Archives

LTTE funds UNP horse deals

by Wijitha Nakkawita

The United National Party (UNP) was given 320 million rupees by the Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to buy Members of Parliament from the PA so that a government favourable to the LTTE could be installed by passing a no confidence motion against the government in Parliament.

The LTTE had been trying to oust the PA government for sometime but the decision to give the UNP funds was made when Britain made the decision to freeze funds held by the LTTE in the UK, Kingsley T.Wickramaratne, former Minister and Treasurer of the SLFP said.

Mr.Wickramaratne who was addressing the SLFP branch officials in the first election campaign organisation meeting held at Welikada yesterday (15) said that those who crossed over to the UNP from the Government had gambled with the preference votes cast for them by their supporters and most of those who crossed over were bought by the UNP.

But the Sri Lankan business community had no such profits to give a sum like Rs.320 million as none of the Sri Lankan business houses could afford such an expensive gamble. Only the LTTE could find such a large sum of money for a political purpose.

The LTTE did not like the leadership of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga as she was a leader with a national stature. Instead the LTTE wants a puppet regime led by a weak leader. That was one of the main reasons why the LTTE wanted to topple the government but the President, in dissolving parliament, defeated that political conspiracy.

President Kumaratunga had wanted to abolish the Executive Presidency and enter Parliament as Prime Minister but it was Professor G.L.Peiris who was a scholar of dusty tomes of Law who always advised how it could not be done. It was now certain that G.L.Peiris who crossed over to UNP had been the main stumbling block preventing the abolition of Executive Presidency.

Former Labour Minister and Deputy Minister of Media Alavi Mowlana said that though there were problems regarding the cost of living. There could be high costs of living but if the UNP came to power, life itself could not be guaranteed as there could be torture chambers and disappearances once again. It was for the people to decide whether to live or not to live and the choice was very clear.

Former Parliamentarians, Jeevan Kumaratunga, Chandana Kathriarachchi, Amal Senalakadhikara, Somaweera Chandrasiri and a number of PA provincial council and pradeshiya sabha members were also present. 

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager