JVP queries how Justice Minister’s son came to be appointed to cricket interim committee

By Saman Indrajith

JVP-led NPP on Thursday in Parliament demanded to know from the government on what grounds Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s son Rakhitha was appointed to the cricket interim committee.

JVP Propaganda Secretary MP Vijitha Herath participating in a debate on a motion to oust the incumbent officials from the Sri Lanka Cricket, said that they approve of the appointment of an interim committee for the SLC but had serious concerns and doubts of the persons who had been appointed to the committee.

MP Herath said: This crisis and issues in the SLC are not new. They had been there for years. The SLC has gone under political pressure as well as money. The players try to play their level best for the interest of the country but the cricket board betrays the game for money. This is known to the entire nation and people are disgusted with the SLC conduct. The country loses because of the corrupt officials in the SLC. We must recall how the SLC kept absconding to come before the parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). It is with a lot of effort the SLC could be brought before the COPE. There are several families that run the show at the SLC. There are three main families, namely the Sumathipala family, Dharmadasa family and the Ranatunga family. Is it only the members of these three families who are entitled to manage Sri Lanka’s cricket? Arjuna Ranatunga is a talented player but there are concerns whether he is equally talented in administration.

We approve the appointment of an interim committee but the government should tell us why it had appointed Minister Wijayadasa Rajapakshe’s son to that committee. Why did it appoint a member of the Dharmadasa family? Arjuna Ranatunga is a good player but he should not have been appointed for this interim committee. He has once contested to be elected for the SLC. We understand that the Sports Minister has come forward with genuine interests. But what he is doing in good faith seems to have been hijacked by others for a different purpose. We must be vigilant of such moves,” Herath said.