News
JVP calls for govt. with a mandate
By Sirimantha Rathnasekera
The first step towards overcoming the current crisis was to appoint a government with a mandate from the people, JVP and NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka says.
“There are many signs of the economic crisis. One is the rise in double digit inflation and the other is our inability to service the debt. The rapid loss of jobs, as businesses collapse, is another sign of a deep economic malaise. Because of this, the government does not have rupees to spend and the country does not have dollars to import,” he said in Colombo yesterday.
“In 2023, the country will have to repay Rs 4.2 trillion rupees worth of debt, but the total revenue of the government in 2022 was only two trillion rupees. The massive revenue shortfall has led to economic and social shocks. Sri Lanka has also borrowed heavily and failed to invest the loans productively
“Our tax policy is wrong. Our import policies are wrong, and proper plans were never implemented. A lot of people think this is an economic crisis. However, this is a political crisis. Our political culture is holding the country down. Look at how we implement projects, how we change our tax policies, how we borrow and how we conduct our foreign relations. Our rotten political culture has ensured that all these are conducted to benefit a few people and not the country. We assure you that we will change this rotten political culture,” he said.
Dissanayaka went on to say the production of goods and services in Sri Lanka has to increase and that more workers should be involved in productive sectors. Western Province contributes to 36 percent of the country’s economy while the North Western Province contributes five percent.
“When people are involved in productive sectors, we can expand the economy and ensure more people are better paid. If not, we will just have to expand our welfare. Samurdhi has been operational for almost 30 years and what has been the benefit? The rural poor are not involved in productive sectors and thus remain poor. We need to expand our production and we need to ensure that the benefit of the economy is divided fairly. 10 percent of the top income earners own 38 percent of the country’s wealth. If we look at the top one percent, I am sure they own most of this wealth. The lowest own 1.1% of the wealth. This is not a fair system and this is an inherently unstable system,” he said.
The JVP leader said all human beings deserve adequate money to lead a fulfilling life. There will not be stability if there are large income disparities in a country, he said. A large amount of violence, crime and drug abuse are caused by inequality, he added.
“The economy needs to be equitable. We also need to create a large safety net, not only for the poor but for businesses that get into trouble because of unfavourable external circumstances,” he said.
News
Karu argues against scrapping MPs’ pension as many less fortunate members entered Parliament after ’56
Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressing concerns over the proposed abolition of MPs’ pensions.The letter was sent in his capacity as Patron of the Former Parliamentarians’ Caucus.
In his letter, Jayasuriya noted that at the time of Sri Lanka’s independence, political participation was largely limited to an educated, affluent land-owning elite. However, he said a significant social transformation took place after 1956, enabling ordinary citizens to enter politics.
He warned that under current conditions, removing parliamentary pensions would effectively confine politics to the wealthy, business interests, individuals engaged in illicit income-generating activities, and well-funded political parties. Such a move, he said, would discourage honest social workers and individuals of modest means from entering public life.
Jayasuriya also pointed out that while a small number of former MPs, including himself, use their pensions for social and charitable purposes, the majority rely on the pension as a primary source of income.
He urged the President to give due consideration to the matter and take appropriate action, particularly as the government prepares to draft a new constitution.The Bill seeking to abolish pensions for Members of Parliament was presented to Parliament on 07 January by Minister of Justice and National Integration Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara.
Five suspects, including former Minister Johnston Fernando and his two sons, who were arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), were further remanded until 30 January by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The former Minister’s , sons Johan Fernando and Jerome Kenneth Fernando, and two others, were arrested in connection with the alleged misuse of a Sathosa vehicle during Fernando’s tenure as Minister.
Investigations are currently underway into the alleged misuse of state property, including a lorry belonging to Lanka Sathosa, which reportedly caused a significant financial loss to the state.
In connection with the same incident, Indika Ratnamalala, who served as the Transport Manager of Sathosa during
Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade, was arrested on 04 January.
After being produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court, he was ordered to be remanded in custody until 09 January.The former Sathosa Transport Manager was remanded on charges of falsifying documents.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) yesterday informed the Colombo Magistrate’s Court that indictments had been filed in the Colombo High Court against former Minister and NDF Badulla District MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake over a corruption allegation.
The Bribery Commission notified the court when the case, in this regard, was taken up yesterday before Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama.
At the hearing, the CIABOC notified the court that indictments had been presented before the Colombo High Court against the accused.
Accordingly, concluding the proceedings before the Magistrate’s Court, the Magistrate ordered MP Dassanayake to appear before the High Court once a notice was issued.
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