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Police Inspector General Chandana Wickramaratne’s term was extended by a further three months from yesterday by President Ranil Wickremesinghe amid a heated debate over who should succeed him to be the nation’s top Police officer.

The decision to extend the IGP’s term was taken during a meeting attended by President Wickremesinghe, Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, Police Chief Wickramaratne and Western Province Senior Police Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) Deshabandu Tennakoon.

Police Chief Chandana Wickramaratne

Public Security Ministry sources said during the discussion, the President agreed to extend the tenure of Police Chief Wickramaratne by a further three months. He was due to retire yesterday. Once that period is over, SDIG Deshabandu Tennakoon’s name will be forwarded by the President to the Constitutional Council for consideration to be the next Police Chief.

SDIG Tennakoon is a controversial figure in the Police and both the Catholic Church and Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) have reacted strongly to earlier reports that he is tipped to be the next Police Chief.

The Catholic Church’s opposition stems from the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter Sunday attacks recommendations to take disciplinary action against several senior Police officers including SDIG Tennakoon for negligence and security failures that led to the attacks.

The BASL has already written to President Wickremesinghe stressing that the next Police Chief should be an officer “whose service is exemplary and free of blemish.”

SDIG Tennakoon has also faced accusations related to the mob attacks by supporters of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on peaceful protesters at Galle Face on May 9 last year.

The controversial SDIG is not the only senior officer vying to be the next Police Chief, though he now appears to be the favourite. Police Department sources said there was a three-way tussle underway among three senior Police officers to succeed Police Chief Wickramaratne.

Mudalige goes to Jaffna again, but runs into protest this time

Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) Convener Wasantha Mudalige was in Jaffna again yesterday to meet with representatives of the Jaffna University Students’ Union. This is the second time in recent weeks the IUSF Convener was visiting Jaffna to meet with student representatives.

This time however, a group of people held a protest opposing Mr. Mudalige’s visit. The protesters were carrying placards with slogans such as “Don’t Destroy Education in the North,” and they also hit out against the IUSF. They called on the IUSF not to engage in trade union activities in the North, among their children.

The protest took place as the IUSF Convener met with Northern university student representatives at Timmer Hall in Jaffna.  Pic by N. Lohathayalan

Horror-scopes and astrology; President and Sajith trade jokes

During his address to Parliament announcing the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), President Ranil Wickremesinghe recalled that he accepted the post of President last year because no one else was willing to take on the job in such a difficult situation. He claimed some even asked time to check their horoscopes before taking on the job.

Making his own statement in response, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said that as far as he knew, President Wickremesinghe had the best horoscope of them all.

“Why? He came to Parliament as a lone MP and then went onto become the Prime Minister and then the President,” he said.

Mr Premadasa though, recalled that while Mr Wickremesinghe could have been sworn in as an MP to fill the sole national list slot won by his party when the current Parliament convened on August 20, 2020, it took Mr Wickremesinghe ten months to come to Parliament.

“He was sworn in as an MP on June 23, 2021. That is the birthday of my father. So you can guess by that alone as to who was checking horoscopes,” the Opposition Leader said.

“He waited ten months until the best moment came about. As such, I think we can say he is the best astrologer in this country,” he added.

Motion to make English the mandatory medium at Law College: Was it presented by a ghost?

The rules under the Council of Legal Education Ordinance (Chapter 276) inclusive of the decision taken by the Council of Legal Education to make English the mandatory medium of examination at Sri Lanka Law College, was defeated in the House in bizarre fashion on Tuesday.

Opposition parties asked for a division on the motion as it was on the agenda for the day. The Government claimed the motion had been placed on the agenda in error given that the Cabinet had not approved the gazette.

Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe was not present in the House, nor was Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, who the Opposition alleged had submitted the Cabinet paper on the matter when he was Justice Minister. Both Ministers were on a ‘working visit’ to South Africa.

Government and Opposition MPs spoke against the motion, alleging that it would place the country’s legal field in the hands of an elite who had studied in English, while shutting the door on those who had studied in Sinhala and Tamil.

A vote was eventually taken and the motion was overwhelmingly defeated by 113 votes to 1. Interestingly, all Government MPs in the House also voted against the motion. The only MP to support the motion was Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Parliamentarian Chandima Weerakkody, who now sits with the Opposition.

Given that no one in the Government was willing to take ownership of the Cabinet paper that had been submitted on the matter, National Freedom Front (NFF) Leader Wimal Weerawansa queried whether it was a ghost (boothaya), who submitted it to the Cabinet.

Pic by Akila Jayawardana

Dishonour for the “Boralugoda Lion”

The Philip Gunawardena Ground, more popularly known as Hyde Park, is named after one of Sri Lanka’s most respected politicians and a man who is the father of current Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

The name board at the ground named in honour of the “Lion of Boralugoda” (Boralugoda Sinhaya) however, seems to need a correction.

The ground is used frequently for many events including political rallies. With the term of office of local councils also now having come to an end, one wonders whether it will have to fall to the PM, in his capacity as Local Government Minister, to intervene to correct the error.

Trade Minister cracks over two million imported eggs stuckat Colombo Port

Trade Minister Nalin Fernando seems to be an unhappy person these days as some two million imported eggs are stuck at the Colombo Port.

The Minister believes the officials are delaying the clearance and are taking undue time to carry out the necessary checks.

He told the media that as a result of this, people would have to suffer.

The Minister was questioned as to why the Government does not have control over the officials and his response was that it is due to “democracy.”

But his advice to the people was certainly not a response going along with democracy.

“Like the people strayed away from democracy and agitated against politicians, may be the people need to do the same now with officials,” the Minister said.

Homagama hooter arrested for disturbing religious event

Homagama Police yesterday arrested a person who allegedly hooted at Transport and Highways Minister Bandula Gunawardena while he was taking part in a public event.

The Minister had been attending a ceremony to lay the foundation stone of a new ‘Buddha Mandiraya’ at Pitipana in Homagama when a man who was passing by in a lorry had allegedly hooted at him and those present before driving away.

Police officers who were at the scene who had given chase to the vehicle, caught up with the driver and arrested him.

Police sources said he had been arrested on charges of disturbing a religious event. Hooting at a peoples representative after all, is not a criminal offence.