Dayasiri sees NPP practising nepotism it claimed to abhor

SJB Kurunegala District MP Dayasiri Jayasekera yesterday accused the NPP government of nepotism, which, he said, had led to the downfall of Sri Lanka’s traditional political parties including the UNP and the SLFP.

Jayasekera made these remarks during a debate on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s policy statement in Parliament yesterday.

Jayasekera said people had voted out the two major parties

because they had become notorious for nepotism and cronyism. “Today, we see the leader of the House, Bimal Ratnayake, with his wife, Samanmalee Gunasinghe, also sitting as an MP. Similarly, Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe and Chaturanga Abeysinghe, father and son, are in the NPP parliametnary group,” he said.

Dayasiri said the NPP government politicians had appointed individuals from their old university circles, particularly from Kelaniya and Sri Jayewardenepura, to key ministerial positions. He also criticized the government for appointing businessmen, who had supported the NPP’s election campaign, to high-ranking government posts, calling it an example of cronyism.

“Jayasekera stated. He emphasized that the Opposition was ready to support the government, provided it remained true to the mandate it had received from the people and fulfiled its promises.