| Anura awaits
letters to hit back
Tourism Minister Anura Bandaranaike
says he is awaiting letters from the President's Office
and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party calling for his explanation
over his recent conduct. He says he wants to give the
senders a “basic lesson in civics known even to
an O'Level student".
The Sunday Times last week published
a story quoting a source from the President's Office
as saying that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had decided
to send two letters to his Tourism Minister, one from
his Office and from the party over certain remarks Mr.
Bandaranaike had made in Parliament and outside critically
referring to US President George W. Bush, British Prime
Minister Tony Blair and Indian High Commisioner Nirupama
Rao.
In a letter to the newspaper, the
Minister says the Rajapaksa Government has not taken
any collective decision to defend foreign envoys "who
step out of line", nor "to defend the horrendous
invasion of Iraq led by the Bush and Blair Administrations".He
adds that as the Cabinet has not decided on either of
these, a question of collective responsibility does
not arise.
A spokesman for the President's Office
confirmed that no letter had yet gone out to Mr. Bandaranaike
because President Rajapaksa and President's Secretary
Lalith Weeratunge were busy with their overseas itinerary.
The Presidential spokesman also confirmed
The Sunday Times story of last week, and said that a
decision was taken at "the highest level"
to warn Mr. Bandaranaike about his recent public utterances.
He said that a disciplinary committee
of the SLFP was already inquiring into his conduct on
issues relating to the party.
He said, "As, Head of State and
Head of Government, it was the President who receives
the credentials of a foreign ambassador or high commissioner.
Hence, their conduct was a matter that is the President's
prerogative. When a Cabinet Minister in the Government
voices different views, it reflects badly on the President."
Meanwhile Mr. Bandaranaike in an interview
with our sister paper ‘Irida Lankadeepa’
said that if not for his campaign efforts at the last
Presidential elections in the Gampaha district where
the margin of victory was 350,000 votes President Rajapaksa
would have been defeated.
He said that former President Chandrika
Kumaratunga’s daughter will be marrying a foreigner
who is a British national and that Ms. Kumaratunga would
be soon returning to the country to make arrangements
for the wedding which will be held in London.
.... attacks Bush, Blair again
Tourism Minister Anura Bandaranaike
yesterday renewed his criticism of US president
George W Bush and his main ally British Premier
Tony Blair saying they flawed in invading Iraq
and were now trying to do the same to Iran.
Addressing a meeting to commemorate
the sixth death anniversary of M. H. M. Ashraff,
the founder of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress,
Mr. Bandaranaike said the US president had become
very unpopular even in his own country for the
blunders he made by invading Iraq and described
Mr. Blair as an 'obnoxious Englishman'.
Mr. Bandaranaike berated the
two world leaders in front of an audience that
was largely Muslims.
He also asked them not to interfere
with Iran which is currently at the centre of
a dispute over its uranium enrichment efforts.
Mr. Bandaranaike launched a
similar attack on the two leaders and Indian High
Commisioner Nirupama Rao in a speech in parliament.
Defending his remarks which he recently made about
Ms. Rao, he stated that it was because he felt
the diplomat was going in the 'wrong direction'.
While praising the move by President
Mahinda Rajapaksa to invite the UNP for talks,
the minister stressed the importance of the two
parties coming together to solve the national
problem.
Mr. Bandaranaike also said that
it was not proper for the JVP to demand that the
LTTE should lay down arms before coming to talks
because it was a difficult condition to meet by
an organisation fighting a war for a long time.
He also paid tribute to the
late SLMC leader, saying that his greatest gift
to Sri Lanka was the formation of SLMC.
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