News
Ganesan sees nothing but crony capitalism in govt.
… says people voted to elect true leaders, but they got dealers
By Saman Indrajith
Tamil Progressive Alliance leader SJB Parliamentarian Mano Ganesan recently said that people who had voted for the SLPP expecting true leaders to develop the country had instead got a bunch of dealers.
Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s office in Colombo, MP Ganesan said that prior to the presidential and general elections a political campaign led by Gotabaya Rajapaksa the people had been promised that the country would be run by professionals. “That was the main slogan of the Viyathmaga led by the President. Their message to people was that the country was rudderless and the public should vote for them so that the country would have true leaders. People believed in that and voted for them. Now, those who voted for the SLPP have realised that they were duped. They now know that they elected a government run by a bunch of dealers instead of leaders.
“The President goes around the country vowing tough action against corruption, fraud, exploitation of people and promising a better country. But his words are not matched with deeds. The government issues gazettes to control prices but big businesses carry on regardless. The aim of reviewing taxes should have been to increase government revenue or provide relief to people. The recent tax revisions did not help people and benefited only a bunch of businessmen dealers.”
He said that the country was now governed by the very same bunch of dealers. “It is no longer our SLFP politicians or senior parliamentarians in government who run this country now but some dealers. Many senior politicians have been sidelined. Take the issue of repatriating Sri Lankan workers. They make a tremendous contribution to the economy and help keep the economy afloat. Some of them even flew here during the election especially to vote for the SLPP. But today the government has allowed those migrant workers to be fleeced by the friends of a bunch of dealers in the government.”
“The dealers have become more powerful than political leaders. It is those dealers who had Ukrainian tourists brought here at the expense of the Sri Lankan expatriate workers.
SJB Kurunegala District MP JC Alawathuwala also addressed the press.
Accepting deposits from political parties and independent groups who intend to contest the forthcoming Local Authorities Election ended at 12noon today [19].
Deposits were accepted at respective District Secretariats from 3rd March 2025.
The Elections Commission has announced that the deadline for the accepting of nominations for the LA poll is set to conclude at 12:00 noon tomorrow (20).
It has been reported that the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon has appeared before the Matara Magistrate’s Court this morning (19),
The former IGP had been evading arrest after the Matara Magistrate’s court had ordered his arrest regarding a shooting incident that took place in front of the W15 Hotel Pelena, Weligama, Matara, in 2023.
The government has begun recovering funds obtained by former Lands and Land Development, Environment and Wildlife Resources Minister SM Chandrasena for the Janatha Lanka Chilli Marketing Limited (JLCML), which he headed, Parliament was informed yesterday.
Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation Minister Namal Karunaratne said that as the Chairman of JLCML, Chandrasena had obtained a loan of Rs. 1,275,000 from the Mihintale Govijana Seva Bank in 2001.
The principal of the loan had not been repaid until the end of last year. “After we came to power, we demanded that the loan be settled. Then, we discovered that the interest on the loan had not been paid for the past 24 years, and attempts had been made to have the loan written off. We stopped that and are now in the process of recovering the interest of Rs. 1,975,233 on the loan,” Karunaratne said.
Karunaratne added that JLCML was registered as a company with the Registrar of Companies on March 21, 2001. As Chairman of the company, Chandrasena requested a loan of Rs. 10 million on April 19, 2001, for the purpose of purchasing chillies from farmers in 12 farmer colonies in the Mihintale Agrarian Service area.
The request was approved by the Mihintale Agrarian Service Committee on the same day and referred to the Anuradhapura District Agrarian Operations Committee, which approved it on April 23, 2001. However, the Agriculture Development Commissioner General recommended that a loan of Rs. 1.2 million would suffice for this purpose. JLCML took the loan and failed to repay it until the end of last year. When the matter was raised, the principal was paid, and we are now in the process of recovering the interest that was not paid for the past 24 years,” Karunaratne added.
By Saman Indrajith
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