by Saman Indrajith

JVP leader Anura Kumara told Parliament yesterday that the time had come for people to cry in unison for the harm inflicted on the nation by rulers, since independence.

Participating in the third reading debate on Budget 2022, Dissanayake asked whether anyone could be proud of the way the country had been ruled so far.

“The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation owes USD 3,400 million to the People’s Bank and Bank of Ceylon. What we have is an internationally bankrupt petroleum corporation. The monopoly on petroleum should be in the hands of the state for the sake of national security. Those who call themselves patriots in the government are now trying to break that monopoly. Because of their conduct, the state monopoly on petroleum is in danger,” Dissanayake said.

Dissanayake said that due to the debts of the CPC, stability of BOC and the People’s Bank was also in danger. “These are the burdens on citizens. When opening an LC through BOC and the People’s Bank to import fuel, there should be a three-percent guarantee on the LC from a foreign bank. This is the situation. What are you going to do to solve this crisis? Do you have any plans?” the MP demanded to know.

“A fuel ship arrived in Sri Lanka waters recently and it had to be anchored in the sea for nearly a week because Sri Lanka did not have dollars to pay for the oil. At last, the CBSL had to release USD from foreign reserves. When petrol should be bought on an emergency basis, no one submitted bids. This is the situation. What are you going to do now?”

Not only that, a Cabinet paper was submitted by Minister Udaya Gammanpila to get a loan of USD 2.5 billion from an American Company.

“The interest rate for the loan is three percent while the commission is seven percent. What kind of rubbish is this? According to this, the commission would be USD 175 million. How can the commission be higher than the interest on a loan? What kind of loan is this? Why are you taking loans to pay commissions like this?” the MP queried from the government.