I will expose more corruption: Champika
Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka said that he was prepared to expose more large scale frauds and corruption in detail, in the electricity and petroleum sectors involving billions of rupees. – See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/55165/i-will-expose-more-corruption-champika#sthash.a4AJhY75.dpuf
Champika calls for prosecution of ‘white collar criminals’
Politics At Play – JHU
The JHU had recently handed over a set of proposals to President Mahinda Rajapaksa regarding certain changes that need to be made if the JHU is to remain with the Government. Venerable Athuraliye Rathana Thera had earlier published a set of proposals and threatened to work against the Government if they were not willing to accept these proposals and implement them. However, while the monk held discussions with the JHU regarding his set of proposals and while it was unclear if the JHU would in fact back him in his move, the JHU had in fact included several additional clauses to the Venerable Rathana thera’s proposals and presented the latest set of proposals to the President.
Addressing a recent conference, Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka expressed regret that the patriotic government that they had helped to create had now been contaminated by certain factors. “The government has a responsibility to shed away the dysfunctional parts of the governing tree and create an atmosphere conducive for productive development in the country. It is only then can we triumph over international imperialistic powers,” he noted.
Meanwhile speaking to The Sunday Leader, JHU parliamentarian Udaya Gammanpila said that the JHU had formulated an expanded version of Rathana thera’s proposals to the President. “Rathana thera’s proposals only outlined constitutional reforms but we also included social and economical aspects. We had them passed at our national convention that was held last week prior to presenting them to the President. We met the President last Tuesday and he assured us that after consulting the seniors of the Government, he would get back to us.
“However we are very firm on the fact that the major proposals should be implemented before the Presidential Elections,” he said.
When asked what actions the JHU will take in the event the President does not accept their proposals Gammanpila said that the central committee will decide on the course of action the party to take if the government fails to accept their proposals.
During the party convention, Minister Ranawaka pointed out that while the UNP was expecting the votes of the minority, the minority comprised only about 20% of the country’s population. He said that the majority of the voters were still the Sinhalese and for any candidate to acquire the majority of votes, it was necessary for that candidate to obtain about 8 out of every 10 sinhala votes, which in his view was a mere impossibility. Hence Minister Ranawaka pointed out that while the JHU may not be a party that could win by itself at an election, it is certainly a decisive factor which will determine any party’s dominance at an election as JHU has a great influence over the Sinhala Buddhist voter base.
Meanwhile responding to the allegations that the JHU, though pointing fingers at the government, was in fact part of the government for the past several years, Gammanpila said that they had tried to convince the Government of its mistakes but to no avail and that is why they had decided to take this measure. “We have been pressing the Government for the last five years,” he added.
Gammanpila added that the Government should assess if they could do without the JHU vote base and consider if they can survive without them. He pointed out that the majority of the minority is not with the Government and it was reflected in the past two elections in 2005 and 2010. “We are not going to boast about ourselves, but we have a good assessment of what we can do,” he said.
Further Gammanpila pointed out that the venerable Rathana thera is a respected monk in this country who has been fighting for the rights of the people for the past 30 years. “He started his activities while in university and has fought for the people unselfishly expecting nothing in return. Similarly we too have not worked expecting positions or financial kickbacks from the Government but for the benefit of the people. We have only demanded for the victory of the ordinary man and that is why we have so much respect of the people,” he noted.
Meanwhile speaking to The Sunday Leader the venerable Athuraliye Rathana thera said that his intention was to try to get the Government to accept their proposals and they would try to the very last moment to convince them. However he said that if the Government fails to accept their proposals, they will be compelled to take action to defeat the Government politically. The thera said that he has the support of many prominent parliamentarians within the Government and he would first consult these parties prior to taking a final decision.
However he pointed out that it is still not too late for the Government to make amends and rectify their mistakes and that his party was still willing to support the Government if they take the initiative to make changes that the JHU has proposed.