Country’s valuable lands are all now under the Rajapakse family

(Lanka-e-News 09.May.2010 11.30pm) Anura Kumara Dissanayake M P addressing a media briefing on the 9th at the JVP Headquarters at Pelawatte , Bataramulla said, at the recent distribution of Ministries when the new Cabinet was appointed , the important Institutions like the lands reforms Commission, Telecommunication regulatory Commission, Attorney General and legal Draftsman’s Dept , Urban development Ministry, Land rehabilitation and development Corporation, Coast conservation Dept., Petroleum resources development Secretariat, Oil resources development Institution, Finance Ministry, Security Division ,Highways , Ports and Aviation services are all distributed among the President’s family members . It is crystal clear from this that the Cabinet appointments have been made not with the objective of developing the country. The President before the elections promised to prune down the Cabinet to 35 to 37 Ministers , but now , already it has gone up to 42. Though the assurance given was that only those who were capable will be appointed as Ministers and Deputy Ministers , what has truly taken place is only just changing the names of the Ministries. The Gazette notification of the Ministries and their functions was delayed this time. According to that gazette notification the President has taken into his fold , Finance, Defense, Ports and aviation services, planning and Highways . There are 78 Institutions under the President now!

The lands reform Commission Committee was traditionally under the Lands Ministry . A large amount of the lands of this country under the State are under the purview of the lands reform Commission Committee. All those are now under the President. The Telecommunication regulatory Commission which ought to be under the Posts and telecommunication Ministry are also now under the President. This is a place where there is colossal monetary flow. The Attorney General’s Dept. and the legal draftsman’s Dept. which were under the Ministry of Justice have been brought under the control of the President.

Likewise , the important Urban development Authority as well as the lands rehabilitation and development Corporation under the Urban development Ministry have been brought within the ambit of the Defense Ministry. These types of things have never occurred anywhere in the world. These Ministries and Institutions have been distributed not based on any method .. They have been done to suit and please the President’s Family and relatives. The most valuable lands of this country belong to the Urban development Authority. By gazette notification these have been transferred to the Urban development Authority .This is a ploy to appropriate the most valuable common lands to himself , Anura Kumara asserted. Traditionally , coast conservation Dept. came under the Fisheries Ministry. But , now this has been brought under the purview of the Ministry of Ports and aviation services. All the coastal lands belong to the Coast conservation Dept.. Hence, a large strip of coastal land in the North and the East too is now under the President. These lands are the most valuable lands . Another important Institution is the Crude oil resources development Secretariat and Oil resources development Institution which was under the Petroleum Ministry . The President has divested it of the Ministry of petroleum and vested it under the President. It is evident from all these actions of the President , all important Ministries and Institutions of this country had been by careful calculation and manipulation brought under him , his family and relatives, not for the country’s development , but for the development of his family, Anura Kumara Dissanayake pointed out