SJB asks govt. to summon Parliament immediately

By Saman Indrajith

The main Opposition SJB yesterday urged the government to summon Parliament immediately to discuss the burning problems people were beset with.

Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo, Chief Opposition Whip Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella said Parliament should be summoned without further delay as the country was facing massive foreign reserve crisis.

“Foreign exchange reserves were at USD 8 billion. It has been reduced to USD 1.2 billion. The government must tell the nation how that happened. We had been asking the government repeatedly in Parliament this question during the Budget debate. But the Finance Minister was not there to reply. Foreign exchange reserves were at USD 8 billion when we handed over the govenrment to the SLPP. There is a massive financial crisis in this country today.

“There are no dollars and essential goods are in short supplpy. Farmers are facing numerous difficulty. Prices of essential commodities are sky high. In the meantime, Parliament has been prorogued. The right thing that should have been done by the government was to increase the number of sessions of Parliament to discuss the prevailing issues in order to find solutions. It seems that the government closed down Parliament because the Ministers and MPs have no answers for the questions asked by the Opposition. They cannot keep running away from the problems. We call on the government to summon Parliament immediately.

The govenrment and the Opposition have a responsibility to look after the interests of the people. Therefore the government should summon Parliament without further delay.

“The government is trying to sell off national assets. Between 15 and 20 lands in Colombo are up for sale. Seven acres of prime land in Bogambara playground is to be sold. The government is trying to sell the Trincomalee oil tank farm. The agreements are to be signed while Parliament is closed. We need parliament open to debate the country’s problems,” Kiriella said.

SJB MPs Kabir Hashim and Rohini Kaviratne also addressed the press.