‘Former CEB Chairman’s claim should be investigated’

By Norman Palihawadana

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP, S.M Marikkarhas called for an investigation on the former CEB Chairman MMC Ferdinando who recently claimed that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had told him that the Indian Prime Minister asked him to grant the contract for an energy project to India’s Adani Group.Marikkar said that Sri Lanka would be in deep trouble if India stopped providing fuel. Ferdinando’s claim had already created a diplomatic issue, the SJB MP said.

“Now, Ferdinando has resigned but he can’t be allowed to get away with it. People must be told what is going on. We really can’t afford to antagonize India at this juncture,” he said.Marikkar said that it was impossible to attract tourists when there are queues for essential items. Everyone in the world is aware that Sri Lanka has crippling fuel shortages and the priority should be to end the queues.

“I urge the Prime Minister to discuss with the Middle Eastern countries and secure fuel for six to 12 months. Get a credit line from them. Then we can use the money we spend on fuel to buy gas and fertiliser. If we can secure fuel, the country will be back to normal in September when the tourist season starts,” he said.

If Sri Lanka can attract the usual number of tourists between September to December, another 250 million dollars will enter domestic circulation, the MP said.

“There is no need to scare people by holding press conferences. We need action. Get rid of the queues, attract tourists, and convince the foreign employees that we have a plan,” he said.

The SJB MP said that while encouraging agriculture is good, they are suspicious about releasing some lands in Colombo for agriculture.

“There are enough lands that can be used for food cultivation. Why are we releasing high value commercial land in Colombo for farming? We think that the government is trying to give valuable state land in Colombo to its business allies,” he said.