SOC members dissent over Telecom privatisation | Daily News

SOC members dissent over Telecom privatisation

Government also likely to oppose Report:

The Government sources yesterday said that it cannot accept the recommendation of the Sectoral Oversight Committee regarding the privatisation of the Sri Lanka Telecom and the decision with regard to it would be taken by the Cabinet of Ministers in due course.

Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security Chairman Dr. Sarath Weerasekera presenting a committee report told Parliament yesterday said that the committee would not recommend the privatisation of Sri Lanka Telecom as such move pose a threat to the national security.

A senior minister stated that the government will not accept the report of this committee as the government has already taken a policy decision to privatise Sri Lanka Telecom.

Under this situation, sources said the government will not accept the Sectoral Oversight Committee’s recommendations. The government members have made arrangements to send a copy of the report to the President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday itself.

The senior minister further said that the report submitted to the Parliament has not outlined how the Sri Lanka Telecom company, in which the government owns only 49% of the shares, will affect national security. It has been reported that a number of committee members have reported to senior government ministers that they have not seen such a report of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on national security.

Parliamentary sources said that a tense situation has prevailed in the Sectoral Oversight Committee over this report.


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