The JVP has issued a statement that they will pledge their support as a political party to the motion of no-confidence that has been submitted against Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake by the Joint Opposition.
Speaking to the media at a press conference organized at the JVP Head Office in Pelawatte, MP Vijitha Herath shared the collective views of the JVP on the inefficient and corrupt functioning of the current government that led them to take a mutual decision.
Herath stated that during the 2015 presidential election and the general election that followed, the current government promised to champion the concept that they deemed ‘yahapalanaya’. They also promised the general public that they will be rid of corruption and bureaucracy. According to MP Herath, the government ruptured their promise within just 02 months of being elected to power.
Vijitha Herath further went on to state that the government utilized the slogan of good governance and anti-corruption and is now under scrutiny for the biggest case of fraud involving the central bank of Sri Lanka. He also stated that the Bond scam which Ravi Karunanayake is involved in was first brought to light by JVP member Sunil Handunhetti. He stated that even though the public was informed of the corrupt practices of Ravi, the government took no steps to conduct any forms of investigation.
Accordingly, another election promise was not fulfilled by the government when they failed to apprehend the corrupt individuals of the Rajapakse regime. He stated that 03 notable MPs who were involved in the Avant –garde scam were protected by both governments. After persistent efforts by the JVP, Thilak Marapana who was involved in the case was requested to resign from his post. A few months later however he was reinstated illustrating the spineless manner the current government has been acting. Similarly, the JVP has observed several MPs accused of fraud from the Rajapakse regime getting off Scott-free.
Vijitha Herath next went on to make the following statements.
“Take the bond scam, everything is now in the open. Even if a legal verdict has not been passed as to who is guilty, the social perception has already been formulated. Initial investigations on the scam were done by the Committee On Public Enterprises. (COPE) There existed certain individuals who wanted to cover certain fraudulent activities within the committee. However, the chairman of the COPE committee Sunil Handunhetti and several other members were able to document a report after an investigation. Accordingly, the suggestion was to take legal action yet none was taken.”
“Now new facts are being brought to light by the Bond commission. Many facts on Ravi have been revealed and are still being revealed. Yet, just like the COPE committee the UNP is trying to cover this situation up. Shamelessly parties involved are saying there is no fraud here. Today the truth of the matter is being revealed at the commission.”
“The public has lost more than 5 billion rupees through this. The hard earned EPF money of the private sector employees has been exploited. The hard earned money of the people has been abused for the lavishes of the government and their beneficiaries. The guilty parties involved must be punished.”
“We feel that the current government is trying to compete with the Rajapakse regime in terms of corruption to outdo them in robberies. We cannot measure magnitudes of fraud. We believe that no matter that magnitude, fraud is to be a punishable offense. We feel there should be no fraud. The existence of fraudulent Acts mean the wealth of the public is played around with. We want a government devoid of fraud all together.”
“Faizer Mustapha says that there has not been a government without fraud. He accepts that all this time the govternmen has been filled with rogues. That means the people of SL have voted for rogues. The Public should rethink if they should vote for a government with rogues once again. The public now has the opportunity to measure the pros and cons of both sides. Basil Rajapakse says they did not even have a plain tea on the sly during their tenure. Then how did they construct the Mawana palace? How did they buy that land? The deceptions committed during the Rajapakse regime cannot be overshadowed by Ravi’s fiasco. Today this motion of no confidence is brought by these kind of people.”
“This raises a question on the ethicality for the JO to lodge such a motion. However recent unfortunate events have created a necessity for such a motion to be brought forward. The JVP stressed the need for a motion of this nature earlier on but none took notice. The JO are attempting to state that the Bond scam is way greater than all their scams. This is not true. Wrings committed by both governments are flawed. It is of vital importance that the general public realizes what has truly been going on here.”
“The government has failed on another election promise. They promised to have a special judicial commission to investigate corruption and fraud which was not fulfilled citing numerous reasons. This is another example of failed governance.”
“The bond commission should submit their final report to the AG’s department who in turn should take this up in court. To complete this entire process, a period of 2-3 years will be exceeded. By then the longevity of this government will be at an end. Accordingly, no culprit will be punished during the tenure of this government. A government change will make people forget the wrongdoings of one regime. To prevent this, a separate legal body should be created to administer justice speedily.”
Vijitha Herath next stated that the government had postponed the pradeshiya sabha election whilst attempting to delay the Provincial council elections. He stated that such delays of democracy should not be allowed.
He finally stated that the JVP will vote for this motion of no-confidence collectively as a party, as the wrong doings of the previous Finance minister are extremely grave. They therefore believe that he should be removed from his current post.
