Chief Government Whip Nalinda Jayatissa today (28 February) provided a breakdown of the Rs. 1.8 million spent by the Presidential Secretariat on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s three official foreign visits since assuming office.
Speaking in Parliament, Jayatissa clarified that a President’s foreign visits fall into several categories: state visits, duty visits, invitation-based visits, and private visits.
“We only disclosed the expenses covered by the Presidential Secretariat. The real question should be how former Presidents spent billions solely through the Secretariat on foreign trips, not how our President made every effort to save public money. In the past, ministers used funds from their respective ministries for such trips, and we haven’t even revealed those lists yet,” Jayatissa stated.
Detailing the expenses, he noted that the President’s airfare for the visit to India was Rs. 312,350. The total cost, for the trip with things such as souvenirs covered by the Presidential Secretariat, amounted to Rs. 1,220,000. For the China visit, the Chinese government provided the airfare, and other expenses totaled Rs. 386,000. The Dubai trip had airfare already funded, with the Presidential Secretariat incurring Rs. 279,971 in expenses. Some of the expenses for Indian visit were later refunded.
“These critics never questioned how the Presidential Secretariat spent billions on Mahinda Rajapaksa’s foreign trips. Now, some members of the opposition are making absurd remarks, asking if the President traveled on the footboard or got a half-ticket due to his body type. Their frustration and mindset are clear,” Jayatissa remarked.
He further revealed that the President had received a per diem of USD 2,055 for the China visit and USD 960 for Dubai, but he returned the full amounts to the Presidential Secretariat.
“Who else has done this? This is how we make every effort to save public funds. Some are so entrenched in the corrupt political culture of the past that they view public money as their privilege to misuse. We are working to dismantle that rotten system. They readily accept how Mahinda Rajapaksa spent billions of public funds but cannot comprehend how Anura Dissanayake is saving public money—how ridiculous is that?” Jayatissa questioned.
