President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe jointly laid foundation stone on 3rd January 2017 for a reported Volkswagen car manufacturing factory at Kulliyapittiya in Kurunagala. The emblem displayed differed from the original Volkswagen’s emblem. One of the media organizations cross checked it with the Volkswagen Company.
In response, Kartin Hohmann of Volkswagen Passenger Cars Corporate Communications informed, that there are no plans for Volkswagen brand investment in Sri Lanka at this point of time. Further, Journalist Namini Wijeyadasa tweeted that she has received word from the German Embassy in Sri Lanka denying claims regarding an investment in Sri Lanka by German Auto manufacturer Volkswagen.
However, on 19th of December 2015 Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said thus: ‘’the new chairman of Volkswagen announced that the plant will be delayed in-order to ascertain the income, expenses and the investment. However the primary investment will be made by Senok, thereafter they will be coming in’’
Ranil has categorically said yesterday , that the Volkswagen Company had not invested in the Kuliyapitiya vehicle assembly plant. He was referring to a news item carried by a TV channel quoting the investor in Kuliyapitiya that Volkswagen had no stake in the assembly plant. Targeting the particular TV channel he said, one must not contaminate his or her mind just because he or she has a grudge against him. He said this , while speaking at the opening of Kalu Ganga Water Project in Horana last evening.
He said the government had decided not to allow Volkswagen to invest in Sri Lanka as the company had an issue. However, he said Volkswagen would be one of the brands of vehicles which would be assembled at the Kuliyapitiya plant. Western Automobile Assembly of Gana (Africa) invested in Kulliyapittiya plant.
Views expressed by Members of the Parliament and other peoples representatives over the establishment of a reported Volkswagen factory in Sri Lanka are :
We aim to boost income, today they opened the Volkswagen factory in Kurunegala, thousands of people will receive employment through this commented Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs John Amaratunga.
JVP Parliamentarian Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa exclusively said, that Prime Minister has lied to the public regarding the Volkswagen and has taken steps to protect those linked to the central bank bond scam and also has taken steps to protect corrupt members of this government.
He went onto note that the Prime Minister has also allowed corrupt members of the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration to roam free.
” If he is a leader who respects democracy and accepts the people’s mandate, then he should definitely apologize to the public for all these acts. The people will then decide what decision they should take during the next election ” stressed JVP Parliamentarian Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa.
Ven. Ulapana Sumangala Thero ,Chairman of Anti Corruption Campaign said, that there should be transparency in Volkswagen investment controversy. Why did they come forward and tell the truth to the public? , the Anti Corruption Campaign see this as a very disappointing situation.
