Preliminary investigations have revealed that erroneous details on the Parliament website identifying Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara as “Dr” were based on a document provided by the office of the Leader of the House, Bimal Rathnayake, according to Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Nalin Bandara.

Speaking at a media briefing today, Bandara said that previous claims by the government had suggested of a political conspiracy involving Parliamentary officials.

“They tried to portray this as a conspiracy by Parliamentary officials. But it’s now clear the document originated from the Leader of the House’s office. What will they say now?” Bandara questioned.

He called on Minister Nanayakkara to clarify the matter in light of these findings. Bandara also alleged that the Justice Minister had refused interview requests, reportedly saying that he needed party approval.

Bandara further claimed that Tilvin Silva, the JVP’s General Secretary has barred party members from speaking to the media without his consent. “This is because he knows the Ministers and MPs are acting recklessly,” Bandara said, adding that the incident reflected poorly on the government. (Newswire)

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The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has appointed MP Nalin Bandara to coordinate the proposed debate between Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa and National Peoples Power (NPP) Leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Issuing a statement, MP Nalin Bandara said the SJB has proposed the month of May as the appropriate time to hold the public debate. 

He further said that initially a date must be allocated for the debate between the economic councils of the two parties.

MP Bandara said thereafter, the debate between the two leaders of the political parties could be staged. 

He added that following this, the relevant timeframe and platform for the debate could be selected. (Newswire)

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The government revenue will be boosted by around Rs. 27 billion annually due to the revised tax on sugar, which was increased from 25 cents to 50 rupees per kilogram, Minister of Trade Nalin Fernando said. 

Addressing the media on Thursday (Nov 09), Minister Fernando presented data justifying the latest tax increase on sugar.

While it is considered a measure by the government to boost its revenue to prove its commitment to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal, the minister said the move is important to meet government expenditures and payments for vulnerable people.

The Minister of Trade further revealed that the government imports 45,000 metric tons of sugar a month and that the tax at Rs. 50 can be calculated by the people. 

The government increased the import levy on Sugar from 25 cents to 50 rupees per kilogram overnight with effect from November 04, 2023. 

The tax revision has raised concerns that the move had benefitted certain businessmen, while it had also brought to light the possible leak of information on the tax revision even before it was presented to the Cabinet for approval. (NewsWire)

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