Ravi throws challenge at Minister over Prima issue

UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake challenged the Government yesterday to prove his complicity in the insertion of a provision to the Consumer Affairs Authority Act to protect the Prima Company.

He also dared the Government Ministers who made allegations to take this issue to the Bribery Commission.

The Government has urged for a Parliamentary Select Committee to find out how this dubious clause was introduced without the knowledge of the Cabinet. "I welcome them to do so, as it involves Rs. 1.6 billion payment. We await eagerly to find out who the recipient was.

He said this issue has damaged his reputation with irresponsible statements made by the Government Ministers, through the print and electronic media.

"I have initiated legal action against those who have made these baseless allegations, sueing them for Rs. 3,000 million each for defamation.

"Bandula Gunawardena had directly accused me of surreptitiously smuggling clause 77 to the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 9 of 2003 with the sole intention of protection Prima Ceylon against legal action for increasing the flour price. It is pathetic to see that Ministers trying to take cover for their incompetency by uttering falsehoods.

He said that this piece of legislation was first presented to the Parliament by Rauff Hakeem as Minister of Internal Trade and Commerce of the PA Government in June 2001 as Consumer Protection Authority Bill. The Bill was gazetted and presented to Parliament on June 7, 2001. The second reading of the Bill was taken up on June 18, 2001 and nearly 16 members from both sides of the House spoke on that occasion.

This so-called draconian clause was not introduced by me. It was in the Bill that was presented to Parliament in June 2001. The provisions referred to in Section 77 of the Act No. 9 of 2003 is reflected in Section 81 of the Bill (P-56) dated June 7, 2001.