Politicians have turned every crisis into a business op - AKD 

NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake

• Says a group of charlatans have always enriched themselves from every tragedy that has befallen Sri Lanka 
• Expresses his dismay that debate on X-Pearl disaster is only in monetary terms as opposed to its environmental effects 
• Urges authorities to probe further into devastating effects it may have on environment in future 
• Calls on people to understand country’s deplorable political culture 

By Maneshka Borham 

National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake in parliament yesterday accused Sri Lanka’s politicians of turning every crisis the country has faced into a business opportunity. 

Dissanayake who took part in the debate on the X-Press Pearl marine disaster said it is tragic that an incident such as this is only being discussed in monetary terms relating to compensation as opposed to its devastating and long-lasting environmental effects. “The harm caused is immeasurable. The damage cannot be converted to rupees or dollars,” the MP said. 

He noted that while Sri Lanka has faced many similar tragic incidents in the past, the country’s deplorable political culture was used to commit heinous crimes on the back of them. The MP as evidence pointed out the many allegations of corruption and fraud that arose following the 2004 Tsunami as well as the war, the Covid-19 pandemic and even the economic crisis. “But every single crisis is a business to them. Similarly, the X-Press Pearl disaster is also a mere business opportunity to them,” he alleged. 

The MP noted that the many suspicions and doubts surrounding the incident and the ensuing events were cemented by the revelations made by the Minister of Justice. “Was the cat let out of the bag before time though?” the MP asked. However, he said with no MP disputing that some concerning incident has in fact taken place, the only questions before the parliament now is to ascertain what happened and who is responsible for it. 

Dissanayake also stressed the authorities must probe further into the environmental devastation caused by the incident, especially to the marine ecosystem and identify its far-reaching and possible consequences. “Can we simply dismiss a tragedy with dollars?” the MP asked. “A group of charlatans has turned every crisis into an opportunity to enrich themselves,” he accused. The MP called on the people of the country to understand this politics, governance and the system well.