Oops another Namal gaffe; this time over made in Sri Lanka or made in China

With users posting images of the ATV and its listing on the website, Mr Rajapaksa was forced to issue a “clarification” on his previous tweet.

Minister Namal Rajapaksa made another social media gaffe on Tuesday when he tweeted about his visit to inaugurate the launching of Sri Lanka’s first “100% locally manufactured” motorcycle and ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) by a local motor company.

It wasn’t long before some Twitter users pointed out to Mr Rajapaksa that the so-called “100% locally manufactured” ATV was of Chinese origin and was already listed on the B2B (Business to Business) online platform of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. A B2B is a form of transaction between businesses, such as one involving a manufacturer and wholesaler, or a wholesaler and a retailer.

With users posting images of the ATV and its listing on the website, Mr Rajapaksa was forced to issue a “clarification” on his previous tweet.

“Clarification on the previous tweet the motorcycle & ATV utilize 35% & 50% locally manufactured parts respectively. Due to the above they remain the first Motorcycle & ATV to be considered as “made in Sri Lanka,” the minister tweeted.

The clarification then raised more questions. Some asked why the minister had previously claimed that both vehicles were “100% locally manufactured” when that was clearly not the case. Others wondered whether someone had given false information to the minister about the vehicles being fully locally manufactured. A few wanted to know what constituted the “35% and 50% locally manufactured parts.”