Although members of the Joint Opposition tried to display heroism in public by pledging to resign from UPFA membership and remain independent within Parliament, they are afraid to do so fearing they may lose their Parliamentary membership, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said. “No one can realise the dream of becoming President without obtaining more than fifty percent of the total number of votes cast,” he said. Minister Ranawaka was addressing a meeting after laying foundation stones for several development projects at the Sri Dalada Maligawa Complex in Kandy on August 15.
Ranawaka said Singapore or any other country could not dump radioactive waste in Sri Lanka because the Atomic Energy Authority had blocked it by fixing detection equipment at the Colombo Port 10 years ago.
The Atomic Energy Authority had wide powers to take action against radioactive substances within the country. Referring to the clinical and other waste dumped in India that had washed ashore in Mannar, Minister Ranawaka said Sri Lanka should take diplomatic action with India to resolve this issue.
A people environmentally friendly waste disposal system was urgently needed for both India and Sri Lanka he emphasized, pointing out that a large amount of clinical waste disposed in Kandy found its way into the Mahaweli River through the Meda Ela (Central Canal).
He said that even though the Rajapaksa family members knew how to spend money by obtaining even commercial loans from abroad they did not know to properly manage a single government department or institute profitably.
Their knowledge of financial management is evidenced by the Hambantota Port, Mattala Air port and the SriLankan Airlines and Mihin Lanka which had turned out to be white elephants.