State Minister fires broadside at SLPP

‘Yugadanavi is one among many contentious issues’

By Shamindra Ferdinando

State Minister Jayantha Samaraweera says the country wouldn’t have been in such turmoil today if the top political leadership consulted constituents of the ruling coalition.

Kalutara District National Freedom Front (NFF) lawmaker Samaraweera said that a simmering dispute over Yugadanavi deal that ended up in the apex court was one among many contentious and questionable issues.

NFF is a breakaway group from the JVP and has six members in Parliament as opposed to three seats held by the latter.

MP Samaraweera said that the SLPP had conveniently turned a blind eye to concerns expressed by constituents not only in respect of Yugadanavi betrayal, but a number of other issues as well. The MP said that the SLPP couldn’t act in an arrogant manner on the basis of superiority in numbers. Of the 145-member government parliamentary group, 117 represents the SLPP.

Asked to elaborate, lawmaker Samaraweera pointed out how the government had allowed importers to fleece those struggling to make ends meet by doing away with price controls.

“What is the point in granting duty concessions to various importers unless the government ensures the consumers benefit by them,” the former JVPer asked.

Referring to the reduction of duty on white sugar by issuing a gazette dated Oct 13, 2020, MP Samaraweera alleged that the whole exercise was meant to give sugar importers an opportunity to make a killing.

The garlic scam, massive fraud in liquid fertilizer imports from India, controversy surrounding opening of Letter of Credit for import of Chinese carbonic fertiliser before receiving approval from the National Quarantine Centre and the pathetic failure to prevent gas-related explosions much to the embarrassment of the entire government caused a debilitating setback. “We begin the new year on the back foot,” the State Minister said.

State Minister Samaraweera admitted that they hadn’t been successful in convincing the SLPP to review its policies. The parliamentarian said that the NFF recently called a special media briefing to pressure the government to re-impose price controls immediately or face the consequences. Alleging that the government ignored their request made on behalf of the people, MP Samaraweera said that the ruinous move that did away with agro-chemicals overnight without a proper study of ground realities was perhaps the single worst decision taken by the current dispensation since the last presidential election.

The bankrupt Opposition exploited the situation to the hilt, the MP said, urging the government to address the grievances of the public and rectify mistakes. There was no point in denying the fact the country never experienced such turmoil even during the war against the LTTE, the State Minister said.

The MP also questioned the prorogation of Parliament under controversial circumstances. The State Minister said that some speculated the government wanted to reconstitute parliamentary watchdog committees, the COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises), COPA (Committee on Public Accounts) and COPF (Committee on Public Finance) as some sections of the government felt the revelations made therein caused difficulties.

Responding to another query, MP Samaraweera said that as a member of the dissolved COPE chaired by Prof. Charitha Herath he was aware of the importance of the work undertaken by the watchdog committee.

Perhaps the government couldn’t stomach what was taking place there, the NFF senior said, pointing out it was COPF Chairman Anura Priyadarshana Yapa who fired the first salvo against the fraud in sugar duty. The MP pointed out that if none of the heads of three committees received the top position again the public would realize what was going on.

The Kalutara District MP recalled how the COPE pulled up Litro for blocking a government audit. For two years, Litro, in spite of being owned by Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) , managed to deprive the Auditor General, the MP said, adding that the government suffered due to the actions of those who believed they could manipulate everything. The Yugadanavi fiasco was a case in point, he said.

State Minister Samaraweera pointed out the absurdity in faulting Ministers Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila over so-called collective responsibility of the cabinet in respect of the decision on agreement with US-based New Fortress Energy when the cabinet of ministers never took that decision.

MP Samaraweera said that they had faith in the judiciary. The MP noted the Supreme Court would resume the hearing on January 10, a week before new parliamentary sessions begin.