GL in 44 CHOGM trips in five months

By Ravi Ladduwahetty -Monday, 25 Nov 2013

External Affairs Minister, Prof. G.L. Peiris, has visited 44 countries in five months to urge Heads of Governments of Commonwealth nations to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Sri Lanka from 15-17 November, the opposition charged yesterday.

"This is an absurd situation where Minister Peiris has visited 44 of the 54 Commonwealth countries, busting Rs 150 million, as only 21 of them arrived in Sri Lanka," United National Party (UNP) Colombo District MP, Ravi Karunanayake, charged. He also said Prof. Peiris commenced his foreign jaunts after Geneva resolution in March, which also included countries that supported Sri Lanka against the resolution.

Karunanayake added the visits were an absurd waste of public funds where Rs 150 million was spent to cover the air travel and hotel accommodation expenses of the minister and the delegation that accompanied him. However, he noted that the sum spent on the travels was miniscule in the light of the Rs 15.8 billion cumulative expenditure incurred for the entire summit with little or no tangible benefits.

He added the waste is reflected in 33 heads of government not coming to Sri Lanka for the event and also in the light of little or no investments coming this way since the closure of the Summit.

"The government could not get neighbouring India and the Maldives and also Mauritius, which was to host the next Summit, to visit. There were also no major businessmen from the Commonwealth Business Forum other than the Chinese delegation," he claimed.

Karunanayake also queried as to how Sri Lanka can attract foreign investments across the world, when it can barely attract Indian and Pakistani investments under the Free Trade Agreements that Sri Lanka has with those countries.

Despite repeated attempts to contact Minister Prof. Peiris and Deputy Minister Neomal Perera proved futile. Ministry Secretary, Karunatilleke Amunugama, said only one invitation was handed over, but the others were sent to the respective heads of governments through the Sri Lankan High Commissions in those countries.