A positive change in the COPE committee – Sunil Handunneththi

 Nov 27, 2015

The new chairman of the COPE said the previous government did not take any credible steps about the allegation leveled by the COPE and in many occasions the the people who were alleged was given ministerial positions.

JVP parliamentarian gave his opinion when the latter participated to a discussion with BBC following his appointment as the new chairman of the COPE committee.

The minister said by being a committee member except creating a report nothing beyond has done so far.

“Under the head of the previous chairman Wijedasa Rajapaksa a report was submitted against 150,000 million of frauds and corruption but no action has been taken” the minister said.

Sunil Handuneththi said under his chairmanship he would try to do a positive change. When Saroj Pathirana of the BBC questioned as how he would commit a change the minister said that the country’s media, civil society and the public has a credible responsibility over this.

“Our aim is to amend the statutory orders and expose the activities of those institutes to the media. We are anticipating to take some actions exceeding the discussions which was limited to a room”

There is a power within the common business committee to check all state institutions for irregularities and discrepancies but it was not implemented during the former regime.

Minister said during the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration the state institutions were highly politicized and under the current administrations there is no significant change.

However the minister said during his tenure he would not obliged to any pressure and hoping to make a positive change against corruption and fraud