RW challenges AKD’s anti-corruption claims

By Yohan Perera   

Referring to the remark made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake that he would take steps to clean up Parliament by rooting out corruption, Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday questioned as to whether the former is trying to inflict threats on Parliament.   

Speaking during an election rally in Kandy, Mr. Wickremesinghe said corruption cannot be rooted out in the way the President wants. “A plan was drawn up during my tenure to eradicate corruption. This was prepared by IMF. The first step was to bring in an Anti-Corruption Bill. 

We got this approved by Parliament. We have to bring in the Proceeds of Crimes Bill, then it is necessary to bring in new laws to give more clout to the Auditor General. Accordingly, the anti-corruption plan recommended by IMF is a 20-point plan. Mr. Dissanayake cannot deal with corruption and clean up Parliament according to his own whims and fancies. Is he from Abans cleaners to clean up Parliament? Is he trying to inflict threats on the House? Mr. Wickremesinghe questioned.   

Mr. Wickremesinghe recalled that The President and his two ministers had said the previous regime had hoodwinked the people by giving a false promise to increase the salaries of public servants. “If they are saying that we hoodwinked the people, are they accusing us of placing false signatures to the report of the Udaya Seneviratne commission? If so members of the commission should be questioned. They will say whether I placed false signatures or not,” he said.   

“Also it was Mr. Dissanayake who allowed Dudley Sirisena and other large-scale rice mill owners to come up.