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The government’s move to lease out the presidential bungalows and ministerial residences to the private sector has raised concerns due to the historic value of these buildings.

The government says a committee has been appointed to evaluate which properties should be handed over to private developers, but questions have been raised over how prudent such a move is.

Former parliamentarian and opposition politician Charitha Herath is among those who raised concerns about the potential misuse of valuable government properties. “This proposal appears to include highly valuable government bungalows, some of which possess historical and architectural significance. Notably, the President’s House in Nuwara Eliya is reportedly among the properties in question. Such actions, if not handled transparently, could set a concerning precedent,” Mr. Herath said on his X account.

He said it is imperative that a national dialogue be initiated to thoroughly evaluate this proposal. “The public must be informed about the rationale, the selection process, and the intended use of these properties to ensure that they are preserved and managed in a manner that benefits the nation as a whole, rather than serving narrow interests.”

The former Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP added that in the past there had been instances where significant assets, such as rest houses in Belihuloya, Polonnaruwa, Habarana, and Matara, were transferred to those closely associated with the government of the time. While some of these properties were developed, others suffered from neglect, leading to a loss of their value and purpose.

Jobless graduates taking to the street demanding government jobs

Jaffna jobless graduates’ street drama draws censure

In parallel with national statistics, the unemployment rate (5.2 percent) is a major pressing issue in the Northern Province, so much so that nearly all of the youngsters and new graduates prefer to leave the country to seek jobs or migrate.

To get the attention of the authorities and to express their frustration, a group of unemployed graduates, wearing graduation cloaks and caps, staged a protest along Kandy Road, Jaffna, this week demanding jobs, but their dramatic performance came under severe criticism by various circles, particularly from social media.

The desperate graduates who passed out years ago from university but were demanding state-sector jobs brought a trolley and tools used for garbage collection and staged a performance in front of the cameras.

Though the protest was on and police were clearing the path on the busy A9 road, the protest certainly caught the attention of many onlookers who stopped a while to notice what the protest was about.

One old pensioner who came out from nearby Jaffna Main Postal Office was heard saying to another onlooker why these graduates were still demanding jobs in the state sector while the overstaffed state service was struggling to pay the salaries of existing staff, which consists of a significant portion of political appointees by previous successive governments.

He did not stop at that. He asked, “How come these graduates are portraying road cleaning work as the least kind of work? To which the onlooker responded, “At least the garbage collectors are doing their job to put food on the table rather than protesting in the streets, disrupting traffic.”

National Commission on Women asks people to name members

The Constitutional Council has called for applications and nominations to appoint members to the newly established National Commission on Women, which is vested with powers to protect the rights and welfare of women under the provisions of the Women Empowerment Act No. 37 of 2024.

Accordingly, the Council published a notice urging the public to nominate distinguished persons in public life to be recommended for appointment as members of the Commission. The nominees should have proven knowledge, experience, and eminence in the fields of law or legislation; trade unionism; management and administration; economic development; health; education; empowerment of women; or who have committed to increasing the employment potential
of women.

Delimitation Commission flouts RTI Act

The Delimitation Commission has flouted the Right to Information (RTI) Act by failing to establish an official website, the National Audit Office (NAO) has noted.

In its observations on the Delimitation Commission’s 2023 Performance Report, the NAO has noted that Section 10 of the RTI Act specifies that every public authority (PA) must make provision on their official website for the public to submit their appreciation or complaints.

However, the Delimitation Commission has not established an official website, the NAO has pointed out.

No change in Establishment Code

As the overstaffed state sector has come under heavy criticism in recent years for inefficiency and lack of professionalism, there have been several requests from influential trade unions within the state sector to amend provisions in the Establishment Code for obvious reasons.

Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry Secretary S. Alokabandara issued a circular last week reiterating that no public administration circular was issued last year (2024) revising the provisions of the Establishments Code.

SLPP lawyers seen to be discussing a case

SLPP readies legal team to face case avalanche

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has set up a new legal team to assist its members.

The new team, set up by the SLPP Lawyers’ Association, has been established in anticipation of a flurry of “politically motivated” cases that the party believes will be filed against their members in the coming weeks and months.

MPs to debate Clean Sri Lanka

The government will hold a two-date adjournment debate in Parliament on the “Clean Sri Lanka” initiative.

The debate will begin on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. and continue the following day. Launched on January 1 by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ project focuses on areas such as social and ethical behaviour and environmental cleanliness.

Clean Sri Lanka kites were a big attraction

Clean Sri Lanka flies high

The recent kite festival in Valvettiturai, Jaffna, marking the Thai Pongal festival, saw mega-size kites built by young enthusiasts compete for a grand prize, but one kite caught the attention of many—reflecting the government’s ambitious ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ initiative.

Organised by Vigneswara Community Centre, hundreds of kite enthusiasts and families across the region gathered to witness the creatively designed kites by youths.

Math teachers’ saree problem: Additional question for exams chief

The Examinations Department has stepped in to solve the dispute over a dress code issue at the GCE Advanced Level Examination Evaluation Centre at the Pannipitiya Dharmapala Vidyalaya.

Some female teachers who had arrived at the evaluation centre on Thursday (16) for paper marking in the Combined Mathematics subject had been denied entry by school security guards on the grounds that they were not in sarees. Security guards had told the teachers that the school principal had instructed them not to allow any female teacher who was not in a saree to enter the school as it was a school day.

With the female teachers refusing to back down, the dispute even led to police being called in. It eventually led the Examinations Department to temporarily shut down the evaluation centre.

However, Examinations Commissioner General Amith Jayasundara told the Sunday Times yesterday that the Combined Mathematics paper marking that was taking place at the Pannipitiya Dharmapala Vidyalaya has been shifted to the Examinations Department, and the teachers were marking the answer scripts at the department premises. He noted that the Examinations Department too was an evaluation centre, and paper marking was also going on there.

However, Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin said the “solution” would be to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the principal of the school for denying entry to female teachers on the basis of a non-existent dress code.

He said female teachers have long complained about the difficulties in marking answer scripts all day while in sarees. “The only reason we are refraining from taking stern action on this matter is that we don’t want the marking of answer scripts to be delayed further,” he added.