Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation, Bimal Ratnayake, began his budget speech today by expressing regret over a recent controversy. His remarks came in response to the widely discussed interview of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe with Al Jazeera’s Mehdi Hasan on March 7.
Minister Ratnayake started his speech by referring to the situation as a “tragic accident,” comparing it to a car crash:
“We must begin today’s debate with very sad news—an unfortunate incident that recently took place. Someone who claimed to have a ‘Ferrari license’ crashed into Al Jazeera and was left badly injured. His brain is severely damaged, and he has been speaking nonsense ever since. I extend my condolences to the person who thought they had a Ferrari license.”
The interview, which aired yesterday, caused a political uproar. During the discussion, former President Wickremesinghe responded to questions regarding the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, the controversial Batalanda torture chambers, war crimes, and the suppression of protests. He also spoke about corruption within the Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa administrations.
One of the most controversial statements made by Wickremesinghe was his remark that Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, a key figure in Sri Lanka’s Catholic community, was “reading nonsense” regarding the Easter attacks and that the Catholic Church was politically motivated.
Later in the evening, former President Wickremesinghe issued a statement clarifying his remarks. He claimed that Al Jazeera had edited his two-hour interview down to one hour, omitting key parts of his statements. He specifically pointed out that his mention of Malwatta Maha Nayaka Thero as Sri Lanka’s main religious leader was removed from the broadcast. Furthermore, he alleged that two unknown LTTE members were selected to question him during the interview. He also insisted that he had never evaded any of the questions posed.
