Mano Wijeratna refutes Sunday Leader charges

Minister Mano Wijeratna told Parliament yesterday that there is no truth whatsoever in charges that the Gem and Jewellery Authority paid his wife Bharathi Wijeratna’s roaming telephone bills.

Referring to a report in the latest edition of the Sunday Leader titled “Minister gets Gem Authority to pay wife’s int’l roaming charges”, Wijeratne said the allegations were completely false.

The Minister said: “Last Friday, the 19th I spent the day, with the President participating in the functions connected with the opening of the Thulhiriya Fabric Park which has been developed into an apparel industry city.

Whilst I was returning to Colombo, around 4.30 p.m., as I remember, somebody using the mobile phone bearing the number 071-4228039 told me that my wife’s international roaming telephone bill had been paid by the National Gem and Jewellery Authority and if that information was to be prevented from being published in the Sunday Leader newspaper, rupees five million in cash was required before 12 noon on Saturday.

I explained to him that although the phone was in my wife’s name, it was I who used it and that there was nothing in my name and he should publish the correct news. He said “Thank You” and ended the conversation.

I did not take much notice of this incident because I had not earlier heard of mediamen acting as gluttons intend on en-cashing news-bits for their livelihood in this country which is also known for media gentlemen who even risk their lives for the sake of ushering a disciplined media culture.

Further, I was aware that telephone calls of this nature are frequently received by politicians. However, as I had some curiosity to probe into this phone call, I called back the number registered on my phone by then. I identified myself as Mano Wijeyeratne and enquired as to who was answering my call stating that a little while ago I had received a call from that phone. The reply was that it was the Sunday Leader newspaper office.

The emergence of a moral media culture is vital to a country’s development.

Therefore, we all crave for it. But I strongly deplore the uncivilised actions of media chiefs and media institutions that resort to publishing distorted stories without checking the veracity of the information, which they barter for cash.

To explain the falsity of the news item that appeared in the Sunday Leader, I table a copy of a letter addressed to the Additional Secretary of the Ministry, Mervyn Wijesekera on 12-03-2007 by my Coordinating Secretary Dinesh Kirthinanda, regarding my use of the mobile phone 0777-272326.

By this letter, my Coordinating Secretary has taken action to inform the Ministry that I was using 0777-272326 as my official mobile phone.

Further, the printed official telephone directory issued by our Ministry carries the above mentioned 0777-272326 as my official mobile phone. In addition to those, you would find, on page 119 entry no. 195, in the Telephone Directory of the Sixth Parliament issued by the Chief Government Whip the same number under my name.

If the Secretary of our Ministry was consulted prior to publishing this news item the newspaper would have received a true picture.

The charges referred to in the bill relate to the official international telephone calls organised by me during my official visits to India and Azerbaijan, En-route to Azerbaijan, my wife as the Private Secretary, myself along with Professor G.L. Pieris and his Personal Security Officer were subject to tremendous difficulties.

Our baggage had been mis-directed by the airline authorities at Dubai airport and for two days we had to engage in a trouble-some exercise trying to locate them. We had to attend a few DPL meetings wearing the same clothes that were on us at the time of our departure from Sri Lanka. We have complained to Emirates Airlines about the wrong handling of the baggage. A copy of this letter is also tabled.

My wife is the Consul General for Turkey in Sri Lanka, Prior to that her father had been holding that Post for 21 years and in recognition of this service he had been honoured by the Turkish government.

My wife also had been instrumental in obtaining many grants to Sri Lanka. The President, the Prime Minister, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and specially the former Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera and several other members of the Opposition would bear testimony to this.”