PB to be blamed for economic downfall

Wednesday, 06 June 2012

The President has asked two journalists from private newspapers to publish articles that would give the impression that treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera is responsible for the current economic downfall and has also directed several ministers to take shots at PB.

A senior official from the Presidential Secretariat said that Senior Minister for International Monetary Relations, Dr. Sarath Amunugama has recently made a statement that some state officials hindered the country’s development process as part of this plan.

Amunugama addressing a meeting of about 10-15 persons in Galagedara on the 3rd said that some state officials have prevented the country from getting important resources and that instead of encouraging investments in to the country, they discouraged investors from coming into the country.

The Minister said that such officials would be revealed and stern action would be taken against them.

Jayasundera was the second most trusted government official of the President after his relative and Chief of Presidential Staff, Gamini Senarath. However, the President’s relationship with Jayasundera has got distanced after hearing many issues raised by various persons.

Jayasundera’s main opponents are Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal and Transport Minister secretary Dhammika Perera. They have aligned themselves with MP Namal Rajapaksa and commenced a strategic operation against Jayasundera a few months earlier.

Namal has said various things to the President against Jayasundera resulting in the President distancing himself from Jayasundera.

Apart from Nivard and Dhammika, Minister Wimal Weerawansa is also angry with Jayasundera. He is also a member of the operation that is trying to kick Jayasundera out of the government.

A media campaign is to be launched against Jayasundera in the next few days and Dhammika Perera has already made an initial payment of Rs. 50,000 to the journalists who are preparing reports on Jayasundera for the campaign.

Nivard Cabraal has informed the President through Namal that Jayasundera had leaked information to the media about the controversial transaction between the National Savings Bank (NSB) and The Finance and that he was closely linked to Mano Tittawela, who is very close to former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge.

The official who gave us the information said that this was the key issue that has caused a distance between President and Jayasundera.

The President had previously on several occasions prevented Jayasundera from retiring from the service when he had made several requests to retire. Jayasundera at such occasions had told his staff that he could not forget the President’s help to clear his name when former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva issued a verdict against him.