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President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Tourism, Lands, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Harin Fernando were set to attend the 48th National Sports Games at the Sugathadasa Outdoor Stadium on Wednesday.

Instead, in an ironic plot twist, President Wickremesinghe chose to distribute title deeds to 50,000 low-income families living in Colombo flats at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium.

President taking part at the deed distribution event at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Minister Prasanna Ranatunga though he was expected to be at the Sugathadasa Outdoor Stadium to inaugurate the National Sports Games

With elections around the corner, perhaps it was more advantageous for the President to attend the title deed distribution event at a sports stadium indoors, while opting to skip the real sports event that was happening next door around the same time, outdoors.

In a further blow to the morale of athletes and organisers, Sports Minister  Fernando, who was due to attend the National Sports Games, also failed to turn up. It was left to Sports and Youth Affairs State Minister Rohana Dissanayaka to represent the government at the event.

Senior education official accused of distorting and leaking information

At the National College of Education, a senior official has been warned he will face a disciplinary inquiry for openly criticising government policy decisions and activities.

The official has been accused of leaking confidential information about the interviews being held to recruit graduate teachers, distorting certain information related to the interviews, and organising online discussions where such confidential information was openly aired. He has also been accused of leaking information to the media and criticising government policy decisions and senior officials.

The official has been warned that his actions amount to a clear violation of sections of the Establishment Code and that if he persists with such action, he is liable to face a disciplinary inquiry into the matter.

Rs. 84 million was wasted on Gota’s political victimisation commission

More than Rs. 84 million in state funds has been spent on the Commission of Inquiry to Investigate Allegations of Political Victimisation from January 8, 2015, to November 16, 2019, according to documents seen by the Sunday Times.

The three-member commission, headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Upali Abeyratne, was appointed by the then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa in January 2020. The documents note that more than Rs. 84 million in state funds had been spent on activities of the commission from 2020 to 2021.

The controversial commission’s recommendations and findings were quashed by the Court of Appeal in March this year following petitions filed by some of those named in the report, including President Ranil Wickremesinghe and National People’s Power leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Lankan envoy briefs South Africa on reconciliation efforts here

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in the UK, former Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, met South Africa’s newly appointed International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Ronald Ozzy Lamola, this week in London at the Thanksgiving service to mark the 30th year of South Africa’s democracy.

During the brief meeting, Mr. Bogollagama explained Sri Lanka’s continued engagement in the reconciliation process and efforts to share the initiatives of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

High Commissioner Bogollagama with South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation
Minister Ronald Ozzy Lamola. Right: Mr. Bogollagama on the London Tea Trail

On a different summer’s day, High Commissioner Bogollagama did a walkabout on London’s original Tea Trail dating back to the 1870s, when Ceylon Tea dominated the import of the ‘cup that cheers but does not inebriate’. It was where all the principals and renowned Agency Houses made lots of money by plundering the Kandyan and hill country lands.

Over the years, shortsighted policies by Colombo have resulted in the loss of this market to other tea-exporting countries.

Former polls chief comes back as monitor, draws T20 comparisons

Former Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya is back in the fray and involved in the upcoming presidential election, though he is not officially involved in the process. His involvement this time is as a member of an election monitoring team.

Mr. Deshapriya recently explained the possible outcome of the election in cricket parlance.

The former chairman, a keen cricket fan, drew a comparison to the critical period between the 16th and 20th overs of a T20 cricket match with the outcome of the upcoming presidential election.

He said, “It is those who do the best in the last overs who would have the edge. There’s no use doing well in the power play earlier in the match,” was his response to a question raised by a TV journalist.

With less than three months to go until the elections, his comparison may well be proved correct.

Ex-CMC member hijacks President’s flagship project; allegedly fleeces flat residents

The president’s office has complained to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over a former Colombo Municipal Councillor and self-proclaimed trade union activist who has allegedly ‘hijacked’ the government’s flagship project to award freehold title deeds to low-income families residing in Colombo flats.

In leaflets distributed among low-income families residing in flats in parts of Borella, the former MMC claimed credit for persuading the government to launch the programme, as documents submitted to the IGP appear to show.

What’s worse, the man is also trying to obtain financial gain from the low-income families who are to get the title deeds. The leaflets claim that the former MMC’s office in Borella has been designated as a coordination centre for those who are to receive title deeds. It asks the residents to deposit Rs. 5,000 into a bank account for coordination activities at this office and to send the receipt to him via WhatsApp.

The brazenness with which a former people’s representative is allegedly trying to deceive some of the poorest segments of society into paying him for a service the government is providing for free has angered some of the highest officials at the Presidential Secretariat. They have urged the police to take immediate action before the person they call the “thief” does further damage.

Police’s huge ammunition bid on firing line

Bidding calls issued on behalf of the Police Department have raised the eyebrows of many, including potential bidders, in recent weeks.

The latest bid is to procure 1.3 million rounds of ammunition (live and blank) for the department. Last week, the department called for large-scale bids for 58,500 pairs of jogging shoes, 70,000 pairs of leather shoes and 732,000 metres of khaki uniform material.

Understandably, the latest bid for ammunition raised some concerns in political and security circles as well.

A senior official of the Ministry of Public Security, which issued the bids, said that the reason for the large-scale procurement is that the department is procuring these items after a long delay.

Two guards held hostage for five days amid SLFP drama

Two security guards had been held hostage at the SLFP headquarters in Colombo’s Maradana area for five days as the party’s internecine battle continued.

The SLFP head office has frequently remained under lock and key and police guard over the past few months as party seniors of the different factions fight it out for key positions.

Several court cases have been filed by the factions against the rival leaders of the party. Some cases were filed against the chairman of the party, while others were against newly appointed acting chairmen and secretaries.

Recently, after former General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara got a favourable court order restoring his position, he ventured to enter the party headquarters only to find that the gates were locked and he could not gain entry.

However, supporters of Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva’s faction did not know that two security personnel of a privately owned security firm were assigned to protect the office by another SLFP faction.

The premises of the party head office were locked on July 5.

The security guards who were trapped in the building were given food by the police guarding the gate. However, after five days, the two security guards had been released. The question is: Why on earth did the police not see that the guards should have been released earlier?

Legal cases galore against headline-hitting medical officer

The recent controversy in the North over the appointment of a Medical Officer (MO) to the Chavakachcheri Base Hospital came to an end with the appointment of an Acting MO.

The previous MO made headlines in the northern dailies, claiming the ‘medical mafia’ was preventing him from upgrading hospital services at the expense of poor taxpayers. He also alleged other irregularities.

Locals staged solidarity protests extending support to Dr. R. Archchuna, who also became a social media hero overnight, with YouTubers and content creators chasing him to monetize his content to make it viral and earn some quick bucks.

That social media bubble came to an end when reality kicked in, as he was summoned and issued a directive to report back to the Health Ministry in Colombo as soon as possible.

Before that, he was summoned to appear before the Chavakachcheri Magistrate’s Court by police, and he learned later that he was named in five cases filed by police and other medical professionals over the allegations he levelled against them.

The MO, who was hyperactive on his Facebook page with live broadcasts and updates on his plans to improve the provincial health sector, went back to the same platform, seeking legal help from among his followers who could represent him in court. The medical professional also stressed that he is willing to sell his vehicle to cover the legal fees.