Despite Mathata Thitha, more liquor licences issued in 2013

Sunday, 27 July 2014

The Government’s much hyped “mathata thitha” policy to discourage liquor consumption may be in place but that has not stopped the Excise Department from issuing 62 new liquor licences last year. This is seven more than the number of licences issued in 2012, according to details in the Administrative Report of Excise Commissioner General D.G.M. Vasantha Hapuarachchi. The 2013 report was presented to Parliament this week.

The report says the new liquor licences have been restricted only for the institutions approved by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and that under the ‘present excise policy based on the policy frame of “Mahinda Chinthanaya”, the Excise Department takes necessary action to control the consumption of liquor and the use of cigarettes.

Between 2005 and 2013, since the Mahinda Chintanaya came into effect, nearly 500 new liquor licences have been issued.Meanwhile in 2013, the beginning of the second centenary of the Excise Department, Rs. 66,008 million had been collected as excise duties — an increase of 10% compared with 2012. Also in 2013, while the production of hard liquor showed a decrease of 11 per cent over the previous year, the soft liquor beer production had gone up by 21 per cent over 2012.

Acting IGP to tame opposition forces!

 Sunday, 27 July 2014 

The president on July 25 decided to name senior DIG Anura Senanayake as the acting IGP in order to face challenges by opposition forces during the next presidential election, reports say.

Incumbent police chief N.K. Illangakoon can remain in the job until April 2016, but defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has informed the president that he could not show results as expected from him.

The IGP is to be removed in a scenario in which former president Chandrika Kumaratunga has returned to politics. He was the DIG in charge of the presidential security division during her tenure. The defence secretary has surmised that the incumbent IGP will be more loyal to Mrs. Kumaratunga.

However, seniority in the police department means that N.K. Illangakoon should be succeeded by senior DIG Gamini Nawaratne. But, the president intends to appoint PSD chief, senior DIG M.S. Wickremasinghe to the position, although the defence secretary’s choice is Anura Senanayake.

The defence secretary has told the president that he could not guarantee the loyalty of the police if he is not appointed to the position.

Since the police commission is an encumbrance to the appointment of Anura Senanayake to the position, he has proposed that he should be appointed the acting IGP. Furthermore, in the event a more senior DIG files a petition in the Supreme Court challenging his appointment, the acting position will help prevent any legal challenge, the chief justice has advised. The president has commended the defence secretary on that account.

Anyhow, Anura Senanayake will be able to obtain a fourth service extension, as the third one he obtained on 07 July 2014 expires on 07 January 2015 and a presidential election is due to take place on a closer date. He has already set a record for being the oldest policeman in the history of Sri Lanka police, and will be able to further that record, a senior official of the department told us.

The decision to extend his service was taken at a meeting at the president’s house in Kandy on July 25 to discuss the opposition alliance formed through the seminar called by the National Movement for a Just Society.