No one asked me if I need a vehicle: Amaraweera

With the talks on the spotlight with regard to importing luxury vehicles for parliamentarians, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said no one had asked him whether he needs any vehicle.

“I do not know if other Parliamentarians have asked for luxury vehicles,” the Minister said.

Responding to a question raised by a journalist, he said the economic situation in the county seems to be getting worse due to the existing conditions.

"The tourism industry has collapsed. Remittances from expatriates are low. Many commercial activities in our country are not functioning properly. The day to day lives of many people have become a question mark. In such a situation, I do not think it is appropriate to get down vehicles for MPs. If the vehicle that I am using now is good for me, why do I need a vehicle in this precarious situation?" he questioned.

"The requirement for vehicles has arisen for the new MPs. They don't even have transportation to get to Parliament. The request for vehicles might have been raised by them. Actually, I don't know about that and do not know whether any other MPs have asked for vehicles," Minister said.

However, no one asked me whether I need a vehicle. Personally, I do not have an official vehicle, but I am currently using a vehicle that is four to five-year-old to fulfil all my official needs being a legislator. That vehicle is good enough for me. I don’t need any vehicle in this trying situation, he said.

However, the government has now halted importing these vehicles. The government does not take any step to provide vehicles for MPs, even if those are imported, Minister Amaraweera added. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)