NO-FAITH MOTION AGAINST RAJITHA HANDED OVER TO SPEAKER

A no-confidence motion signed by 39 Joint Opposition (JO) MPS against Health Minister and Cabinet Spokesman Rajitha Senaratne was handed over to the Speaker yesterday.

The joint opposition alleged though a number of bribery complaints had been made against the minister, no action had been taken so far.

The motion which was signed by MPS including JO Leader Dinesh Gunawardane,vasudeva Nanayakkara and Dullas Alahapperuma charged the minister had failed to fulfil his duties as the Health Minister, had solicited bribes during his tenure as the fisheries minister and influenced and threatened the Judiciary and the Attorney General’s Department.

The joint opposition alleged though a number of bribery complaints had been made against the minister, no action had been taken so far.

“This shows opportunities to implement justice had been obstructed. Also, the public opinion is as such that he is guilty for these allegations because he is evading investigations,” it said.

It said the minister had created chaos in Sri Lanka’s medical education by sacrificing it to the business community, by being biased towards the SAITM, misusing public funds to takeover the Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital and voluntarily ignoring to gazette minimum standards of the medical education which were set by the Sri Lanka Medical Council. The JO said the Minister had failed to adequately respond to the Dengue epidemic and creating a financial loss to the state by influencing to purchase a rejected medicinal drug for breast cancer.

“These drugs worth Rs.986 million had been purchased from a pharmaceutical company owned by a relative of the Working Director of the State Pharmaceutical Corporation. The Working Director is a friend of the minister and was appointed by him,” it said. It said when he was the fisheries minister, Minister Senaratne had created a loss to the government when handing over the Modera Fisheries Harbour to a private company violating tender procedures. “He had also asked for a commission from the profit of a Chinese Company to which he had issued a license to fish in the deep sea. The Minister had also threatened and influenced the judiciary and the AG’S Department,” the JO said. In conclusion, the JO said Minister Senaratne no longer fit to function as the Health Minister since the faith entrusted in him had been breached.