• What’s Treasury and CBSL got to hide, ask NPP leader

Opposition Parliamentarian, Gevindu Cumaratunga yesterday (08) charged that the Finance Ministry’s continued postponement of answering a question related to the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), in Parliament, raises serious concerns about state policy and transparency.

The opposition MP alleged that there is a significant difference between the interest rates paid in 2022 for the Provident Fund for the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) officers, and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).

Speaking to The Daily Morning, he said: “There is a separate provident fund for CBSL officers, and the EPF for thousands of workers in the private and semi-Government sector. More than two months ago, I raised a set of very simple questions from the Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies Minister. What I questioned about was the interest rates paid to CBSL’s Provident Fund and EPF, and Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF) in 2022. The Government continues to postpone answering these questions.”

He claimed that he had come to know that the EPF had been paid an interest rate of 9% in 2022, while the Provident Fund for CBSL officers had been paid an interest rate of several times higher than 9%. Charging that the payment of such a high rate to CBSL officers is a serious injustice to the working class, he said that the Finance Ministry is postponing the provision of answers to his questions, in an attempt to avoid the official admission of the payment of a high interest rate to CBSL officers.

“When I first raised these questions, the Finance Ministry asked for one month’s time to answer them. They again asked for another two weeks’ time to answer them last week. This is not fair at all. It is true that they can ask for time under standing orders, but there should be a reasonable ground to do so. These interest rates have already been paid. So, the relevant officials must have an understanding about the matter. When they are all aware of the answers, why would the Finance Ministry take more and more time?” Cumaratunga queried.

Late last week, the Parliamentary session had to be adjourned for 10 minutes, over a debate arose regarding the matter. With State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya asking for another two weeks of time to answer Cumaratunga's questions, the National People's Power Leader and MP Anura Kumara Dissanayaka also criticised the Finance Ministry over continuous delay in providing the relevant information. He said that the State Minister could have simply made a telephone call to CBSL Governor, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe and obtained information, but that he did not do so, in an attempt to cover something up.