SJB MP: 29% of state institutions under Rajapaksa family

By Saman Indrajith

Galle District SJB MP Manusha Nanayakkara yesterday told Parliament that out of the total number of 434 departments, boards, authorities and statutory bodies, 126 come under the purview of the ministries headed by the members of the Rajapaksa family.

Participating in the debate on President’s State Policy, MP Nanayakkara said that in percentage terms, the Rajapaksa family members’ run ministries had 29 percent of all statutory bodies.

“The President and Prime Minister are from the same family. There are two cabinet ministers from that family- Chamal and Namal Rajapaksa. Sahsindra Rajapaksa is a state minister. Chairman of the District Development Council is Nipuna Ranawaka. The Prime Minister has three Cabinet portfolios – Buddha Sasana, Finance and Housing and Urban Development. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has 23 institutions. The Prime Minister has 49 under the Finance Ministry, 11 under the Buddha Sasana and six under the Urban Development ministry. He has 66 institutions under him. Namal Rajapaksa has seven. Sashindra has six. In addition seven other institutions including BOI, Telecom, Telecommunications and Regulations are under the COVID -19 task force under Basil Rajapaksa. There is one Shipping industry state minister who does not have a single institution under him because he is not a member of the Rajapaksa family.”

State Minister Nimal Lanza found fault with Nanayakkara for criticizing the Rajapaksa family. He said Nanayakkara, who was a persons with no regard for family values, was not qualified to criticize others. “He does not care about his wife at least. He does not provide her with food,” Minister Lanza said.

 MP Nanayakkara: “This is wrong. I once married and then got divorced. Thereafter I married again. I have a single wife. I do not run brothels all over my district.”