SLMC peeved at being excluded from PSC

2013-06-24

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) is infuriated over the government's failure to appoint one of its nominees to the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), despite the Party being one of the constituent partners of the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance ( UPFA), with a Cabinet Minister, a Deputy and eight MPs.

The PSC appointed by Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa is led by Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and includes ruling party members Ministers Prof. G. L. Peiris, Maithripala Sirisena,

W. D. J. Seneviratne, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Dinesh Gunawardena, Susil Premajayantha, Douglas Devananda, A. L. M. Athaullah, D. E. W. Gunasekara, Rishad Bathiudeen,......Patali Champika Ranawaka, Wimal Weerawansa, Basil Rajapaksa, Lakshman Seneviratne, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, and Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, Deputy Minister Muthu Sivalingam, and MP Sudarshani Fernandopulle.

SLMC Leader and Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem, addressing a meeting at the Main Street in Kalmunai during the weekend said, it was important to have a nominee of the SLMC on the PSC, especially in light of the 13th Amendment, which was all about the rights of the minorities. He said his Party was a majority representative of the Muslim community.
Hakeem said it was a 'grave injustice' meted out to his Party that the government had not nominated a member from his Party to the PSC.

It is also paramount that the Muslim community is represented in such a Committee, which also dealt with minority issues, he said, adding that the international community would doubt the government's sincerity in a proposed solution.
He alleged that the government was amending the 13th Amendment to satisfy some forces within the government. He said the 13th Amendment was guided by forces within the government.

Lanka, Canada in diplomatic dispute over ambassadors

By Anthony David-

• Sunday, June 23, 2013

Sri Lanka and Canada, which is calling upon member nations to boycott the Commonwealth summit in Colombo, are locked in a diplomatic wrangle over posting of envoys to their respective capitals. The Canadian External Affairs Ministry, diplomatic sources said yesterday, had placed on hold the agreemo to post Esala Weerakoon as Sri Lanka’s new High Commissioner in Canada. He is now Deputy Ambassador to the United States.

This move, the sources said, was until such time Sri Lanka accepted the credentials of Shely Whiting who has been designated as High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.  Canadian External Affairs Ministry officials have complained that she has not been afforded an opportunity so far to present her credentials. She arrived in Sri Lanka three months ago. At present Ms. Whiting is in Canada attending a heads of diplomatic mission conference in her country.

An agreemo is a memorandum from one nation to another agreeing to the appointment of an ambassador or envoy. It is only after such acceptance that a formal announcement is made of an appointment. Thereafter, the ambassador or high commissioner in question is required to present his or her credentials to the host government.

Mr. Weerakoon’s agreemo had been sent to the External Affairs Ministry in Ottawa more than three months ago, according to official sources in Colombo. He was to replace Chitrangani Wagiswara who is concluding her term there.

External Affairs Ministry Secretary Karunatillake Amunugama said presentation of credentials by envoys was done in groups and the next batch was due in early July. The Canadian High Commissioner and the new Indian High Commissioner-designate Y.K. Sinha would be in that batch, he said.

“As for Ambassador Weerakoon,” Mr. Amunugama said that “some countries take a long time to confirm agreemos.”Relations between Sri Lanka and Canada have been strained since Ottawa’s diplomatic moves to shift the CHOGM venue from Colombo. Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already declared he would not attend the Colombo summit until the Government “improves its human rights record.”