- The
week that was
Snap
presidential election on the cards
A Snap election appears to be on
the government's cards, most likely a
presidential election. Some time back, it was
expected to come in January or February, but
looking at the government's propaganda plans, the
date is likely to be in April or May next year.
It is hoped to carry out a full scale
reorganisation of the SLFP and the party central
committee had been summoned for a discussion last
Thursday to Temple Trees.A
group of SLFP MPs headed by Speaker K. B.
Ratnayake had arrived to meet the president
before the central committee meeting to thrash
out certain problems involving the Anuradhapura
district chief and Social Services Minister Bertie
Premalal Dissanayake, who was also present. Minister
Semasinhe represented matters on behalf of
members. Most of them related to problems created
by what was alleged to be unnecessary
interference by Dissanayake. The Speaker did not
participate in the discussion. (full text)
- SAARC
Summit protocol: A deeper problem
Recent media
reports on the role of Sri Lanka's beleaguered
Foreign Ministry and Foreign Service during the
Summit of the Aeads of State of the SAARC region
prompts me to write this letter. It was alleged
that the Foreign Ministry, in particular, its
Protocol Division was responsible for several
organisational faux pa that embarrassed the
Government that wanted the SAARC Summit to be a
showpiece marking the celebration of Sri Lanka's
Golden Jubilee Independence celebrations.There was much ado about nothing in
respect of the seating arrangements at the
opening ceremony. Apparently most of the heat was
generated by bruised egos of certain Ministers as
a result of them not being allotted seats at the
front of the hall. However, some of the more
glaring shortcomings did not receive much press
comment. Nevertheless, the partial failure of the
'sound system', snags in the lighting of the
ceremonial oil lamp, the non-observance of
serving etiquette with regard to drinks the
mismanagement of invitations to the Minister's
dinner, have justifiably evoked critical comment
by those imitated in the nuances of Diplomatic
Protocol. (full
text)
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- L
E G A L W A T C H
Contemporary
reality in public law
This year marks the conclusion of
20 years of fundamental rights jurisdiction under
the 1978 Constitution. It is also the twentieth
anniversary of the introduction of one of the
most controversial types of public tribunals, the
Special Presidential Commissions of Inquiry.Both these developments and many related
issues form the subject matter of Dr Mario
Gomez’s recently published work
titled "Emerging Trends In Public Law".
The book also marks the first venture into law
publishing by Vijitha Yapa Bookshop, and legal
scholars will no doubt hope that it will be
followed by more. (full text)
- Russia -
from communism to chaos
Just five months after sacking
Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and his entire
government, Russia's ailing erratic and confused
president, Boris Yeltsin, gave his country and
its crisis-battered financial markets another
jolting surprise. Without so much as an
explanation for his unpredicted move, he
dismissed premier Sergei Kiriyenko, this own
choice five months ago, and his government and
brought back Viktor Chernomyrdin, calling the
latter a "heavyweight", whose
"main advantages are decency, honesty and
thoroughness".Yeltsin
had replaced Chernomyrdin with Kiriyenko in March
this year blaming him "for losing dynamism
in this pursuit of economic reform." At that
time, Yeltsin said that he needed new ideas and
new energy to achieve the market reforms he had
in mind. And now, Yeltsin's firing of Kiriyenko
is seen as a desperate move by an enfeebled
president to shore up support among Russia's
politically active business magnates, known as
the "oligarchy", who function sometimes
as a shadow government and who could lose
millions in the economic crisis that has hit
Russia. (full
text)
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