President Mahinda Rajapaksa Friday (May 22) said that as the war against the LTTE had been brought to a successful conclusion, he would now tackle waste and corruption.

Addressing a public rally at the parliamentary grounds to coincide with the armed forces’ triumph over the LTTE, he emphasized the importance of wiping out waste and corruption. Turning towards his parliamentarians, the President warned that now the war had been brought to an end no one would be able to turn a blind eye to pressing problems and blame their inability to solve problems on the war.

He warned members that the war with the LTTE would no longer serve as a shield in face the public criticism.

The president said that the war wouldn’t be an excuse even for him. He also declared that that law enforcement agencies would now hunt the robber barons. The time was right to pursue those behind the narcotics and illicit liquor trades, he said, indicating that the existing strategy of targeting small time crooks wouldn’t be enough.

To the applause of the gathering, the President declared that he would overcome waste and corruption the way he crushed LTTE terrorism.

Former COPE Chairman Wijedasa Rajapakshe yesterday expressed confidence that the president would keep his promise given on a historic day. The National List MP told The Sunday Island that the President had signaled his desire to curb waste and corruption now that the war had been brought to an end.

Under Rajapakshe’s leadership, COPE revealed a spate of corrupt practices involving politicians, public officials and the private sector chiefs. Since then Power Minister John Seneviratne has succeeded him at COPE.

The Supreme Court has given several damaging rulings as in the case of oil hedging transaction and the LMS deal and a ruling on the controversial privatization of the Sri Lanka Insurance is expected shortly.

Political sources said that the president would be able to take punitive action as switching sides couldn’t be an option for any ruling party member. The army’s triumph had given unprecedented stability to a post-1983 government thereby strengthening the president’s hand.

Although the Auditor General has periodically revealed massive waste and corruption in the public sector, tangible action hadn’t been taken to recover losses and curb further corrupt practices.