COLOMBO (EconomyNext) - Sri Lanka's United National Party will field a team of technocrats with experience and knowledge in areas such economics, law and engineering, Deputy Investments Promotions Minister Eran Wickremaratne said.
"Many of these legislators joined politics around the same time as I did," Wickremeratne told reporters in Colombo.
"Ajith Perera is a lawyer, Niroshan Perera is an engineer, Sujeewa Senasinghe is a lawyer, then Harsha de Silva is an economist. Rosie Senanayake is a person who has been active in problems relating to women for a long time.
"It a technocratic team with experience."
Wickremaratne himself was a banker who ran a bank which maintain perhaps the highest capital adequacy ratio in the sector and also refused to register shareholders like Goldquest, despite their financial clout and political connection they had forged.
Questioned by reporters Wickremerante said countries did not go forward on the basis of one person.
Wickremeratne recalled the Cabinet of former UNP President JR Jayewardene, saying ministers like Gamini Dissanayake, Lalith Athulathmudali and current Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe are remembered today for the Mahaweli program, Mahapola scholarship and industries.
"They were given the freedom to act," he said.
However reporters told Wickremaratne that none of the younger legislators were given even full ministries and the Prime Minister Wickremasinghe himself had taken over the Central Bank where a bond scandal has rocked the administration.
In free countries, where the state is not allowed to intervene too much in the lives of the people and people are freer and richer.
In most such countries the Prime Minister does not hold a key portfolio as he is expected to perform the role of the 'class monitor', therefore corruption is also at a lower level.
Wickremeratne said the current cabinet was a short term one made up for 100 days, and ministers were appointed on the basis of seniority.
"I also agreed with that decision," he said.
He in relation to the Central Bank bond deal, an internal inquiry was held and a parliaments Committee on Public Enterprises also inquired into it. He planned ask for the report to be published, even though the parliament was now dissolved.
"We have nothing to hide," he said.
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