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New
York’s classy Waldorf for Presidential entourage President Kumaratunga's entourage includes her brother, Tourism and Investment Promotion Minister Anura Bandaranaike, Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, Peace Secretariat Chief Jayantha Dhanapala, two Deputy Ministers, more than a half a dozen officials and at least four security officers. A five-member delegation solely from state run media has also been included. President Kumaratunga and most of her entourage have switched from her traditional lodging -- the Harley Hotel in the UN neighbourhood -- to the more luxurious Waldorf Astoria, which is the preferred hotel for high spending heads of state, including US President George W. Bush and over indulging oil sheikhs from the Middle East when they visit the Big Apple. President Kumaratunga will also host a banquet from the hotel's ballroom, the largest elegant ballroom in New York City that regularly hosts many of the City's most prestigious benefit and political dinners. This reception alone is expected to cost a tidy packet - in the range of US$ 15,000. The extravagant spending comes at a time when several Sri Lankan overseas missions and embassies are unable to pay their rents and telephone bills because of a cash crunch imposed by the Treasury. Speaking of phone bills, the last UN delegation led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in September last year, which included some hand-picked journalists, left a staggering US $ 26,000 phone bill at the UN Plaza Hotel, paid for by the Sri Lankan taxpayer. Besides, back in Sri Lanka, mounting increases in fuel prices and the resultant price hikes in all other items have already sky rocketed living costs. Waldorf, chain owner Conrad Hilton's bete noire, easily the most up market in New York has room rates ranging from US dollars 370 to US 700 a night. That is without meals and phone calls. A luxury suite for heads of state at Waldorf includes marble baths and shower, two television sets, a refrigerator, a mini bar and complimentary bath robe, according to the hotel's website. Both Ministers Kadirgamar and Anura Bandaranaike who will be with President Kumaratunga have already violated the President's code of ethics for ministers which limits foreign travel to four trips a year. The JVP which pressed for this requirement criticising the former UNF Cabinet Ministers for their unlimited foreign sojourns at tax-payers' expense was non-committal on these violations. Its General-Secretary Tilvin Silva told The Sunday Times in an interview that the foreign trips on state expense should be limited to four and they were still trying to encourage the politicians to lead a simple life style. In contrast to the US$ 700 cost of a hotel room at the Waldorf Astoria, the Harley provides the same room for visiting heads of state at $ 300 to $ 400 a night. A Harley Public Relations official confirmed that some heads of leading South East Asian and African heads of state were staying with them but declined to name them for security reasons. "We can confirm they have, like in the past, chosen our hotel but we cannot provide any more information than that," the PR official added. President Kumaratunga is scheduled to speak on the first day of the new UNGA sessions, a long-standing practice afforded to Sri Lanka. She speaks immediately after US President George Bush on Tuesday, but what seems like an honour is often an anti-climax for the speech of the US President always takes the limelight and grabs the world's press and electronic media headlines for the day. Several other official engagements are also scheduled for her during her New York visit. The highlight among them will be the Asia Society' sessions on "Conflict Resolution & Peace Building - Lessons from Sri Lanka ". Presidential Publicity Director Erik Fernando said only five staff members and other security staff would be accompanying the President at the expense of the President's Office and the respective ministries meet the cost of the others. Meanwhile, Fred Eckhard, UN spokesman told reporters here that there is a "terribly high number of Heads of State coming this year, for reasons we don't quite understand. He added "next year will be an anniversary year, but for some reason we have 98 Heads of State and Government already signed up to attend the sessions next week. When you add Foreign Ministers and Deputy Prime Ministers, it gets up to over 120. That means that many more bi-lateral meetings for Secretary General Kofi Annan." |
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