Govt. should not sign MCC pact before poll: MR

Friday, 1 November 2019 00:15 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Argues no agreement should be entered into just weeks before election
Says MCC should be presented before P’ment ahead of signing
Contends there is lack of transparency, insists more information should be released to public

Opposition Leader and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) head Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday called on the Government to refrain from signing the $ 480 million Millennium Challenge Corporation

Opposition Leader and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) head Mahinda Rajapaksa

(MCC) pact before the Presidential Election, insisting that such a move would undermine due process and transparency.

In a statement, Rajapaksa emphasised that signing the MCC agreement before the Presidential Elections would not be a positive move as in his view it was necessary to present the agreement in Parliament. Referring to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s statement that the Government would sign the MCC agreement before 16 November, Rajapaksa cautioned against what he termed rushing into an important agreement.

“It is now just over two weeks to the Presidential Elections. We wish to stress in the strongest possible terms that no agreement should be hurriedly signed with a foreign government just days before a decisive Presidential Election. Any such agreement should be signed, if at all, only after the Presidential Election,” the statement said.

“We wish to emphatically state that the Government should not sign this agreement behind the backs of the general public and the Parliament.”

Cabinet approval for the implementation of the MCC grant came after months of haggling between the Cabinet and President Maithripala Sirisena, who had earlier expressed reservations over the program. However, after clarification by the Finance Minister, who brought the proposal to Cabinet, it was given the go-ahead this week. However, Rajapaksa contended that there was insufficient transparency in the proposed agreement.

“The contents of this proposed agreement are not known even to parliamentarians let alone the general public. Before this agreement is signed, its text should be made public and presented to Parliament and debated. The information available indicates that this agreement has to do with road development and land reform. However, the Government has not taken any steps to explain what exactly this entails and what its impact will be on the country. If this agreement will be as beneficial to Sri Lanka as is made out, why is everything shrouded in secrecy?” questioned Rajapaksa.

The Finance Ministry earlier said the MCC Compact programs to be funded by this project had been developed by Sri Lankan officials of line ministries and departments, based on the needs of the country. The Government also has the option of amending the identified projects even after the signing of the agreement. The Government has also said the MCC pact will be presented to Parliament after the agreement is signed.

Over 30 countries are recipients of such grant funds from the US. Sri Lanka is the 37th recipient of such a grant. Sri Lanka began negotiations with the MCC in 2001 on the instructions of then-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The MCC negotiations were led by the Ministry of Finance and the MCC Compact was developed and finalised by the Compact Development Team of the Prime Minister’s office.