Malik says Gotabaya's campaign endorses UNP economic policies
Development Strategies and International Development Minister Malik Samarawickrema has made a scathing attack on former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa over his speech to Viyath Maga, a group of professionals last Sunday.
He charged that Mr. Rajapaksa had spent his time out of office appreciating the UNP manifestoes in which “fostering a socialist market economy for Sri Lanka” had been a cornerstone. "He has spent the “last three years developing a deep admiration and appreciation for the economic policies and vision of the Yahapalanaya government,” he has added.
During a well-attended annual meeting of Viyath Maga last Sunday, the former Defence Secretary set out an economic agenda. A significant feature of the event is the presence of a number of leading businessmen who were supporters of the United National Party ( UNP) and had funded it earlier. Some had even resisted calls by UNP leaders to keep away from the event.
Mr Samarawickrema complained “that a co-ordinated campaign is underway to give undue prominence to Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s carefully choreographed speech.” However, he commended the event organisers for “garnering prior publicity” and for “using social media and electronic media to create the illu- sion of substance where there was none.”
The Minister said Mr. Rajapaksa's move “is a vote of confidence for our decision to concentrate our collective efforts on economic development projects and the introduction of economic reforms to ensure the economic resurgence of the majority people.” He said that “our brain child, the one million employment project, is targeted to realise the same objective.” He added that if “only the government Mr. Rajapaksa helped lead for nine years had held the same priorities, our country would already be leading the charge.”
Mr Samarawickrema said the Megapolis Ministry “identified port- related logistic zones that are slated for targeted development in Hambantota and North of Colombo, it has dawned on Gotabaya Rajapaksa that this is indeed a clerver idea, and he speaks of the need to commence an initiative that is well under way.”
A spokesperson for Viyath Maga declared that the Development Strategies and International Trade Minister’s statement was a lament and “in fact reflected the government’s concerns over last week’s meeting. He has forgotten that the development of the Hambantota and Colombo Ports were initiated by the previous government. They denounced it at first and had no choice but to go ahead.”