The Government yesterday clarified to Parliament the decision to cancel the order for three Airbus A350 aircraft was a decision reached by the Economic Management Committee chaired by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and was not a political decision.

Public Enterprise Development Minister Kabir Hashim in response to a supplementary question raised by UPFA Joint Opposition MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage said the Government was left with no choice but to cancel the order to avoid a loss of Rs. 32 billion.

“The cancellation was not a decision reached based on the instructions received in an email from the Prime Minister’s Senior Advisor Charitha Ratwatte to Sri Lankan Airlines CEO Suren Ratwatte. There is a massive scam behind the purchase of those three aircraft. The previous government had agreed to pay US$ 1.4 million per month for each of the aircraft, when their market value only amounts to $950,000,” said the Minister. 

“When calculated for the entire lease period of 12 years, we were made to incur a loss of $644 million for the three aircraft. Had we purchased them, we would also have suffered an operating loss as those are long-range aircrafts,” he added, confirming to Parliament that another order for four A350-900 aircraft ordered by the previous government has yet to be cancelled. 

According to the Minister, the previous government had agreed to pay $200 million for each aircraft that could have been bought for $120 million.

Disclosing the Government’s plans to turn around the loss making national carrier, the Minister said: “SriLankan Airlines, which recorded Rs.4 billion profits in 2008 and recorded a loss of Rs.9 billion, has increased its losses to Rs.32 billion in 2014. By 2016, we will reduce the loss to Rs. 16 billion.” (AH)

JO action leads to early adjournment of P’ment 

Incessant disruption led Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to adjourn the House before noon yesterday after Government lawmakers staged a walkout in response to continued Joint Opposition (JO) protests.

JO MPs once again urged the Speaker to consider appointing UPFA MP Dullas Alahapperuma as their temporary group leader in Parliament.

The House started to heat up with UPFA MP Chamal Rajapaksa requesting the Speaker to reconsider his decision to hold Parliamentary proceedings uninterrupted. Approving the former Speaker’s comments, Joint Opposition nominee MP Dullas Alahapperuma accused Speaker Jayasuriya of being biased and dancing to the tunes of the UNP and holding on to the positions of his party.

“I regret witnessing the things that took place over the last two days in Parliament. 

There are more MPs in the Joint Opposition compared to the numbers of the Parliamentary Opposition. The Joint Opposition is part of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the remainder of whom are with the Government. Unless the Speaker allows the voices of the others to be heard, it is inevitable that there will be disruption of this nature every day,” said MP Rajapaksa.

Meanwhile Government members started protesting against the Speaker who gave opportunity to the members of the JO to criticise the Chair over the decisions to suspend UPFA MP Dinesh Gunawardena for a week and to reject the request to accept National Freedom Front as a separate political party in Parliament. Unable to receive the attention of the Speaker and the opportunity to speak, the members of the Government walked out of Parliament in protest. According to sources, this could be the first instance that members of the Government staged a protest against an incumbent Speaker.

Speaker Jayasuriya rejecting the MP Alahapperuma’s accusations said: “I don’t hold any position in the UNP. I have not visited party headquarters Sirikotha since my appointment as Speaker. I try to be impartial, always. We were in the Opposition and know the suffering and will not pass the same on to those who are now in Opposition. But the decision to appoint a replacement for MP Gunawardena is a matter resting with the UPFA. The UPFA has officially informed their dislike to appoint a new person and I have to honour their decision,” said the Speaker. (AH)