75% duty waiver for CHOGM limos

by Ravi Ladduwahetty-2013-07-19

The government is planning to grant a 70-75% duty waiver to vendors and vehicle importing companies to bring down luxury limousines for the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), billed to be held in November. "We are looking at the possibility of using vendors to import the limousines and we will decide on this from among a number of options we have on these aspects of the conference, as this is the first time a CHOGM conference will be hosted in an Asian country in 24 years," Cabinet Spokesman and Media Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella, told the Cabinet news conference at the Media Ministry Auditorium yesterday.

He also explained the cost of the vehicles would be outside the budget for the conference as that expenditure would be met by the Treasury, and added, that despite there being a huge hue and cry about the government spending large funds for the luxury limousines for the visiting Heads of State, their modes of transport had to be arranged befitting their stature. "We cannot have Prince Charles and other Heads of State travelling in Toyota Corollas and Morris Minors!" he said.

He said the cost of the conference would be between Rs 3 and 4 billion, where Rs 1.3 billion would be for the media accreditation, while another
Rs 1.9 billion or so would be for the venues and the other arrangements, and added that the benefits, which will accrue to the country such as the exposure, will be tremendous and immeasurable.

The minister pointed out the highest item of expenditure will be the accreditation of the journalists and added the government will have the discretion of deciding who to give the accreditation or who not to. "They will have to get the Defence Ministry clearance for that," he said.

Rambukwella was responding to a question as to whether there will be restrictions on journalists arriving to report the international parley, despite assurances 'all were welcome.'

He said it was a matter for regret that Sri Lankan politicians were castigating the government on the hosting of the conference, without thinking of the accolades that Sri Lanka as a nation would get and their remarks were made with venom, rancour and acrimony.

Minister Rambukwella was responding to Matara District MP Mangala Samaraweera's comments that Commonwealth nations should boycott CHOGM in Colombo.

"It is also sad that Samaraweera is making such remarks, echoing the sentiments of the Tamil Diaspora at a time when Channel 4 Editors are saying they will be sleeping only after President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa are placed on the electric chair," Rambukwella remarked.