Purchase of luxury vehicles by politicians PAFFREL suggests category wise fixed price system

By Sandun A. Jayasekera

Amidst the public outcry against politicians who spend an enormous amount of public money to purchase super luxury vehicles when in power, the leading elections monitoring NGO, PAFFREL in a letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has requested to set in motion, a category wise system outlining a fixed price for each category of politicians to import vehicles.   
In his proposal, Executive Director of PAFFREL, Rohana Hettiarachchi suggests dividing all politicians and public officials into five categories or groups.   

The first group includes politicians namely the President, Prime Minister, Speaker, Leader of the Opposition, Cabinet Ministers, State Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Chief Ministers, Mayors and Chairmen of local bodies under first category.   

 In the second group - Provincial Governors, in the third, Chairmen and the members of the Board of Director of government-owned state enterprises, Ministry Secretaries in the fourth and other all public officials who are entitled to an official vehicle.   Mr Hettiarachchi suggests a maximum fixed price to import or purchase a vehicle under each category in order to prevent waste and the import of highly expensive super luxury vehicles on individual liking.   

Mr Hettiarachchi is confident that if President Rajapaksa issues a circular to all Ministries, Departments, State Enterprises, Provincial Councils and local government bodies indicating the limit of expenses to purchase of import vehicles, it would contribute to manage the expenses to a controlled level.   

 

 

First group includes politicians namely the President, Prime Minister, Speaker, Leader of the Opposition, Cabinet Ministers, State Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Chief Ministers, Mayors and Chairmen of local bodies