Opposition flays Basil for going to US while country is burning

By Saman Indrajith

Opposition parties yesterday flayed Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa for going to the US amidst the country’s worst-ever economic crisis.

Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella told The Island that it was unbelievable that the Finance Minister had decided to go to the US while the country was burning.

“He was not in Parliament during the budget debate to listen to the MPs views. He did not come to Parliament. None of his predecessors skipped parliamentary sessions while the budget debate was on. When he came to the House on the day of the vote, we asked him how he proposed to repay the loans. His response was that the government would pay the loans but did not tell the House how he was planning to do that. That is against parliamentary procedures; the MPs have a right to know how such payments are settled. Now, amidst all these problems, the Finance Minister has gone to the US.”

JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said many problems faced by the people had been caused by the Finance Ministry, which was duty-bound to solve them.

“The Finance Ministry is the most important ministry as regards the present crisis. There are no dollars for containers of essentials held up at the port to be released. It is a problem that should be sorted out by the Finance Ministry. There are many explosions caused by gas leaks countrywide. The gas companies come under the Finance Ministry. The Yugadanvi power plant has been sold. It is the Finance Ministry that signed the agreement at issue. There are many such problems that the Finance Ministry should solve as a national priority. But the Finance Minister has left the country. Some other ministers too have left the country on foreign trips.”