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Wimal blames Gota’s naivety, Basil’s arrogance for current situation

Published

2 years ago

2022/08/17

By Rathindra Kuruwita

It would have been better for the country if former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa was allowed to leave Sri Lanka when he attempted to do so in early July, National Freedom Front (NFF) leader, Wimal Weerawansa said.

“Basil tried to go, but officers at the airport didn’t let him go because passengers opposed it. Three officers at the counters left their duties because a passenger took their photos and threatened them. This was a time when the protests were at their zenith. Because of that Basil didn’t go. It would have been better if he had gone,” he said.

Weerawansa said that a person doesn’t need to be in Sri Lanka to investigate whether he had engaged in corruption and that there are UN mechanisms that can be used to punish such individuals and reclaim their assets.

“So there was no reason to keep him. If he had been allowed to go, he wouldn’t still be playing such a big role here,” he said.

The NFF leader said that successive Sri Lankan governments, after 1977, are responsible for the current economic crisis.

“We created this economic mess, and we haven’t really seen the worst of this crisis. Before 1977, Sri Lanka had a positive balance of payment, for the most part. Now it’s the other way around. Especially in the 60s and the 70s, Sri Lanka was trying to manufacture things. A lot of credit must go to then Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. I am not saying that things were great, but we were making progress. But this was cut short in 1977. JR Jayawardene opened up Sri Lanka before our industries could mature. Now we are enjoying the ‘benefits’ of the system that JR created,” Weerawansa said.

The NFF leader said that the crisis was exacerbated by the actions of the Rajapaksa family, in the last few years, especially Gotabaya and Basil Rajapaksa.

“The main reason was Basil, but Gota also played a big role in creating this mess. Gota stuck to his family and let them run the show. This is not what the people wanted,” he said.

Weerawansa added that Gotabaya also had no political experience and they had asked him to discuss with trusted Ministers, and expert advisors, before taking serious decisions.

“Because he had no political experience, he needed to talk to people who know how things operated. But he didn’t do that. There was no discussion or consensus building. I don’t think Gotabaya even consulted the other Rajapaksas before deciding on banning agro-chemicals overnight. Therefore, a lot of necessary decisions were not made and a number of errors were made. Things were going down really fast and we tried to warn him, we tried to fix things from within. When we failed, we told the people where the country was heading and Gotabaya responded by firing us,” he said.

The NFF leader said the during party leaders’ meetings, former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa would act like a slave owner and treated party leaders like his personal property.

“He used to talk to respected politicians like they were peasants and he was the landlord. He thought their good nature was a sign of weakness. Because of this arrogance, Gotabaya now languishes in a hotel in Thailand and he can’t even come out,” he said.

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South Korea MPs vote to impeach president after mass protests over martial law

Published

6 hours ago

2024/12/14

Priyan

South Korean MPs have voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol as thousands of protesters on the streets of Seoul cheer the result

A total of 204 MPs approved the motion to impeach Yoon, who plunged the country into political turmoil with a short-lived martial law declaration last week

Yoon will be suspended while the prime minister will serve as acting president. The constitutional court now has six months to rule on the impeachment.Yoon survived an impeachment vote last weekend and has clung to power, despite mounting calls for him to step down He and and his allies are currently under investigation for insurrection charges, and a travel ban has been slapped on several of them

(BBC)

News

Indian High Commissioner meets PM

Published

9 hours ago

2024/12/14

Priyan

High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, called on Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, at the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday [13].

The meeting underscored the longstanding friendship and strategic partnership between the two neighboring nations and discussions centered on the progress of numerous bilateral projects, which are currently at various stages of development.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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Govt. buckles under pressure: Speaker Ranwala resigns

Published

15 hours ago

2024/12/14

Thilina Walpola

Asoka Sapumal Ranwala

Asoka Sapumal Ranwala resigned as Speaker of Parliament yesterday amidst a controversy over his educational qualifications. The Opposition challenged him to prove his claim that he had a doctorate.

Ranwala has said in a statement that he never misrepresented his educational qualifications but he currently lacks documentary evidence to prove his academic credentials. He insists that he was awarded a doctorate by a research institute affiliated with Waseda University in Japan and has expressed hope of presenting the degree certificate in the future.

“However, given the confusion surrounding this issue and to avoid causing embarrassment to those who trusted and voted for this government, I have decided to resign from the position of Speaker for the time being,” Ranwala has said in his statement.

His resignation followed indications that MPs from the JVP/NPP government were preparing to make a significant decision on a no-confidence motion against him, centred on the legitimacy of his academic qualifications. The motion was prompted by ongoing doubts about the authenticity of his doctoral degree, particularly in the absence of clarification.

Sources within the NPP confirmed earlier on Friday that Ranwala was expected to address the controversy with a special statement when Parliament reconvenes on Tuesday (17). However, he announced his resignation yesterday evening (13).

Kalutara District SJB MP Ajith P. Perera told the media on Thursday that either the Speaker or the JVP/NPP government must clarify the matter regarding Ranwala’s doctorate. He asserted that if the Speaker genuinely holds a valid doctorate, there would be no issue. However, the lack of response to media inquiries and the removal of degree-related information from the parliamentary website raised further concerns.

Perera added that the Speaker should provide evidence of his qualifications within two weeks, failing which the Opposition would proceed with the no-confidence motion. He also suggested that the JVP/NPP MPs would face public scrutiny in their decision to either support or oppose the motion, testing their commitment to party lines against public expectations.

The National Democratic Front (NDF), led by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, proposed the establishment of a parliamentary committee to verify the academic qualifications of all MPs, including the Speaker and Cabinet Ministers. This initiative seeks to address increasing concerns about the credibility of MPs’ qualifications.

Meanwhile, the SLPP announced its intention to introduce a separate no-confidence motion against Ranwala. Speaking at a press conference in Colombo, Hambantota District MP D.V. Chanaka criticised the Speaker, arguing that the issue undermines public confidence in Parliament. Chanaka further highlighted the Speaker’s responsibility as head of the Parliamentary Council and the Committee on High Offices, which oversees the verification of qualifications for key positions.

SLPP Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam also addressed the press, emphasising the importance of the Speaker’s academic qualifications in upholding the integrity of Parliament.