Wonder if today’s politicos are capitalists or socialists given their enormous wealth- Karunasena Kodithuwakku

Late President J. R. Jayewardene's grandson Pradeep Jayewardene garlands the statue of his grandfather to mark the 119th birth anniversary of the late President yesterday.

Pic by Kithsiri de Mel  

By Yohan Perera and Pranavesh Sivakumar

In an obvious reference to the value of assets declared by Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe, former Education Minister Dr. Karunasena Kodithuwakku yesterday said it is difficult to distinguish whether today’s powerful politicians are capitalists or socialists considering the wealth they flaunt.   

Dr. Kodithuwakku , who also served as a Vice Chancellor and Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Japan and China, made these remarks during a ceremony held in Colombo yesterday to mark the 119th birth anniversary of late President J. R. Jayewardene where the legacy of the late leader was highlighted.   

“Late President Jayewardene actually changed the image of the United National Party (UNP) after its defeat in 1970. The UNP was labeled as a party of the capitalists.

This image change only led to the UNPs massive electoral victory in 1977 and not the economic crisis which is claimed by many. When we look at the wealth which some politicians own today it makes us wonder whether they are really capitalists rather than socialists or other camps which they claim they belong to,” Dr. Kodithuwakku said.  He said the late President had made a mark in many sectors be it the economy or foreign relationships or even the constitution itself. “Former Indian External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh recalled in his biography that the world would have seen the end of LTTE in 1987 if the then Indian Prime Minister did not rush in and stop the Vadamarachchi operation which brought Prabahakaran to his feet. Late President’s second term would have been a success like his first term if he was allowed to finish off the LTTE,” he said in this regard. Dr. Kodithuwakku said the constitution introduced by late President Jayewardene is still in place since its introduction in 1978. “There is no issue in amending it for 22 times as the Indian constitution has been amended 106 times and the French constitution 24 times,” he said.   

Late President’s grandson Pradeep Jayewardene said two former Presidents who served after Mr. Jayewardene are suffering consequences of weakening the constitution introduced in 1978. “The constitution introduced by late President Jayawardene has saved our nation from many crises,” he said.