“Dammika peniya (Syrup) was another fabricated gimmick some months ago. Now we see clusters of gems being found in Ratnapura. The gem story is also a fabricated one. The COVID19 pandemic had become worse. Some 1600 people have died of the virus since June 21 to this date. I was told that the Delta variant is spreading in Badulla District. The government has no funds to import essential goods. Chemical fertilizer was banned in a rush. This was something which should have been done gradually. Some countries have shifted towards organic fertilizer as a long term program. No country had gone into complete use of organic fertilizer.  This rush will result in starvation next year,” Wijewardene said.

"The government has not been able to provide online education during the pandemic period, It was myself and Harin Fernando who had a discussion with Google to provide free WIFI. We approached Google officials through a Sri Lankan millionaire in the US. However Former President Maithirpala Sirisena would not let us go ahead with it. It was also former President Sirisena who blocked the program of providing tabs to school children. There would not have been any crisis with regard to education if these projects went ahead,” he added. (Yohan Perera)

Pix by Pradeep Pathirana