-By A Staff Writer
(Lanka-e-News -12.March.2025, 11.20 PM) Sri Lanka’s new “Clean Sri Lanka” project promised to scrub the country free of corruption, nepotism, and backroom deals. But apparently, no one told the officials in charge of appointments, because here we are—Krishantha Prasad Cooray, the man with a passport full of political affiliations and a CV that reads like a thriller novel, has miraculously landed back in the good books of power.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) is receiving universal praise for his budget—the first under the NPP government. Even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is nodding in approval, which, let’s be honest, is as rare as a pothole-free road in Colombo. But the most fascinating praise of all? It comes from a name that has showered every single Sri Lankan leader with glowing reviews since the dawn of time—Krishantha Prasad Cooray.
Krishantha Cooray’s political loyalty is as stable as a tuk-tuk on a bumpy road. Two years ago, he was the biggest fan of Ranil Wickremesinghe. Back then, he called Ranil’s budget a masterpiece—a stroke of economic genius, despite the fact that most Sri Lankans could barely afford bread at the time.
Before that? He sang the praises of Maithripala Sirisena, hailing him as a visionary leader. It was quite a turnaround, considering Sirisena himself often seemed surprised to be President.
Now, Krishantha has discovered a new messiah—AKD. His latest column, published across all major English newspapers in Colombo, declared AKD as the revolutionary leader Sri Lanka needs. It was almost poetic—if you ignored the fact that it was the same cut-and-paste flattery he used for the last two Presidents. If we had a rupee for every time Krishantha switched allegiances, we could pay off Sri Lanka’s foreign debt.
The biggest mystery about Krishantha isn’t his political shapeshifting, but rather what he actually does for a living.
He now resides comfortably in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a country he treats like a second home. Or rather, a first home, considering how frequently he travels back and forth. For him, the journey from Colombo to Kuala Lumpur is as routine as a trip from Kollupitiya to Fort—except with better airline seats and more duty-free shopping.
So, what exactly does he do in Malaysia? That, dear readers, is classified information.
Here’s what we do know:
He gained Malaysian residency after investing a large sum of money.
No one is entirely sure where this money came from.
Was it from his time as Chairman of Lake House? (A role he treated more like a private printing press for political PR than a media house.)
Or was it from his tenure as Chairman of Colombo Hilton, when the hotel underwent a $40 million refurbishment?
There’s even a story (which sounds almost too absurd to be true, but isn’t) that during his Hilton reign, his daily meals were delivered to his home in Borella—by a Hilton-branded truck. Breakfast, lunch, dinner—straight to his doorstep at Rodney Place. Why go to the Hilton when you can bring the Hilton to you?
Now, why is Krishantha so grateful to AKD? Simple—family perks.
A few months ago, his sister-in-law, Menthika Vithanage, was appointed Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the UAE. A prestigious role, except for one small problem—she’s an Australian citizen. Dual citizenship? No problem, apparently.
This isn’t even the first time Krishantha pulled the diplomatic strings for his sister-in-law. Under a previous government, he managed to get her appointed as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Norway. That ended in disaster, with public outcry and an embarrassing recall.
But why learn from the past when you can repeat the same mistake—just in a different country?
The Clean Sri Lanka project is supposed to purge the system of nepotism, corruption, and shady backroom dealings. Yet, in just a few months, we already have one of the most questionable appointments of the new government.
So, what have we learned?
Krishantha Prasad Cooray is the ultimate political survivor—able to switch sides faster than a cricket fan during a tied match.
His money, influence, and mystery Malaysian residency remain unexplained, yet his influence in Sri Lankan politics remains intact.
His sister-in-law’s UAE appointment is a textbook case of nepotism, proving that some things never change—no matter how much we talk about “system change.”
Sri Lanka might be trying to clean up its act, but some stains are harder to remove than others.
-By A Staff Writer
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by (2025-03-12 18:50:56)
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