Egg on John's motion

by our Parliament correspondents

The adjournment motion by Gampaha district UNP MP and former Minister John Amaratunga against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse turned out to be a damp squib as only one UNP MP spoke in support of the motion yesterday in Parliament.

There was tremendous support for the Premier not only from the Government side but also from the Opposition as Opposition Members did not raise a single word against the Premier during this debate.

Colombo District UNP MP T. Maheshwaran openly accepted when asked by Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle during his speech that he had nothing against Premier Rajapakse.

Kurunegala district MP Dayasiri Jayasekara was the only UNP Member to second the motion and also to speak in support of the adjournment motion moved by Amaratunga.

In his motion, Amaratunga said that the Prime Minister has diverted or caused to be diverted over Rs.82 million from the Prime Minister's fund for Tsunami relief into a private account maintained at Standard Chartered Bank.

In his reply, Prime Minister stated that the account was opened under the Helping Hambantota programme after obtaining Cabinet approval and publishing newspaper advertisements.

He said it was a part of a mud slinging campaign against him by the UNP.

"All politicians should rise above mud slinging politics and extend a helping hand to the people who suffered in the tsunami tragedy without making use of this human disaster for their political gains," Prime Minister Rajapakse said.

"The account established for Helping Hambantota programme is neither a secret account nor a private account of mine," the Premier said.

He thanked Amaratunga for giving him an opportunity to explain what he had done under Helping Hambantota programme.

In his reply Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse said:

"The account was opened following requests by donors that their funds should be used for the reconstruction of Hambantota district.

All the other funds received to the account opened by the Prime Minister's office have been channelled to the Disaster Management Fund.

I am not scared of mud slinging campaigns launched by desperate politicians. As the Prime Minister I have not confined my duties only to Hambantota district. Along with my Cabinet colleagues I visited Jaffna, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara which were devastated in the Tsunami tragedy.

The accusation levelled against me was not using the funds received for this account but not for misappropriating those funds.

Desperate politicians are trying to sling mud at me by making false allegations against me. This adjournment motion is a part of this mud slinging campaign against me. I have come to know that mud posters against me handed over to printing a press by the UNP. The management of the printing press informed me that they did not accepted the poster for printing.

Jeyaraj Fernandopulle: "There is a malicious intention to sling mud at Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse. This is the first time such allegations had been levelled against him. The UNP knowing that he was their biggest challenge at the forthcoming Presidential election has launched this mud slinging campaign. No one can prevent him from reaching his goal through such mud slinging campaigns."

Deputy Ministers Mahinda Amaraweera, Dilan Perera, Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi and Rohitha Abeygunawardena also spoke.