UN Freebie For Sri Lankans
An advertisement that appeared in the Wall Street Journal
By Vimukthi Yapa
Sri Lanka may have defeated terrorism – which is the trump card of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at this year’s UN General Assembly in New York but the country will never fail to draw a laugh and a snigger for her blatant show of decadence each time a delegation represents the country in the Big Apple.
An estimated 110 persons accompanied the President to New York on Monday, September 20. The President was to participate in the 65th Session of the UN General Assembly.
Everybody including his chief “bottle-washer” it appears required a holiday. A free trip no less to the Unites States at state expense. The exact numbers that accompanied the President remained a tight-lipped affair with government spokespersons insisting they had no idea how many had boarded a plane to New York.
The lowest advertised room rates at the Waldorf Astoria is US$ 319 a night. But that is not what Sri Lanka is paying.
The President’s suite costs US $ 1000 per night. For five days this amounts to US$ 5000.
Seventy hotel rooms have been booked at US$ 472 per night for five days. Total cost US$ 165,200.
Forty limousines have been hired at US$ 500 a day for five days. Total cost US$ 100,000.
Food for 100 (one hundred) people is being ordered daily from the Sigiriya Restaurant in New York at a cost of US$ 25 for dinner (each) and US$ 25 for lunch. Total cost US $ 25,000.
The per diem for New York is US$ 90 per day and for 110 people for five days totalling US$ 49,500.
Fifteen (15) persons flew First Class to New York. The cost of a First Class air ticket to New York on Emirates Airline is Rs. 604,900. For 15 seats this would total to Rs. 9.7 million.
Thirty (30) Business Class tickets. A business class ticket costs Rs. 425,200. Multiplied by 30 the total is Rs. 12.7 million.
Seventy (70) Economy Class tickets. The cost of a ticket is Rs. 136,200. The total cost would then be Rs. 9.5 million.
The Foreign Ministry would only say that President Rajapaksa led a delegation that includes Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, W.D.J. Seneviratne and Douglas Devananda, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Foreign Secretary Romesh Jayasinghe. External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris was already in New York. He had arrived earlier to participate in the Foreign Ministers’ meeting, ahead of the General Assembly.
The President is expected to hold bilateral discussions with several heads of states on the sidelines of the General Assembly. He was to meet the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday (24).
This is his first UN appearance after winning the war in May 2009 with the Tamil Tiger rebels and crushing terrorism. According to the government the President will address the global audience on issues related to the defeat of terrorism and the economic development that followed.
The general debate will continue from September 23rd to 25th and from the 27th to 30th.
The Sri Lankan delegation is believed to be one of the largest but only five persons are allowed to attend the General Assembly session and only one chair is allocated for the committee meetings.
Accommodated at the luxurious Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, the Sri Lankan Embassy in New York has hired luxury limousines for those parties of the “party” to sightsee while the five members attend the General Assembly meeting. The cost of the delegation running into millions is being borne by various government institutions.
The root of the problem is this. The presidential system created by President J.R. Jayewardene left adequate room for the ruler and the ruling party to plunder public property. In short, the struggle for political power has become a ruthless struggle for the right to plunder public property. It appears that the principle adopted by Napoleon in respect of his soldiers during the times of war, operates in a similar manner, within the political corridors in Sri Lanka.
I recall Victor Ivan, Editor-in-Chief of the Ravaya newspaper writing that the value attributed to different categories of people who were actively involved in the political programme, implemented for winning or capturing power, is not the same.
- Rajapaksa’s ‘Thank You’ To Political Stooges
An advertisement that appeared in the Wall Street JournalBy Vimukthi Yapa
Sri Lanka may have defeated terrorism – which is the trump card of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at this year’s UN General Assembly in New York but the country will never fail to draw a laugh and a snigger for her blatant show of decadence each time a delegation represents the country in the Big Apple.
An estimated 110 persons accompanied the President to New York on Monday, September 20. The President was to participate in the 65th Session of the UN General Assembly.
Everybody including his chief “bottle-washer” it appears required a holiday. A free trip no less to the Unites States at state expense. The exact numbers that accompanied the President remained a tight-lipped affair with government spokespersons insisting they had no idea how many had boarded a plane to New York.
The lowest advertised room rates at the Waldorf Astoria is US$ 319 a night. But that is not what Sri Lanka is paying.
The President’s suite costs US $ 1000 per night. For five days this amounts to US$ 5000.
Seventy hotel rooms have been booked at US$ 472 per night for five days. Total cost US$ 165,200.
Forty limousines have been hired at US$ 500 a day for five days. Total cost US$ 100,000.
Food for 100 (one hundred) people is being ordered daily from the Sigiriya Restaurant in New York at a cost of US$ 25 for dinner (each) and US$ 25 for lunch. Total cost US $ 25,000.
The per diem for New York is US$ 90 per day and for 110 people for five days totalling US$ 49,500.
Fifteen (15) persons flew First Class to New York. The cost of a First Class air ticket to New York on Emirates Airline is Rs. 604,900. For 15 seats this would total to Rs. 9.7 million.
Thirty (30) Business Class tickets. A business class ticket costs Rs. 425,200. Multiplied by 30 the total is Rs. 12.7 million.
Seventy (70) Economy Class tickets. The cost of a ticket is Rs. 136,200. The total cost would then be Rs. 9.5 million.
The Foreign Ministry would only say that President Rajapaksa led a delegation that includes Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, W.D.J. Seneviratne and Douglas Devananda, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Foreign Secretary Romesh Jayasinghe. External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris was already in New York. He had arrived earlier to participate in the Foreign Ministers’ meeting, ahead of the General Assembly.
The President is expected to hold bilateral discussions with several heads of states on the sidelines of the General Assembly. He was to meet the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday (24).
This is his first UN appearance after winning the war in May 2009 with the Tamil Tiger rebels and crushing terrorism. According to the government the President will address the global audience on issues related to the defeat of terrorism and the economic development that followed.
The general debate will continue from September 23rd to 25th and from the 27th to 30th.
The Sri Lankan delegation is believed to be one of the largest but only five persons are allowed to attend the General Assembly session and only one chair is allocated for the committee meetings.
Accommodated at the luxurious Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, the Sri Lankan Embassy in New York has hired luxury limousines for those parties of the “party” to sightsee while the five members attend the General Assembly meeting. The cost of the delegation running into millions is being borne by various government institutions.
The root of the problem is this. The presidential system created by President J.R. Jayewardene left adequate room for the ruler and the ruling party to plunder public property. In short, the struggle for political power has become a ruthless struggle for the right to plunder public property. It appears that the principle adopted by Napoleon in respect of his soldiers during the times of war, operates in a similar manner, within the political corridors in Sri Lanka.
I recall Victor Ivan, Editor-in-Chief of the Ravaya newspaper writing that the value attributed to different categories of people who were actively involved in the political programme, implemented for winning or capturing power, is not the same.
