The main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s (SJB) unions attached to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation’s (CPC), denounced the Government's decision to divest the jet fuel supply in light of national security concerns and its impact on the country’s foreign reserves.
Recently, several Parliamentarians alleged that the CPC has granted permits to two Companies – Cannel Private Limited and Fits Aviation Pvt. Ltd. – to supply jet fuel for aircraft, which will have a negative impact on the CPC’s monopoly on the same and the country’s foreign exchange. They further alleged that a company owned by a Government MP who is likely to be a potential Presidential candidate of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, has been given land at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake to establish a jet fuel storage facility in addition to the two aforementioned Companies.
Against this backdrop, when contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday (15), Samagi Joint Trade Union Alliance (SJTUA) Convenor Ananda Palitha claimed that granting permission for private companies to enter the jet fuel supply will have a negative impact on the country’s national security, which has led several successive governments not to divest the jet fuel supply to the private sector. He also claimed that the incumbent Government does not have at least a single point to justify the said move in a context where the CPC is making more profits than ever.
Opining that this move will affect the entire petroleum industry in terms of storage, distribution, and refining, Palitha further claimed that this could be the last attempt by the Government to privatise the petroleum sector.
“Many successive governments had a policy of not giving permission to the private sector to enter the jet fuel market due to various issues, especially security concerns. As we know, these companies are linked to various individuals who have connections with the Government. However, the CPC is making huge profits at present. Therefore, there is no need to go for such a move, not only for jet fuel but also for the other fuel markets,” he further observed.
He also blamed the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP), also of the Parliamentary Opposition, for its alleged double standards on privatising national resources. He observed that the NPP does not have a clear policy on national assets, claiming that they take a very ‘mild’ stance over the Government's policy on restructuring public institutions. He was of the view that many political groups, including the NPP, do not address the core issues associated with privatisation.
However, when contacted earlier, CPC and the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited Chairperson Saliya Wickramasuriya said that the decision to grant permission for the companies to enter the industry was taken to make the market competitive as it would be helpful to boost the jet fuel supply in the country.
Several attempts made to contact the Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera and NPP MP Vijitha Herath proved futile.