Ruination of CEB blamed on yahapalana minister

SJB won’t take responsibility: Siyambalapitiya hits back

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Kegalle District MP Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, strongly denied accusations that in his capacity as the then Minister of Power and Renewable Energy, during the yahapalana administration (2015-2019), thousands of persons had been absorbed illegally into cadre of the cash-strapped Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).

MP Siyambalapitiya stressed that he had not recruited a single person without the approval of the Department of Management Services of the Finance Ministry. Ravi Karunanayake and the late Mangala Samarawaeera held the finance portfolio during the UNP-led yahapalana administration. The SLFP was the junior partner.

The SLFPer said so when The Island sought his response to the accusations made by Kegalle District SJB MP Kabir Hashim and incumbent Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, in Parliament, on Monday (Aug 29).

Lawmaker Hashim alleged that those who sought to secure the parliamentary seat, and certain political parties that followed political agendas at the expense of the national economy, ruined the CEB. The former UNP Chairman accused them of having clandestine deals with the CEB’s top management, as well as trade unions. All of them should accept responsibility for the current crisis as they quite conveniently failed to introduce much required reforms, the one -time Petroleum Minister alleged.

A smiling Wijesekera reminded Hashim that the one who recruited the largest group of workers, too, represented the Kegalle district. MP Hashim hit back pointing out that the person the minister referred to is on the government side now.

They were referring to Ranjith Siyambalapitiya who contested the last general election on the SLPP ticket.

Of the 14 SLFPers in current parliament, except for Angajan Ramanathan, all others, including the party leader Maithripala Sirisena contested on the SLPP ticket.

Lawmaker Hashim emphasized that the breakaway UNP group, the SJB wouldn’t accept the responsibility for the actions of the Kegalle District member.

Responding to another query, MP Siyambalapitiya said that he wasn’t in parliament during the exchange between Minister Wijesekera and MP Hashim. Acknowledging that persons from the Kegalle district had been recruited to the CEB during his tenure as the minister in charge of the institution, MP Siyambaalapitiya denied accusations as regards violations of Treasury directives in doing so.

Perhaps the minister and the MP had referred to the CEB taking approximately 6,000 workers who had been employed via ‘manpower’ companies 15 to 20 years ago, MP Siyambalapitiya said. The failure on the part of successive administrations to resolve that issue caused frequent strikes and work stoppages, the SLFPer said, questioning the rationale in finding fault with him for settling a long-standing issue.

The former minister said that during his period the CEB had to be further expand as the then government took tangible measures to provide electricity for all those who sought the service. Of those who requested the facility, the CEB up to that time had provided connections to 94%-95% and action was taken to provide electricity for the remaining lot. Therefore, additional workers had to be recruited, the then power minister said.

MP Siyambalapitiya said that UNPer Attorney-at-Law Ajith. P. Perera served as the State Minister of Power. Had I abused my office; he would have brought that to the notice of his party.

Reiterating in parliament the urgent need to restructure the CEB, Minister Wijesekera questioned the rationale in outsourcing work to the private sector that should have been handled by the state enterprise. The Matara district MP placed the number of CEB and LECO workers at over 26,000.

JVP’s Vijitha Herath has told parliament that the proposed restructuring was nothing but a prerequisite for the finalization of RFI (Rapid Financing Instrument) with the IMF.