Some politicians are opportunists - Dr. Neville

Some politicians are opportunists, Dr. Neville Fernando, Chairman of the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) claimed on Tuesday.

While responding to a reporter at a press conference on a question about the stance of the former President on SAITM, Fernando went on to say in 2013, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had even requested him to grant scholarships for students who obtained fine results, but could not enter into a state university.

“These students are now in their final year,” he said.

The Chairman also pointed out the private medical university in Malabe was not started with the intention of earning money. “If I wanted to make money, I would have started a casino,” he said.

“If I wanted to make money, why would I grant scholarships for 30 percent of students?” Fernando added.

He also appreciated the fact that the President, the Prime Minister, Ministers Rajitha Senaratne and S.B. Dissanayake support the functioning of SAITM.

“The knowledge of our students is very high,” he further assured.