Mangala takes aim at Gota’s ability

• Calls on former Defence Secretary to appear before Court and set an example like Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe 

By Charumini de Silva

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday went at former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa by poking fun at his “abilities”.

“For once, I agree with his remarks on the abilities. I am indeed scared of his abilities. Everyone is aware of his criminal records and corrupt deals that were carried out during the past regime,” he told journalists in Colombo yesterday.

Samaraweera listed out a number of court cases that were being heard in courts and investigated by Police against him which include the corrupt MIG deal, plundering of public money to construct memorial museums and name them after his parents, ordering of assaults on journalists and the enforced disappearances of some of them, instigating corruption and terror and maintaining an illegal armoury thereby depriving the Government of its due income.

He charged that Rajapaksa had hired the best lawyers in the country and had obtained two court orders preventing him from being arrested. 

“If he is so innocent then he should appear before Court without running away from all of these allegations without appearing before the Court. He is running like this with various court orders because this Government established the rule of law in this country again, unlike 10 years ago,” he added. Samaraweera called on the former Defence Secretary to appear before the Court and set an example like Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

“When everyone was accusing Wickremesinghe on Batalanda, during Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga’s Government, he appeared before a Presidential Commission where the Commission proved he was not involved. Then last year for the first time in history a Prime Minister of this country appeared before the Presidential Commission to probe the bond scam. He didn’t run away; this is the difference,” he stated.

Malik says Gota’s vision same as Govt. 

Development Strategies and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama congratulated former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa on his Vision 2030, asserting that it espoused the same economic policies currently followed by the Unity Government.  

The Minister made these remarks while initiating the debate on the two orders under the Strategic Development Projects Act.

“We are glad that Gotabaya Rajapaksa has endorsed the economic policies of our government. The economic development he has envisioned to be achieved by 2030, we will make a reality by 2025,” the Minister said.

He said that the Unity Government had already begun entering into bilateral trade agreements with Asian countries to make Sri Lanka a trade hub in Asia.

“Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that China, India and Japan will be economic giants in the coming decades and that Asia will be the economic powerhouse of the world. He should be congratulated for realising it. That is exactly why we are negotiating comprehensive economic and technological agreements with India and China. As you know, we recently signed an agreement with Singapore as well. We hope to do the same with other Asian nations. Our aim is to make Sri Lanka the economic hub of Asia. We want to benefit from Asia’s economic growth,” said Minister Samarawickrama.

He went on to say that Rajapaksa’s acceptance of the need for economic development as a means to uplift the nation from its woes further cemented the Unity Government’s economic policies.

“It is a vote of confidence for us to focus on our work, on collective efforts, new projects and introduction of economic reforms to ensure economic research,” the Minister, said adding that had the former Government, which was in power for nine years, followed the same policies Sri Lanka would be a leading economy in the region.