Cultural Affairs Minister T.B. Ekanayake, who attended a top level diplomatic meeting yesterday with a pair of bottomless shoes, said he was aware of what seemed to be a 'wardrobe malfunction; and could do nothing about it.

"I decided to wear a white pair of shoes as I wore a national dress for the event. I had an old pair and I gave it to one of my assistants to clean it. Although they were old  I thought my shoes were in good condition," the Minister told 'Asian Mirror.'

"On my way to the event, I realized that the bottom of my shoe was coming off. I didn't have time to get a new pair of shoes. So i decided to proceed without worrying about my shoes. After all I went there to sign an agreement and not to display my shoe. Also, the Chinese President was not in Sri Lanka to look at my shoes," the Minister added.

The Minister said he was proud to wear a pair of 'bottomless' shoes in a context where certain politicians invest tens of thousands of rupees for footwear. When asked whether whether his shoes were made in China, the Minister said they were "100 per cent Sri Lankan."

"It is not a crime to walk barefoot in my own country. The late Dudley Senanayake too, who was the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, once faced a similar experience at an important event. " Minister Ekanayake said.

Minister Ekanayake had to tip-toe when called to sign an agreement on “Cooperation between the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of China and the Ministry of Culture and the Arts of Sri Lanka.” A photographer, who was present at the event, captured minister Ekanayake’s discomfiture and they were posted on the Facebook page of the Foreign Correspondents Association of Sri Lanka.