Can’t pin it all on Ravi K: GL

23 May 2017 08:33 pm

The Government could not possibly pin the entire responsibility of its economic failures and fiscal shortcomings on former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake as he was not the source of the problem, the Joint Opposition said today.

It said if the Government was attempting to shy away from taking responsibility of all these failures by sacrificing Mr. Karunanayake, it would be a fiasco.

“There is no denying that there were many criticisms over the way Mr. Karunanayake handled the Ministry and took decisions. However, trying to place the entire responsibility of failures on him is of no use,” JO’s spokesman G.L. Peiris told a news conference.

He said Mr. Karunanayake was given the Ministry by clipping its wings as the Treasury was under the purview of Prime Minister and the authority to make decisions with regard to commercial banks was given to Minister Kabir Hashim.

“At the time he was the Finance Minister, Ravi Karunanayake had no authority over the Central Bank or over the commercial banks. This was like appointing an Education Minister with no authority over schools,” he said.

He said the Cabinet Committee on Fiscal Management headed by Prime Minister was the force of fiscal decision making of the country. He said only close Ministers and officials took part in these Committee Meetings. (Lahiru Pothmulla)