Columns

The United National Party (UNP) and a section of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) will jointly carry out the President’s election campaign islandwide starting from Matara today afternoon under the theme ‘Ekwa Jayagamu’ (Victory through Unity).

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has yet to announce himself as the common candidate for the scheduled presidential election, will preside over the meeting at the Mahinda Wijesekara playground, named after the father of Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara, who
has taken over the responsibility of organising the first of such meetings.

The UNP’s grassroots machinery has been unable to organise what is expected of them to boost the party leader’s prospects in the forthcoming election.

In most of the districts, it would be a similar case where UNP members would be jointly carrying out campaigns.

In the Kandy district, for instance, former Mayor Kesara Senanayake and ex-Provincial Council member Shanthini Kongahage from the UNP will be jointly campaigning with SLPP State Ministers Dilum Amunugama, Lohan Ratwatte and Parliamentarian Mahindananda Aluthgamage.

In the Gampaha district, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga this week summoned a meeting of district politicians. He praised President Wickremesinghe for enabling SLPP members to get back to politics after the anti-government violence that was unleashed against them on May 9, 2022. Minister Ranatunga is set to steer the President’s campaign in the crucial district.

Physicians heal themselves and make the most of the bad situation on the track

With the adverse weather conditions, train services to the upcountry have been regularly interrupted, holding up commuters for hours.

Last Sunday, the train from Colombo to Badulla was held up as a large tree fell across the track close to a small station known as Penrose, situated close to the Nawalapitiya station.

In two compartments of the train were College of Physicians members and their family members. The physicians were heading for a regional conference in Badulla.

They were already entertaining themselves with music in the compartment. Some of them decided to entertain other passengers too.

They took to the platform of the station and, for nearly two hours, entertained the passengers, some of them strumming guitars and making use of portable party speakers.

Foreigners on the train joined them to keep the gathering entertained.

The tree that had fallen across the track was eventually cleared, and the train was able to head to its destination after a few memorable hours provided by the physicians and the tourists. It was a case of how to make the most of a bad situation.

University non-academics’ strike: State minister disappointed with Treasury response

The university non-academic staff’s trade union action has been going on for more than 50 days, crippling some of the academic and administrative activities.

The trade unionists held talks with a state minister, raising hopes that the issue of the salary increase could be resolved.

When the matter was brought up with Treasury officials, it was revealed that if the issue were addressed, it would cost the government Rs 40 billion, and there would be several others making similar demands, costing the government Rs 120 billion, which the state cannot simply afford.

The state minister has not been a happy person, as he had already promised the unionists that the issue could be resolved. He met with a senior ministry official and wanted the official to intervene to secure the funds from the Treasury, but was told that it was not possible to get the funds as a committee was already looking into the issue of salary anomalies in the public service.

The state minister was a disappointed man, as were the trade unionists.

Job seekers taken for a ride on registered post

Some state-sector institutions have shortlisted job vacancies without seeking Finance Ministry approval and have called for applications via registered post.

It is only later—long after applications are sent—that the state institutes cancelled recruitments, citing that they lacked Finance Ministry approval and funds to make the appointments.

Applicants pay Rs 110 for a registered post and sarcastically ask if this has become one way the government finds revenue.

Recently, thousands of applications were sent via registered post for three vacancies in state institutes, but the recruitment was cancelled, saying that the Finance Ministry refused to provide approval for recruitment. The applicants have lost not only the job opportunity but also the money they spent on a registered post.

Registrar strikes a compromise at grand wedding in hill country

It was a grand wedding ceremony on Thursday, arranged in a hotel in the hill country.

The invitations had gone out well in advance, and the two families had made all arrangements for the ceremony.

But on the day of the wedding, the close family members seemed to have panicked.

This was after they had heard that the marriage registrar was finding it difficult to call over as the registrars were involved in a two-day strike over some of their unresolved issues.

Eventually, the registrar turned up for the event and took part in the registration process, bringing relief to the families and the couple, despite the strike taking place.

At the end of the registration process, the families requested that the registrar pose for a group photo, but the request was politely declined with the response, “My other colleagues will know that I was working while the strike was on.”

Though this couple was lucky enough, it was not sure how many others were unlucky with such strikes.

Earlier, it was the Grama Niladharis who were on strike, severely inconveniencing the public.

Railway often off the track in providing info

The Railway Department is yet to get many things right to provide better service to commuters.

Among them has been the failure to provide the required information.

In most main railway stations, the services of an officer for inquiries are not provided, though sometimes a board has been hung up as ‘Inquiries’ or ‘Information’.

The passengers also find it difficult to locate their compartments, particularly when they are travelling on a ticket booked in advance.

Last week, some passengers with their tickets were seen running around to locate their compartment until a few moments before the train took off from the Kandy station. The ticket mentions the seat number as SCR, while all the second-class compartments have been marked in alphabetical order from A to D. The passengers were moving from compartment to compartment, and eventually a security guard stepped in to assist them by pointing out one of the carriages. But nowhere was there a marking as ‘SCR’.

Subsequent inquiries revealed that SCR meant it stands for ‘Second Class Reserved’.

The question with the commuters is: why cause confusion by identifying compartments in two different ways, particularly when trains stop for a short time at the stations?

Mahinda meets old friend Xi in Beijing

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa being greeted by China's President Xi Jinping

Former President Mahida Rakapaksa met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 70th Anniversary of “Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence” in Beijing yesterday.

“Thrilled to meet my old friend President Xi Jinping at the 70th Anniversary of Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in Beijing! For 70 yrs, these principles have shaped global diplomacy and international law. Together, we should strive to build a peaceful and cooperative world,” he tweeted on his ‘X’ (twitter) page.

Kandy Perahera: Beggars’ body will decide whether to move out of city

It was a surprise to know that beggars in Kandy have an association.

This was revealed this week at the Dalada Maligawa during a discussion on the upcoming Kandy Perahera.

Municipal officers said they requested the beggars to move out of Kandy city during the Perahera season. They are a hindrance to the people who are using the Clock Tower bus stand, as most of them are sleeping on the benches. As a result, those who wait for late buses do not have a place to sit.

The municipal officials went to meet the beggar community and politely requested that they move away from the town during the Esala Perahera season.

Out came the reply, “Our association will meet and take a decision whether to move or not.”

But the police who were present at the meeting said that they would be moved. So we have an association for beggars as well in this country, or so it seems.

A tuition poster based on Subha Aranchiyak

Tuition teachers take lessons from political slogans

The theme ‘Aranchiya Subai’ also seems to have not been left for politicians alone.

It seems that tuition teachers have taken the cue to adopt the slogan as a clever marketing tool to promote themselves.

The ‘Aranchiya Subai’ poster campaign launched by the government was earlier met with a counter poster by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

The SLPP came out with its own poster, ‘Aranchiya Subai-Phohottuwen Apekshakayek’, announcing that it would be fielding a presidential candidate.

Initially, the poster was put up ahead of the President’s announcement regarding the signing of bilateral debt restructuring agreements with the Paris Club, India and China.

The poster campaign has also been widely seen as the launch of the presidential election campaign, with just three months left for the election.

It has been common for presidential candidates to launch their campaigns with such slogans. The late President Ranasinghe Premadasa’s campaign was launched in 1988 with the words ‘Me Kawuda, Mokada Karane’.