition members should be given a crash course in time management. At last week's Cabinet news conference, government spokesman G.L. Peiris kept journalists waiting for 35 minutes. The JVP too at its news conference held at Nippon Hotel kept journalists waiting for some half an hour. The journalists were treated to some blaring music to soothe their nerves, quite a change for the Marxists. The Friday morning press briefing of the PA was no better. It was delayed by about 45 minutes.

On this occasion the PA spokesman Sarath Amunugama put his foot down when some foreign scribes demanded he give them a short briefing in English. Dr. Amunugama retorted saying "Who are you to dictate terms to me, I am making the presentation, I will first complete it in Sinhala and then go on to English. You can't tell me what should be in the agenda".

To which the journalists responded, "it is not a case of language, we just want you to brief us in English" considering the long wait. However when it was time for the briefing in English the journalists walked out with a huff and a puff.

Even jumping the high fence
UNP Puttlam District MP Ranga Bandara sure knows how to get top government officials to his feet. The MP telephoned Prisons Commissioner Rumi Marzook while on his way to Puttalam from parliament, saying he wants to meet him. Within minutes, bodyguards of the MP stormed into the Commissioner's office with a note from their boss and a flustered Commissioner was seen running out of his office to meet the parliamentarian who was seated in his luxurious car on the opposite side of the road.

Not wanting to keep the MP waiting longer than necessary the prison guards stopped the traffic and the Commissioner had to creep through the pavement railings to get to Mr. Bandara.

Case of can you or can’t you
The Sri Lanka Police Inspectors’ Association this week invited the press for a panel discussion and briefing titled "Whither Police Promotions". However, just a day before the function the IGP informed the Association that under the Police Code they are not permitted to hold such a briefing.

The Inspectors refused to accept the order and insisted on informing the IGP that the Police Code does permit the Association to hold such a discussion. This matter is yet to be resolved, and now the Inspectors are expected to take their grievances to the President and the Prime Minister.

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