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The National People’s Power (NPP) has been quite prolific in Parliament so far in sharing various “lists” that paint opposition MPs in a bad light.

A few more of these lists were shared this week as well during the Committee Stage debate of Budget 2025.

During Monday’s debate on the expenditure head of the Ministry of Energy, Deputy Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Minister Arun Hemchandra produced what he claimed was a list of politicians and other powerful figures linked to former governments who, using political connections, had obtained filling stations for themselves, their families or associates. The list included both current and former MPs. Among the names of current MPs he mentioned were Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s Gayantha Karunathilaka, Harshana Rajakaruna and Kinsley Nelson.

All three MPs refuted the deputy minister’s claims the following day. Mr. Karunathilaka, who is also the Chief Opposition Whip, revealed that the filling station mentioned by Mr. Hemachandra had been owned by his family since 1955—long before he was even born. “This filling station came to be owned by my family 70 years ago, from the time of my grandfather. From then onwards, members of my family have been
operating it for the past 70 years. I don’t know how my name came to be mentioned in this list,” Mr. Karunathilaka told Parliament.

Mr. Rajakaruna also refuted any connection to a fuel station, saying his grandfather had owned one long before he was born and that too was no longer owned by his family. Mr. Nelson too said he never owned a fuel station and asked the government to correct the claim.

It seems some elements in the government are
overenthusiastic in trying to present lists with the aim of discrediting the opposition that they haven’t bothered to fact-check them before
presenting to Parliament.

Passport issue in foreign missions: Deputy Minister takes to Facebook

Despite around-the-clock counters in operation at the Department of Immigration and Emigration to resolve the passport crisis, the process is still not hassle-free as hundreds still queue up to get their new passports.

It is the same case for Sri Lankans living abroad seeking a new passport application. According to Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Arun Hemachandra, over 26,000 such passport
applications handed over to Sri Lankan overseas
missions are currently under processing stage.

Taking to his Facebook handle to provide an update on the matter due to increasing queries on social media, the minister said that the ministry is “committed to accelerating and completing as soon as possible,
ensuring efficiency, and convenience for our fellow Sri Lankans abroad.”

Ferrari crash: Driver survives—or was he harmed?

Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake began his speech in Parliament during Friday’s Budget debate of his Ministry by conveying to Parliament news of a “tragic fatal vehicle accident.”

He said that someone who claimed to have a licence to drive a Ferrari had been destroyed following a “collision with Al Jazeera.” He expressed sympathy with the driver. Mr. Rathnayake was obviously referring to former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s interview with Qatar-based satellite TV channel Al Jazeera.

The interview has been described as a disaster and a “train wreck” by some quarters. The Ferrari reference Mr. Rathnayake made comes from a comment Mr. Wickremesinghe had made to some professionals recently when he had been asked if rumours of his return to Parliament sometime this year were true. The former President had shot back why someone who has a licence to drive a Ferrari should spend time with those wearing ‘L’ boards—a direct jab at the inexperience of those in the new government.

Addressing a news conference after Al Jazeera aired the interview, the former President said that a two-hour interview had been edited and did not show all his answers. The audience during the interview had been packed with diaspora participants.

Many supporters of
Mr. Wickremesinghe were questioning who on earth arranged such an interview for him all the way in London before such a hostile and partisan audience.

The stink of Clean Sri Lanka away from the cameras

The railway toilet: Unbearable smell

The Government has launched the ‘Clean Sri Lankan’ programme under which public spaces are being given a cleanup, but away from the camera lights, things remain the same.

Take the Kandy Railway Station, where thousands of local and foreign tourists make their way daily, but basic facilities are far from satisfactory. The toilet inside the ladies restroom stinks a mile away. So while it is good to take the cameras along when politicians go on clean-up rounds, it’s better to focus on places where the cameras are not present and the facilities need a major overhaul.

This is not to suggest placing cameras inside the toilets! Readers will get the point being made.

A lonely lotus looks for new partners in the north

Nobody would have thought that the one-time unstoppable Sri Lanka Podhujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa would come to a stage where its past allies would think twice about continuing an electoral alliance with it in the wake of upcoming local government polls.

In the North, where the SLPP is not so popular, the party is looking for alternative groups and political parties after its past ally, the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), reportedly rejected the proposal to face the polls under the lotus symbol.

The party is planning to face the polls under its own symbol after the setback in the last parliamentary polls, where its Secretary General and long-time parliamentarian, Douglas Devananda, failed to get himself elected last year.

A party insider was heard saying that during the old days of a strong SLPP, the EPDP was forced to contest under the lotus symbol as well.

Earlier this week, the party appointed a former editor of a Tamil weekly as Kilinochchi district organiser with the responsibility of securing support for the party among the youth in the Vanni.

Cancellation of reservation: Wimal peeved but also pleased

Wimal Weerawansa taking part in a religious observance at the launch of his latest book.

Former Minister Wimal Weerawansa was to launch his latest book at the National Archives Department, only to be told that his reservation of the auditorium was cancelled and he had to shift the launch to the Western Province Aesthetic Resort.

Mr. Weerawansa, who is the leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF), launched the novel titled ‘Sande Gindara’ (Fire of the Moon) on Friday at the new venue and used the event to give a brief outline of his experience of joining the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and his indoctrination through the ‘five lessons’.

The book details some of his experiences as a full-time member of the JVP, the ranks of which he rose rapidly, becoming its Propaganda Secretary before he left the JVP in 2008.

He also referred to the last-minute cancellation by the National Archives Department of the use of the auditorium even after the necessary payments had been made. “They couldn’t give a valid reason for the cancellation. It could be due to an order from the ‘top,’ but due to this reason, we got more publicity for the event, and more people are showing interest in the book,” Mr. Weerawansa said.

Health Ministry debate fosters healthy exchanges

When he opened the debate on the expenditure head of the Ministry of Health and Mass Media on Thursday, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Gampaha District parliamentarian, Dr. Kavinda Jayawardana, said it was a significant day for Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa.

Dr. Jayawardana proceeded to recount that 10 years ago, it was the current health minister, then an opposition MP, who opened the budget debate on the expenditure head of the then government’s Health Ministry. He recalled that the then Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne—who, like Dr. Jayatissa, was also elected from the Kalutara district—told Parliament that he would like to see Dr. Jayatissa become the country’s health minister one day. “Today, you are the health minister,” the SJB MP said, and proceeded to read a portion of the speech included in the Hansard that Dr. Senaratne made then.

Dr. Jayawardana extended his well-wishes to the minister and said he hoped Dr. Jayatissa, as the health minister, would address the issues in the health sector that Dr. Senaratne had highlighted during his speech made 10 years ago.

In reply, Dr. Jayatissa noted that since December 2015, for five consecutive years, he had been the opposition MP who opened the budget debate on the Health Ministry vote. “What we are trying to do now is to make those views we expressed on the health sector over those years into reality,” he remarked.

 CBSL not spared by AI racketeers

With Artificial Intelligence (AI) booming, almost all industries will be subjected to significant impact, with high-powered machines having more and more influence on humans in coming years.

This week, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) warned the public about fraudulent AI-generated videos misusing the CBSL Governor’s image and currently circulating on social media, particularly Facebook.

These deceptive videos falsely portray the CBSL Governor as endorsing investment schemes that promise extraordinary financial returns. They also direct viewers to a suspicious external link, likely aimed at defrauding unsuspecting individuals, the bank said in a public notice.

With Sri Lankans’ digital literacy relatively low compared to regional countries and more vulnerable to fake news and misinformation campaigns, the CBSL said these videos are clear attempts by fraudulent parties to mislead the public using deepfake technology and AI-generated content.