TNS Corner
Sri Lanka sport Minister signal to bats against Arjuna

Nov 21, 2008, 09:04

By David Sabapathy - TNS

COLOMBO - In an ever widening rift, the furious Sri Lanka Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge said that he is ready to have a fresh election or appointing a fresh interim committee to take control of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

A day before. the SLC interim committee chief Arjuna Ranatunga takes on the Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge and criticised the Sports Ministry on financial irregularities running into several millions of rupees that occurred at the Cricket Board during the last few years.

“I have two tasks to deal with as the sports minister. One is to develop sports and the second is to fight with adversaries. What I want to concentrate on is developing sports. But now things have gone out of control. I have to take some measures quickly to keep things under control” said the Minister.

The Minister had called a meeting with the SLC interim committee on Thursday, but interim committee chief Arjuna Rantunga was absent and out

Sri Lanka Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge

of the country. “I would not act in a hurry. First Arjuna will have to answer a few queries on his actions. I will take necessary measures after that” said Mr. Lokuge.

“Mostly the Interim committee members agreed to decisions as they all had to work towards a common goal in a friendly and amicable environment. But the situation is different now, as the chairman has accused his fellow officials as corrupt and has tried to wash his hands off the issue. Now they can vote against issues that they don’t agree with. That is why there are so many officials in the interim committee. The chairman or anyone else won’t have their individual say” the Minister further said.

On Wednesday during the parliamentary debate, Mr. Ranatunga said, “The Cricket Board had taken overdrafts of Rs. 479 million in 2007, up from Rs. 303 million overdrawn in 2006. The uncollected income of the Board had increased from Rs. 202 million in 2006 to Rs. 321 million in 2007”.

The interest rate on overdrafts had also risen from 5.2 percent in 2006 to 25.1 percent in 2007 causing a liquidity problem in the Board, he further said. The interest accrued on them had been Rs. 30 million in 2006 and the amount had soared to Rs. 121 million in 2007.

“He raised so many issues and submitted an audit report which he said contained exposure on several corrupt deals. I ask him what action he has taken on those findings as the SLC chief.” said the Minister. Ranatunga never informed me anything prior to presenting those things in parliament, though he was an official appointed by the me, he further said.

SLC interim committee chief Arjuna Ranatunga

“Arjuna and I don’t have anything personal against each other. What he actually wanted was to attack some former officials. But unfortunately I am in this seat now, and I have to face the accusations. But if I remain silent, it would look as if I have accepted those allegations. I am going to write a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket on these charges, and I will release it to the media to let the public know the actual position” the furious Minister said.

The Battle between Arjuna Ranatunga and Sri Lanka Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge well-known within the Cricket community in the country, but it’s blown into full scale battle now.

Ranatunga, 44, who is a ruling party legislator, heads the country's cricket administration since early 2008 after rebelled against his party. Ranatunga was regarded as one of the disgruntled legislators who wanted to oppose his party’s budget at the first vote on November 19, last year, but was persuaded by his father, a senior member of the ruling party, to vote in favour of it.

Ranatunga played 93 Tests and 269 one-day internationals in an 18-year career for Sri Lanka that ended in August 2000.