‘Happy birthday to me’ – colossal sum spent for ‘birthday campaign’

It is revealed that at least Rs.260 million is to be spent to publish in all printed media birthday greetings to the President who celebrates his birthday on 18th of this month. It is reported that nearly Rs.50 million would be paid to Lake House newspapers which would be the highest paid for the greetings for a single institute to publish greetings for Presidents’ birthday.
Plans have been made to get the greetings published in special supplements in newspapers of all three languages. The greetings ‘campaign’ is to be carried out involving all sections of the government including ministries, departments, corporations, boards, authorities, provincial and local government councils.
The campaign is to be carried out targeting the presidential election. According to reports the presidential election is to be announced on 20th November or thereabout and the ‘birthday campaign’ project is to be carried out before that to boost Rajapaksa image.
The President, as the Minister of Finance, is spending so much public money collected as taxes merely to wish greetings to himself point out political analysts.