Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa should take responsibility for the unpaid bills due to contractors carrying out development projects, Information and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena said yesterday.
Dr. Gunawardena also said that the only option to address the matter is to summon Parliament in order to get the necessary allocations passed.
Minister Dr. Gunawardena was speaking at a press brief at the Department of Information last Saturday (22).
“The Yahapalana Government has not paid these contractors for the work carried out on development projects. Now they are going through serious financial difficulties. The government proposed a Vote on Account last Thursday (20). However, the Opposition did not support it. The Opposition opposed the Vote on Account without any understanding on basic debt management policies. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa should be held responsible for this decision,” Dr. Gunawardena observed.
Dr. Gunawardena alleged that it is the first time that an Opposition Leader is behaving in such an irresponsible manner. He also pointed out that in 2019, the government revenue was Rs. 2,380 billion while the government expenditure was Rs.4,550 billion. Hence, debt is the only way to balance these two components, Dr.Gunawardena observed. “There is not a single government that did not obtain loans for financial management. It is the responsibility of the government to do better management in finance while solving the problems faced by these contractors. If we are to pay these contractors prior to the Sinhala-Tamil New Year, the Speaker will have to summon Parliament again and get the Vote on Account passed.
Dr. Gunawardena also said the government will solve the issue following the election, lest the Opposition continues to oppose the Vote on Account.