‘What madness, Machan. Minister did not spend even 5 cents of govt. money’

Mar 17, 2016

After his bypass surgery last week, health minister Rajitha Senaratne was discharged by Mt. Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore. On the day of his discharge, more than 150 people from Sri Lanka had gone to Singapore.

 

Several members of the minister’s staff who could not make it to Singapore, met on that same evening to have a drink to celebrate the joy of his discharge. Joining them were some journalists. One of them asked a member of the minister’s staff, “Your minister must have spent a big amount on the bypass operation? Whatever the amount, the president’s fund should have paid it.”

 

Having had a little too much of drinks, he answered, “What madness, Machan. The minister did not spend even five cents of government money.”

 

“Does that mean the minister paid everything from his own pocket?”

 

“No, Machan. The minister’s wealthy friends and pharmaceutical company people paid the bill. I know the amounts received. Those should not be revealed.” So saying, he did what the monkey did to protect the king from the fly.