THE FLYING WHITE ELEPHANTS

It has not come as shocking news to many that the so called Budget Airline called Mihin Air has already incurred a loss of 2 billion rupees and that its accumulated loss so far since inception in 2007 is 8.5 billion rupees. To add insult to injury, the annual remunerations paid to the Directors have increased to 11 million rupees – an increase of 4.9 million rupees from the previous year!


The sole purpose of establishing this airline was to boost the ego of the President whose name now adorns newly constructed Ports, Stadiums, Schools, Villages and what not, a la certain old eastern bloc countries where personality cult had almost become a religion. The joke that time was that this venture was likened to a man who had bought a three-wheeler and kept it in his house for personal travels of his family but rented it out when it is free. But, now it appears that even foreign jaunts of the President and his entourage are done not with Mihin but with Sri Lankan airlines by chartering one of their aircrafts. But the so called budget airline continues to fly at great losses to the nation. A flight to Dubai has recently been cancelled several times and ticket monies refunded to the passengers at a loss to the airline.

The Chaiman of both airlines who happens to be the brother in law of the President continues to get an emolument of Rs. 5 lakhs from each airline!

Among other white elephants are the building in New York bought by the Central Bank for a whopping US Dollars 5,075,000.- and the infamous Hedging Deal of the Petroleum Corporation for which not a single culprit has been punished.

The politicians who are behind these white elephants have given new meanings to the phrases “This Land belongs to us” and “Ahasa Apey (the sky is ours)” whilst the common man has to look upto the sky and see the stars (and pretty soon the Satellite with our flag!)