President Maithripala Sirisena said at a media briefing at the President’s House on Wednesday that Cabinet had not moved on enacting the National Audit Bill despite the fact that he had taken up the issue with the Cabinet on more than 100 occasions.
Enacting the National Audit Bill was included in the ambitious ‘100 Days Programme’ which was a central element of his election manifesto.
The President revealed this to Shamindra Ferdinando of ‘The Island’ newspaper when pointed out the importance of enacting vital legislation such as this against the backdrop of the President’s shocking claim that Rs 1 Trillion in foreign loans and grants received between 2004 and 2014 couldn’t be unaccounted for.
The President also claimed that there was a group working in unison to block judicial investigations on the basis of PRECIFAC (Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate and inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges) revelations and the report submitted by the Presidential Committee of Inquiry into the Central Bank bond issue scandal.
This ‘group’ according to Sirisena was made up of corrupt parliamentarians representing the major political parties, i.e. the United National Party (led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party which he, the President, leads.
rajagiriye samantha / January 28, 2018
Edwin Sir. I think you trying to be Ralagiriye Samantha. Not good sir pretend like that. I sure my English not bad like that. MR sir already tell it is good. OK. If you want to make joke. Be careful sir. If you going to parliament side not pass Rajagiriya. Even on bridge. My boys see. Catch you. You kalas. (Finished).
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Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam / January 29, 2018
Edwin the Sinhalised low caste Tamil-Portuguese kalavang, you have got caught badly writing in various names. There is no point in denying to make damage control. Please leave CT alone and continue with your toilet cleaning and road sweeping in Bahrain.
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rajagiriye samantha / January 29, 2018
Please Dr. Gnana Sir. Me Rajagiriye Samantha. I worship you sir. Because you are older and too much more education than me sir. Please sir not take me same Mr. Edwin. Me not know why he done that. I think me become more popular to him. Me know respect sir. My mother and father teach that. I know CT respect place. I not want to say bad things here. But Mr. Edwin I know different. Him very, what you call, don’t care type. Also he think only Sinhala good. All other bad. Then why him use not Sinhala names? Edwin Rodrigo. All from Euripe.
But you Sir, you use good Tamil names. Not use import thing. Also you doctor. Save life. Mr. Edwin work for Arab company. Doing what we not know. May be you right but I not insult by repeat. That because I respect CT. Not Mr. Edwin.
Me Sir, no different Tamil or Sinhala. My father save many Tamil 1983 Tamil Fight. Me only boy. But I see. We keep 3 Tamil family in our house. My father tell those attack people go away. They go away because afraid to my father.
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anonymous / January 28, 2018
[Edited out] We are sorry, the comment language is English – CT
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Lanki / January 28, 2018
Who is the head of the Cabinet, the President. So if he cannot manage a small crowd – the Cabinet, how can he manage a country?
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prem / January 28, 2018
sira is playing his aappa game with UNP. What about your corrupt deals in buying the ship and your daughters advertising company getting all govnt work, what about your brother in telecom. donot try to be too smart Sira , you are fit only to be a GS, what is happening to MR cases, Now sira is trying to bring back MR and hide behind him. After election MR will be PM. Dirty Sira is showing his coulours
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Good Sense / January 29, 2018
I cannot understand what this Excellency is trying to say. HE is the chairman of the Cabinet. Cabinet Secretary works directly under him. HE therefore has caused several times to block proposals. In the same token he can take things up. HE is playing politics. HE is trying to say that both the UNP and the JO cum “Pohottuwa” are a set of ace of rogues and thugs. Oh! What about his son? Didn’t he damage a night club and get away with it? My friends in Telecom tell me that HE is doing more damage to Telecom through his brother than the Central Bank fraud. Look Prez! even the UNP knows that you are just saying things to get cheap publicity which in fact DOES NOT alter the minds of the voters. The UNP is keeping mum partly because it is hit by the Bond scam but knowing the voter pattern and to keep the unity Government in their own interest, is not dragging YOUR EXECLLENCY’S affair is public. But DO NOT misunderstand that as a sign if weakness for when they hit it will be a sixer. Let all political parties take note that people have now made up their minds.
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FAHIM KNIGHT / January 29, 2018
With due respect ,if The president goes ahead to form a UPFA exclusive government by dropping the entire UNP , which has some very honest men who may be few ,to name a few ,Buddika (my all time fav fiery honest young politician) ,Sajith ,Hon. Eran(my most respected ) , Navin , Karu , Sarath Fonseka ,now Mangala is also a UNPer and had done a lot of hard work to restore Lanka’s image a very well respected figure internationally today, ,it would be a political suicide ,it will be wiser to keep things as it is and boldly reshuffle ,and give the best and honest man the authority of ministerial post and not to give more than one portfolio to each ,I would very much like to see Hon.Eran appointed as Min.Of Finance ,and Hon.Mangala reappointed as Min of Foreign affairs ,and Navin as Min of Tourism.hope His Excellency The President will give it a thought .
It is unsafe to leave any space to let in his enemies.
.and hope the president will do some changes in the MOD ,as Sri Lanka is again loading its image and this time in something very dangerous, it has become the word’s no 1 .. Money laundering hub. Readers may do their own research on this.
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FAHIM KNIGHT / January 29, 2018
Lanki , wait and hope two great words .
You will soon know if he can run the country and how he will.
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My Island under The Sun / January 29, 2018
This country needs to get real ,accept realities.
Open up ,Today the only economy that is flourishing,
Are , Casinos, Smuggling (all included) but the biggest business is SEX ,female ,She male ,hell male all male everything .
95% of new Spa’s are fxxx shop ,and you should see the vehicles these owner guys are driving , Rovers ,porches ,Mercedes etc.
Why not shove everything a side make the nation duty free and locate a secluded area for adult fun and shove all the spas and Casinos too there , legalise the whole thing with all the rules of safety ,issue licence and tax their axxxx out ,the more you suppress these evils ,the more it goes underground and you are exposing the entire nation to severe destruction This is what the previous government did ,fun for us OK and none for others ,forget hypocrisy and get real .
At least you can monitor and keep people and nation safe .,by making duty free you are at least sure of getting the Vat or GST revenue and everything will be affordable for all and that way as the volume increases the revenue also will increase .please stop burying your heads inside the sand.
And start a numbered bank account system for foreign investors
Do it at least for a year and decide to keep it or shut it. Unless you do it you won’t know it.
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Rishard / January 30, 2018
Mr. President, it has been 3 years since coming to power. This duration is long enough to hear from you about your future plans on developing Sri Lanka. But you disappoint us by still talking about issues within your cabinet, parties and the politicians working under you. We expected you to clean the then existed mess in the government and politicians within your 1st six months, but it is unfortunate to see it grown and accumulated to this level that you / PM and other politicians have no time to talk about other things.
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