A new Presidential Commission will be appointed next week to probe allegations of fraud and corruption at Mihin Lanka Airlines and SriLankan Airlines, President Maithripala Sirisena said on Saturday.
He made these remarks addressing an election rally held at the Gamudava Grounds in Dambulla in support of UPFA candidates contesting from the area.
The President said that the true nature of the previous government’s so-called development will be revealed to the public in the future.
President Sirisena said whatever the challenges, he will change the corrupt political culture to win the challenge of building the country.
President Sirisena noted that it was he who through the 19th Amendment to the Constitution annulled the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which allowed the President to remain in power for life.
The President also said that he was the only leader who vested excessive powers of the Executive Presidency with Parliament, an unprecedented act.
The President said that earlier, the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney General as well as all the judges of the Supreme Court and the appointment of the Independent Commissions too was done by the President, and he said that he is the person who gave those responsibilities to the Parliament and Constitutional Council.
He also said that the people of this country will not forget how the courts gave orders in the past according to the orders received from the Temple Tress.
President Sirisena said he changed the system of shooting innocent Ratupaswala people pleading for water by deploying Armed Forces.
The President recalled how the former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka was jailed by those who today level allegations against the present government accusing it of hunting the war heroes.
“If they talk according to their conscience, they would see that they didn’t follow the philosophy of Bandaranaike which values the freedom and democracy or the policy of the SLFP those days”.
Presient Sirisena also said that the misuse of the public funds, while committing fraud and corruption they tarnished the image of the Party and defamed the policies of the Party.
“Today, the people of this country understands the real situation and emphasised that the SLFP will become the party which is the most of the people rally around and it will be evident in the Local Government elections to be held in February 10,” the President said.
Expressing his views regarding the steps taken by the government to develop the agricultural activities of the area as well as to uplift the economic standard of the farming community said that in the future initiatives will be taken to develop the Dambulla Economic Centre while streamlining the management of the Centre and also steps will be taken to eliminate the fraud and corruption to deliver the benefits of the Centre properly for everyone.