Last week, the economic affairs committee of the cabinet met under the chairmanship of the president. UNP dissidents Karu Jayasuriya, Milinda Moragoda, G.L. Peiris among others were present. One of the topics discussed was the supreme court judgment against Treasury Secretary P.B.Jayasundera. The president lamented that the present regime has to pick up the tab for things that went on during UNP times. The UNP dissidents present explained that under the Wickremesinghe regime of 2001-2004, the economic affairs subcommittee of the cabinet which included Charitha Ratwatte and Malik Samarawickreme among others, was the body that took decisions on privatization. There had been a foreign consultant by the name of Jim Robinson living at the JAIC Hilton and all cabinet papers had been prepared by R.Paskaralingam who was another advisor to the Wickremesinghe regime.
The president said that the persons behind these shady decisions had to be held accountable without just passing the blame on officials. He said that if this was allowed to happen, no state official will want to sit on tender boards in the future. This was the clearest indication yet that the president will not be accepting Jayasundera s resignation, and that he will continue to be treasury secretary.
The judgment delivered by the supreme court has once again focused the spotlight on the UNP. It has highlighted the fact that if there is corruption under the Rajapakse regime, things under the UNP will be no different. From 1994 to 2001, all we heard from the UNP is about the crooked deals of the Chandrika Kumaratunga regime. But once they were ensconced in power, what went on was very similar. This is food for thought for those who think that the cost of living is going to be any lower if the UNP comes into power! |