Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that government officials are afraid to take decisions today because officials who took decisions in the past are now being prosecuted for those decisions. 

He inquired as whether officials will be willing to take decision today if those who took decisions in the past are being dragged off to court over their decisions.

He said that a fear has been created preventing officials from taking decision and that this is the biggest problem facing the country today.

Back then we took decision without any fear based on certain reasons, the former Defence Secretary said, addressing an event in Anuradhapura on Wednesday. 

Rajapaksa said that nobody including him knew about floating armories and what they are before it was established in Sri Lanka.

He said that as the Defence Secretary then he could have refrained from getting involved with the floating armoury by stating that he has not received any instructions on that.

“But if I had just waited without doing anything, firstly we would be neglecting one of our an international obligations and secondly we would be missing an opportunity to receive a large amount of foreign exchange to the country.”

“But unfortunately I now have to go to court because of that decision I took,” he said, referring to the controversial Avant Garde floating armoury case.

Will any official take a decision under these circumstances, Rajapaksa asked. 

He said that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa took distinct decision without any fear and that today nobody is willing to take the hard decisions. 

“Who is taking decision today? From the statements they are making it is clear that there is nobody to take decisions,” he said. 

“Only if it is to put a Rajapaksa is jail they will take decision without any fear. Apart from that no decisions are taken. This why the country is not moving forward.”