Govt. will be OK if Ravi is removed, UNP MPs propose to president

Jan 22, 2017

A group of UNP MPs has proposed to the president that Ravi Karunanayake should be immediately removed from his finance minister position as he is accused of serious misuses of financial and state properties, in order to negate accusations leveled against the ‘Yahapaalana’ government.

Political sources say the MPs’ proposal came at a special meeting they had with the president after the cabinet meeting on January 17. The president has convened the meeting to discuss how to counter opposition accusations against the government and to have a strong propaganda mechanism. Participating were nearly 20 MPs, both from the UNP and the SLFP. Of them, around 10 were from the UNP, including Eran Wickramaratne, Rajitha Senaratne, Asok Abeysinghe, Nalin Bandara, Ajith Mannapperuma and Chatura Senaratne.

 

Sources also say the president stressed at the meeting their active involvement was needed to prevent the government from being accused falsely due to the weaknesses in the existing propaganda mechanism and the society from being given wrong as well as blown-up versions of minor issues. Responding, the MPs said they were in difficulties due to the unclear stand of the government over the Central Bank bond issue and the accusations against several leading ministers. If that could be clarified, they said, they would not find it difficult to save the government from the accusations. The UNP MPs have noted that the serious financial misappropriation accusations against Karunanayake could lead to both the UNP and the SLFP facing many crises in the future. They said that if the president intervened to remove him from his subjects and to give him some other position, they would fully support it, as it would reverse the accusations now being leveled against the government.

 

In reply, the president said as per the 19th amendment and the agreement he has signed with the UNP, the prime minister has the responsibility of taking decisions with regard to the subjects of the ministers, and that if he made the required recommendation, he was prepared to act on it. He asked the UNP MPs to submit their proposal to the PM as well. He added that SLFP MPs too, have complained to him about the financial misappropriations and abuse of powers by the minister in question. Accordingly, a complaint is expected to be lodged with the PM against Karunanayake.