Free lunch for what? For whom?

By Chris Kamalendran

About 110 parliament employees enjoyed the hospitality of the Ceylon Hotels Corporation (CHC) which comes under Tourism Minister Milinda Moragoda who is facing a make-or-break no-confidence motion. The employees, including executives and the minor staff, were entertained free of charge on a day-out at the Kitulgala rest house with buffet lunch, liquor and other refreshments.

The Tourism Ministry’s Additional Secretary George Michael said the request had been made by a welfare association in Parliament and it was directed to the Hotels Corporation. He said the outing was sponsored by the Hotels Corporation and no ministry funds were involved.

The staff had been offered the buffet at Rs. 350 instead of the usual price of Rs. 550, but the entire bill had been met by the Hotels Corporation on the instructions of the ministry, the Sunday Times learns. The CHC’s Chief Executive Officer, Anura Lokuhetti, said that usually sponsorships were given only to charitable organizations and not to government employees.

He said he was not sure about the details of this particular case and would check with his office tomorrow. The CHC is planning to hand over the management of 19 of its outlets to the private sector by January.