VEHICLES FOR SUITABLE PEOPLE

 The Yahapaalana government has brazenly sought Parliamentary approval to purchase super luxury  vehicles for  various cabinet and state ministers to the tune of Rs. 1.1 billion.  This act of the government, in the face of a disastrous situation in the country with thousands of people becoming homeless and without means of livelihood due to massive floods, explosions of army weapons store, etc. , is, to say the least, preposterous.

Adding insult to injury were the remarks made by government ministers during a media conference trying to justify the reasons as to why they need such super luxury vehicles, ostensibly to “serve the people” in a super fast manner by travelling the length and breadth of the country, which to say the least, is laughable.

This sort of extravagance is definitely not what the 62 million people who voted for a “change” expected, especially when one considers the accusations of waste and luxury living against the previous administration which were being repeatedly drummed into the ears of the voters prior to the elections. 

Also, when Minister Senaratne said that politicians in other countries draw five to ten times of salaries drawn by local politicians, he has conveniently  missed the point about the earnings of the ordinary folk in Sri Lanka which cannot be compared with any other country.  The undeniable fact is that without going in for rhetoric, these ministers should stop and think for a while whether the current economic situation of the country is conducive for such extravagant and wasteful expenditure just to maintain the “standards” of ministers.

It is hoped that even at this late stage, saner counsel will prevail and the President will put a halt to such unnecessary expenditure at least until the country recovers from its current crisis situation.

Another point which comes to mind on this subject are the remarks made by Minister John Ameratunge to some journalists that the government had to increase the duty and taxes on vehicle imports to ensure that only “suitable” people acquire vehicles.  So, are we now to assume that politicians are the only “suitable” people to have new vehicles and that too, at the expense of the poor public.

 

GREEDY POLITICIANS

 

IT was really hilarious if not disgusting to learn from the media recently of a statement made by ex-“Maharajano” Mahinda Rajapakse whilst he was in Japan that his ambition now is to become the next Prime Minister as he is debarred from contesting for the Presidency.  When questioned by a journalist  as to his age  of 71 years now, he is reported to have quipped that politicians never retire!  It is obvious that such politicians never give up not because of their desire to serve the people but to serve themselves and their kith and kin. What a shame indeed, what greedy fellows these politicians have become in this country.  After holding the highest position in the land for a decade with unbridled power and having amassed a lot of wealth for himself and his family, any other person would have retired gracefully keeping his status intact. But what Mahinda Rajapakse has done is an utter shame in becoming just an” honourable” MP for Kurunegala, which is akin to a graduate going and sitting for the fifth year scholarship examination!

If one is to closely analyse his statement that if it is proved that he robbed even one dollar,  he will cut his neck – a more appropriate reference would have been “Harakiri” as he made the statement in Japan -  it is apparent that he is not saying he robbed – instead he is saying that there is “no evidence”.  In other words, no tracks are left as all the corrupt transactions had been done with the help and connivance of competent accountants, manipulators, lawyers etc. with the strong backing of ex-judges like Sarath Silva and Mohan Peiris.  Therefore, he can make such statements as slashing his neck without any fear.  It was not so long ago that Mahinda Rajapakse earned the sympathy of the electorate saying that he was willing to sit on the electric chair for the sake of his people knowing very well that there was no such danger.

Obviously, there are no qualms for such a politician who openly robbed Tsunami funds by transferring foreign donations to a private account ostensibly for a “Helping Hambanthota” project, and the judge who saved his skin later on had to cry “mea culpa” for his “misjudgement”. 

What greed, what craving: “Thanhaya Jayathi Soko”

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

Whatever said and done, one is inclined to marvel at the ingenuity and craftiness of the politicians who were ruling the roost in the previous administration under the Rajapakses, in transforming even any misery or disaster into a  bonanza.  One classic example which comes to mind is how the Tsunami donations ended up in a personal account of the highest in the land under the cover of a fictitious project called “Helping Hambanthota”

The other day, ex-Media Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella, was summoned by the FCID to probe how he claimed  a compensation amounting to Rs. 20 million from the President’s Fund for an accident which occurred whilst he was in Australia on a private visit to obtain treatment for his son.  It became all the more invigorating when one considers the fact that he somehow managed to obtain compensation for his injury from the hotel he stayed in Australia and not stopping at that, also got his local insurers too pay him compensation for the injury.  Ingenuity par excellence in turning a tragedy into a bonus!

What is more interesting is as to how he injured himself.  It is common knowledge in the country that this particular minister was attempting to jump from one balcony to another in an inebriated condition emulating the “Superman”.  Considering that he still managed to obtain compensation from the hotel makes one wonder if  guests of that particular hotel were covered against acrobatics as well.

Such incidents only goes to prove how callous the previous Rajapakse government was when it comes to country’s finances, dishing out millions and billions to all and sundry as long as they keep the Big Boss happy and allow him to make merry at public expense.

It is high time that such callousness is exposed and the guilty punished by forcing the exploiters to restore to the Treasury the ill-gotten money, if possible with interest, which after all belongs to the poor people of this country.

If the authorities fail to do that, then one cannot stop the perpetrators  from loudly singing “Catch me if you can”!