Chief Opposition Whip and Member of Parliament of the Samagi Jana Balavegaya, Member of Parliament Lakshman Kiriella said that during the tenure of the Government of Good Governance, Government income was increased from Rs.1,000 billion to Rs.2,000 billion and as a result they were able to provide relief and concessions to the people as much as possible.
He said that with the present Government coming into power they lost that income and therefore, people are suffering daily due to lack of relief.
Kiriella made this comment while expressing his views to the media when he inspected the Children’s Park which had been affected due to expansion of the Kandy Getambe roundabout.
“Today, the Government has not been able to fulfill any of the people’s requests. As a result, they are suffering badly. During the period of the Government of good governance people were able to eat and drink and live happily. Prices of essential items were not increased at all during the 4 ½ years we governed the country. In fact, prices of certain goods were reduced. We increased salaries of Government employees and we controlled the prices of essential goods. We increased the Samurdhi relief payments by three or four times. We insured school children. We were able to do that because we increased the income of the Government. This Government came in and reduced Government income by 75%.
Corruption increases when the Judiciary, police and Attorney General are subjected to pressure by the Executive Presidency. When the 19th Amendment to the Constitution prevailed, these institutions were independent. With the 20 Amendment, they were deprived of their independence. There are good, talented officials in these institutions. Today there is no suitable environment where they can work. Nowhere in the ‘Saubaghyaye Dekma’ is it mentioned that the country will be using organic fertilizer within a year. On the 39th page it is said that this transformation will take ten years. People voted so that it could be done in ten years’ time. No one gave a mandate to this government to take the country towards the use of organic fertilizer in one year. The Government did this because they did not have the money to import chemical fertilizers. They said Nano Urea was bought based on a transaction between two Governments. But the Government of Sri Lanka has put the money into a private account in the name of a person from our country. They have not paid either the Indian Government or a company in that country. It is here that the doubt persists. From the time we knew of it, fertilizer was brought to this country.
by Daily News Sri Lanka
, Local, ,