The Muslims who voted for the United National Party (UNP) in the Trincomalee district have been “betrayed’ by the present party hierarchy by refusing to replace their former Parliamentarian M.E.H Maharoof, who was gunned down by the LTTE late last month, with a member belonging to the same community, a relative of the slain M.P N.M.M.Nizam charged.
Mr. Nizam warned that the lack of foresight of the present UNP hierarchy would drive the party’s Muslim supporters towards communal politics. He told ‘The Sunday Times’ that all representations made by the UNP ‘Bala Mandalaya’ in Mutur over the issue had been flatly rejected.
“Firstly, we requested the party to pick a suitable Muslim to fill the Parliamentary vacancy. When this was refused, it was suggested that the daughter of the assassinated M.P., Miss Halina Maharoof (23) be appointed which in turn met with the same fate. Similarly, the party declined the other alternatives, namely, to nominate Mr. Maharoof’s brother, Mohamed Ali who had been an M.P for 18 years, an ex- ambassador and a former Deputy Chairman of the Paddy Marketing Board or one of the late M.P’s political lieutenants” Mr. Nizam explained.
Two of the four M.P’s declared elected for the Trincomalee district at the August 1994 General Election were UNPers and they were the late M.E.H. Maharoof and Sunil Shantha Ranaweera who polled 17,043 and 15,084 votes respectively. The rest of the UNP candidates polled: Ariyapala Walpitagama 6,801, Bogahapitiyage Ranjani 5,173. Mohamed Salihu Rajees 4,819, Arumugam Jegasothy 1,516 and Irasiah Nadarajaguru 539. Mr. Nizam remarked that if the UNP was genuinely interested in the welfare of the minorities, it could have asked some or all other UNP candidates who contested the election for the district on its ticket to step down thereby paving the way for a Muslim Member of Parliament.”The question is whether the minorities can any longer rely on National political parties”, he stated.
The National Carrier, AirLanka has started a drive to achieve punctuality on a consistent basis to erase the ‘Usually Late’ image of the airline, Chief Marketing Officer, Sunil Peiris said.
He said, AirLanka’s new Chairman Harry Jayawardena had directed that the resources of AirLanka be utilised in a prudent manner with the objective of reflecting a healthy bottom line financially.
Former Vice Chancellor of the Colombo University, Prof. Nandadasa Kodagoda, passed away yesterday. He was 68.
Prof. Kodagoda, a former lecturer in the Medical College, rose to senior lecturer, assistant professor, and then Vice Chancellor.
He was born in 1929 in Ahangama, Galle, and got his primary education at a Galle Pirivena. Then, he entered Nalanda College in Colombo and was taken back to his home town in Galle during the Second World War for further studies, at Mahinda College. He completed his A/L to become the best student in Sri Lanka.
In l950 he entered the University of Ceylon and qualified as a doctor. His first appointment was at the Karawanella Hospital where he served for one- and-a-half years and was transferred to Colombo General Hospital.
In 1958 he got married to Ratnawali, and the same year he was appointed as a lecturer in gynaecology at the Colombo Medical Faculty. In 1960 he was appointed as a lecturer in the field of Forensic Medicine in the same faculty.
In 1962, he went to Scotland for further studies and obtained his post graduate MRCP (1962-1964) and DMJ. In 1965 he came back to Colombo to join the Medical Faculty as a lecturer. Later in 1974 he was appointed as an assistant professor in the same faculty. In l988, he became the Dean of the Faculty and held this post till 1994.
In 1984, he was awarded the ‘Kala Keerthi’ award by former President J.R. Jayewardene, in 1993, was awarded the ‘Desabandu’ by former President D.B. Wijetunga. In 1996, was awarded ‘Wishva Prasad’ by Prime Minister, Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
He was also awarded ‘Lakshmi Menon’ International award in 1995, for his services in the anti-narcotics campaign.
He leaves behind his wife and three children.
The body will lie at the Colombo Medical Faculty for last respects from 10 a.m. till 12 noon today and taken back home. Cortege leaves his residence at 5 p.m. Cremation will take place at the General Cemetery Borella, tomorrow.
Foreign shareholders of the former state-owned Lanka Tractors Ltd., have written to the Treasury warning that bankers may withdraw their credit lines, once the latest accounts are out.
Continuous losses were eroding the net capital of the company, the said. “As we understand the position, as at end of 1996, total tangible shareholders funds were Rs. 25 m,” the letter said.
“However the company has made a further loss of Rs 50 mn, which will have been its fourth successive year of losses since it was privatized and put under the present management.”
The Chairman of Lanka Tractors had recently obtained the agency for TAFE tractors of India to his own company, the letter alleged.
However a top official of Lanka Tractors said a separate company called Globe Tractors, had been incorporated to obtain the TAFE franchise because the Indian principals were unwilling to give the agency to Lanka Tractors itself as it already sold Massey Fergusen tractors.
TAFE was 25 per cent owned by Massey Fergusen.
Globe Tractors is a subsidiary of Globe Commercial Trading which is also a shareholder of Lanka Tractors headed by Lanka Tractors Chairman Daya Weththasinghe.
Lanka Tractors sources also said negotiations were underway to persuade the Indian principals in consultation with Massey Fergusen to transfer the TAFE agency to Lanka Tractors at a later date. They believe Lanka Tractors could obtain the franchise once Massey Fergusen’s goes ahead with a plan to increase its stake in TAFE to 40 per cent.
In the meantime, they say Globe Tractors had prevented a competitor from getting the distributorship.
Having obtained the agency Globe Tractors has so far sold only six tractors, and this too through Lanka Tractors, a Lanka Tractors official said.
He claimed that the company was making losses as it did not have freehold or leasehold rights to its property to use as collateral to obtain banking facilities.
As a result Lanka Tractors had to depend on short term facilities at very high interest.
Though turnover had risen to Rs 471 mn from Rs 433 mn, showing increased sales the company was making losses due to a high interest costs. Last year the company is said to have paid Rs 36 mn interest.
In addition the company also had a large labour force resulting in a large salary bill. This was being lowered progressively through a voluntary retirement plan, the official said.
If the property rights were assigned to the company it could improve profits, by strengthening its ability to raise finance, the official claimed.
The properties are believed to be worth around Rs 500 mn.
He said the banks were presently financing the company’s imports through trust receipts and the release of the latest financial results would not make banker withdraw their credit lines causing a collapse of the company.
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