SRI LANKA'S president Gotabaya Rajapaksa prorogued parliament for one week and left for Singapore on an unscheduled visit on Monday (13).
There was no immediate comment from the government on Rajapaksa's decision to suspend proceedings for a week.
Parliament, which ended its sessions last Friday (10), was originally set to convene on January 11. It will now convene on January 18.
Rajapaksa, through an extraordinary gazette notification dated last Sunday (12), suspended the assembly.
Hours after proroguing parliament, Gotabaya, 72, left for Singapore on an unscheduled visit. Officials said he was there on a private visit, believed to be for health reasons.
Two key issues billed for discussions during Monday's (13) cabinet meeting would not be taken up, energy minister Udaya Gammanpila told reporters.
The weekly cabinet meeting was to discuss the possibility of Sri Lanka going for a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in view of the severe foreign currency crisis.
Sri Lanka's foreign reserves have slipped to the lower level to suffice only a month's imports.
The cabinet was also scheduled to discuss a controversial power deal with a US power company, with government allies expressing their opposition to the proposal.
The president's action means all standing committees in parliament would have to be reconstituted and reconvened.
Two oversight committees on public enterprises and public accounts have been pointing to many irregularities in running state institutions.
The assembly session dates and timings are set by political party leaders represented in Parliament in concurrence with the speaker of the house.
However, the president has the power to prorogue parliament under Article 70 of the Constitution.
During the prorogation, the speaker continues to function, and the members retain their membership even though they do not attend meetings of parliament, according to the Colombo Gazette newspaper.
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.