UNP ready for general election

*  Ranil: Did Rajapaksas use road development funds to buy helicopters?

by Zacki Jabbar-June 3, 2015, 12:30 am 

The UNP said yesterday that it had been ready for a general election since April 28 and it was the SLFP led UPFA that was dilly-dallying.

Deputy Minister of Policy Planning and Economic Harsha de Silva responding to questions at a news conference in Colombo said that in keeping with the Sirisena- Wickremesinghe led Joint Opposition manifesto at the January 8, presidential election, the UNP had been prepared to seek a fresh parliamentary mandate from the people at the end of its 100-day programme.

"It is the SLFP led UPFA which keeps coming up with various excuses as to why elections should be delayed. The UNP has been ready to face the hustings ever since April 28," he emphasised adding that honouring once pledges was the cornerstone of Yahapalanaya (good governance) that they had introduced after a decade of the rule of law being violated with impunity.

De Silva quoting Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the Road Development Authority had, during the time of the previous regime, taken a Rs. 55 billion loan from the National Savings Bank for the construction of some roads but of that Rs. 28 billion had not been used for the purpose it had been taken for.

The former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had claimed that the Rs.28 billion had been used to construct "other roads," but it was illegal since monies borrowed for a particular projecte could not be siphoned off for some "other" purpose.

Asked if he knew where the monies had gone, the Minister replied :"That is what we are asking the ex-president to explain. The NSB says that Rs. 28 billion of the 50 billion loaned to the RDA had not been used for the special purpose. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe asked whether the monies had been used to buy helicopters and other luxuries for the Rajapaksas’ use."