MCC causes no harm to Sri Lanka; Patali

While commenting that certain people were making baseless remarks about the Millennium Challenge Corporation agreement, Megalopolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka assured that the relevant agreement posed no threat on Sri Lanka whatsoever.

Addressing a news briefing yesterday, he challenged any factions which were so critical about the MCC to show any clause included in the MCC that was detrimental to the country.

“The US will provide us with US$480 million as a grant to upgrade and uplift transport system and to improve land administration,” Minister Ranawaka said.

"Under the transport sector, it includes advance traffic management, bus transport modernisation and central region road network," Minister Ranawaka added.

He said it would improve road connectivity between the central region and ports and markets in the Western Province.

“This would enable to upgrade more than 300 kilometres of urban and interprovincial roads. In addition, the compact would improve land administration, and strengthen land rights and tenure of security,” he added.

The Minister said that many were blaming that this was an American trap but he invited those who said so to prove it.

”We don’t want to hide the content of the MCC. It is open to the public domain,” he added.

He mentioned that anybody could go to court challenging the agreement once it was presented in parliament.

“It is unacceptable that individuals, including some prominent figures, are making false remarks on this treaty resulting people being deceived by such remarks,” he added.

Moreover, the Minister said the US had categorically informed the Sri Lankan Government not to utilise US$480 million for any military purposes directly or indirectly.

“It has also informed our government to guarantee the safety of the products exported to the US and to prevent from causing any environmental and health hazard by means of the agreement,” he said.

“It is a sheer illusion that some parties are attempting to convince people that the MCC is extremely detrimental. We ask people not to be deceived by these baseless allegations,” he added. (Sheain Fernandopulle and Dilani Wijayasooriya)