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Video: MR has no authority to donate money-UNP

20 Aug 2014 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The United National Party (UNP) said that the President had no authority to announce 1 million US$ as assistance to be provided to the war victims in Palestine from public funds of Sri Lanka and that there was a procedure to grant approval for such grants to other countries.

“The President, out of nowhere, announced 1 million US$ as financial assistance to Palestine. The state head has no authority to announce grants to other countries like this because there is a certain procedure to follow,” UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told a news conference today.

He said this was not the first time that the President had done so and that the President had donated money in the past to some other countries.

“The President gave money to Uganda to construct a vocational training centre and a water project. He gave Rs. 50 million to carpet the road leading to the Maldivian President’s House. The road was named as Mahinda Rajapaksa road,” he said.

Mr. Attanayake criticized the move and said it was not ethical to donate money to other countries when Sri Lanka was in huge debt.

“Each Sri Lankan owes Rs. 350,000 today because of the high debt we are in. Even the unborn are in debt. The President had decided to donate money to Palestine because he was awarded the title ‘Star of Palestine’. Now he is paying back,” he said.

He said the government should focus on the victims of the drought in the country and other issues instead of distributing money among other countries.

“There have been occasions when Sri Lanka had donated its products such as tea to other countries as assistance during times of need but not public funds. The debt we are in will only increase if the government continues to act like this,” he said. (Sanath Desmond and Lahiru Pothmulla)

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