UNP factions are trying to make political capital out of the Coronavirus epidemic: PM

The postponement of the date of the poll does not in any way change the financial powers vested in the President under Article 150(3) of the Constitution after the dissolution of Parliament. It can be seen that the 

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa alleged that the two factions in the United National Party (UNP) are vying with one another to make political capital out of the Coronavirus epidemic claiming the present government would not have the legal right to allocate funds for any purpose whatsoever after April 30 citing Constitutional provisions.

Issuing a statement today, Premier Rajapaksa said that under Article 150(3) of the Constitution, the President is vested with the power to allocate funds from the Consolidated Fund to maintain government services after Parliament has been dissolved. “Hence the public should not entertain any fears about the availability of funds for the anti-Coronavirus campaign and to maintain other government services,”

Recalling that last month on February 20, when the present government tried to move Parliament to allocate funds to pay the arrears owed by the yahapalana government to the suppliers of essentials such as medicines and fertilizer and to ensure the smooth supply of these goods, it was the opposition led by Sajith Premadasa which had a majority in Parliament blocked it so as to make it impossible for the new government to ensure the smooth running of the day to day affairs of the country.

Responding to a statement issued by UNP Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe when curfew was imposed stating that the previous government led by him had not passed a Budget for 2020 but that they had passed only a Vote on Account which would last till the April 30, Prime Minister Rajapaksa said that the entire country witnessed the manner in which former Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa tried to sabotage the anti-Coronavirus campaign by giving encouragement to the Sri Lankan expatriate workers who made a commotion at the airport refusing to be quarantined. 

“Because they failed to cut off funding for the new government using their majority Parliament, an attempt is now being made to achieve that result by concocting legal arguments about the financial powers vested in the President at a time when Parliament has been dissolved,” he alleged.