“Sooriyarachchi was killed due to a curse” – Bandula Gunawardene says on the “Subharathi” Program

| SLBC Watch

(January 09, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sripathi Sooriyarachchi was killed in an accident while he was returning home after being engaged in a rice racket, said the Minister of Trade and Consumer Affiars Bandula Gunawardene, during the “Subharathi” program this morning at 7 am prime time (8th of January). Gunawardene said that it is the local religious belief that people who are engaged in malpractices regarding food are punished by gods. And he says this is what happened to Sooriyarachchi, who was a friend of another senior opposition leader, Mangala Samaraweera. Gunawardene said that Sooriyarachchi was killed by a curse twice during the program.

The whole program was organized to answer the charges of the opposition against the government made during the presidential election campaign. The participants interviewed during the program were Minister Gunawardene, N. Samarasekera (Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture), Ms. Ramani Jayasuriya (Director General of the Consumer Protection Authority), with the presented Sudammika Wijerathne.

The presenter Sudammika Wijerathne carefully arranged questions regarding the allegations posed by the opposition against the government regarding price increases, particularly relating to food; tax increases and other increases of prices of essential commodities, such as petrol prices. Minister Gunawardene ridiculed all those who posed such questions as persons who are suffering from ignorance and know nothing about economics or about such matters. He said that they suffered from a frog-in-the-well mentality or the island mentality and do not understand anything about the world market.

Asked about prices of dhal, the Minister answered that these prices are determined by the world market where there are big players like China and India, and Sri Lanka is just a small player. As the prices are determined by the world market, it is only ignorant people who will talk about reducing these prices, thinking that these things can be done from within Sri Lanka.

In an hour long repetitious rant, attacking the opposition and referring to the common opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka as a person who does not understand these matters, the minister repeatedly said that the discussions about reducing food prices are a conspiracy to destroy the local productions and done in order to bring foreign goods to the local markets, which will destroy the local producer.

This is the second time that Minister Gunawardene has featured on the “Subharathi” this week and on both occasions “Subharathi” program has been used as a completely political program to support the political candidacy of the incumbent president, Mahinda Rajapaksha, and to attack the common opposition candidate.

As pointed out before, the program has been used daily in violation of election law for direct political propaganda, and lacks any kind of professionalism. The program is being used in clear violation of the laws relating to the use of state media.