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LSSP blames neoliberal policies for present crisis

Published

4 years ago

2022/12/19

Leader of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) Prof Tissa Vitarana says that the current crisis is due to a shrinking economy and high inflation.

“There is a lack of both dollars and of rupees. The lack of dollars is a result of the neoliberal policies of successive governments, since 1978, which raised our foreign debt to US$ 52 billion and brought down our foreign exchange (forex) reserves from US$ 8 billion to a few millions. The worst offender was the “Yahapalana” government of 2015, led by Ranil Wickremesinghe, which borrowed $ 12.5 billion,” Prof Vitarana says, in a message to mark the LSSP anniversary that falls tomorrow (20)

“When the LSSP is commemorating its 87th Anniversary, I send this message to our friendly people with a feeling of deep sadness. Most of the people of Sri Lanka are facing great hardships at this time of severe economic, social and political crisis. More than 65 % of families, whose income is below the poverty line, are going hungry, the parents having one meal a day so that the children can have two. This too is lacking in protein, vitamins and essential elements Even if they manage to get rice, only about 50% of their protein needs are obtained. This mainly affects the children and the malnutrition levels among them exceed 20%, so that the future generations, too, will suffer with poor physical and mental development. Due to the contraction of the economy many small and medium industries are closing down or cutting staff. Unemployment is rising steeply. Everyone is suffering due to the electricity power cuts, the shortage and high prices of food, fuel, gas and medicines. Thousands of educated youth that the country needs are leaving our shores. Many who remain are enticed to become drug addicts and prostitutes.

“Action taken by Dr.N.M.Perera of the LLSSP, as Finance Minister, to solve the severe 1972/3 crisis provides the basis for a solution. Then the shortage of essential imports and the price rise was higher than today (e.g. the import of a ton of sugar rose from 43 British pounds to 600). He prevailed on the PM, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, to impose severe restrictions on imports and promoted exports to solve our adverse balance of payments situation. He imposed high taxes (75%) on the rich who did not invest their capital for development so that the Government could play a leading role in overcoming the crisis, reduce poverty and develop the country. He promoted science and technology to develop a national economy that would be self-sufficient and increase exports. There were no indirect taxes like VAT that passed the burden of the crisis on to the people, specially the poor. He brought down inflation by strengthening and linking the producer and consumer cooperatives, and strengthened the role of the food and marketing departments, eliminating exploitation by the traders and middlemen. By 1975 he produced a surplus Budget and raised the Foreign Exchange Reserve from USD 1 billion to nearly 4 billion, and restored normalcy, overcoming the crisis.

“The current crisis is due to a shrinking economy and high inflation. There is both a lack of Dollars and of Rupees for the Government. The lack of Dollars is a result of the neoliberal policies of successive governments since 1978 which raised our foreign debt to US$ 52 billion and brought down our foreign exchange (forex) reserves from US$ 8 billion to a few millions. The worst offender was the “Yahapalana” government of 2015, led by Ranil Wickremasinghe, which borrowed $ 12.5 billion. The dollar crisis is due to an annual debt servicing cost, which last year was $ 6.3 billion. It was not due to an adverse foreign trade balance, as our forex earnings in 2021 were $ 21 billion, exceeding our import cost of $ 20 billion by one billion. I am glad that the SLPP Government stopped the import of vehicles and the present Government has banned the import of a large list of non-essential imports. If this is properly done there will be no need to borrow further from the multilateral donors, led by the IMF, and get further into debt, and also have to sell our valuable assets. We can escape the debt trap and have the dollars to get the fuel, fertiliser, gas, food and medicines that the people need, keeping the price down, by properly run Sathosas, Cooperatives, etc. A five-year moratorium on debt will give us $ 35 billion to develop value-added industries using our agricultural and natural resources (ilmenite and graphite) to provide jobs for our youth. The technology will be provided to SMEs through the Vidatha Centres at Divisional level and Hi-Tech at central level e.g. SLINTEC nanotechnology) with emphasis on exports.

“Immediate action must be taken to bring down the cost of living. Left Government policies must be combined with empowerment of the people. Properly elected producer and consumer Co-operatives will ensure that the producer gets a proper price while the consumer cost is minimized. The middlemen exploitation is eliminated. Low interest credit for farmers and entrepreneurs from the Central Bank Fund could be made available through the Rural Banks and Vidatha Centres. The problem of rural microcredit at high interest must be overcome. Farmers will be supported to practice ecoagriculture. All failed state and private institutions could be run under the “solidarity economy” principle, where the lease/ ownership will be in the hands of the workers, who alone get the profits, having one share each in the company. Through these and other measures it will be possible to recover from this crisis, as Dr. N M Perera did in 1972/3. Sri Lanka can emerge from this crisis, eliminate poverty and become a developed country if a progressive Government which implements the above LSSP policies comes to power. I invite all honest people who accept these policies to join us to get rid of poverty and make Sri Lanka a developed country.

“The LSSP was formed in 1935 and led the fight for national independence. The LSSP was banned and its leaders like Dr N M Perera and Dr. Colvin R de Silva jailed. They broke jail and escaped to India where they joined the independence struggle led by Gandhi and Nehru, as part of the Congress Socialist Party. They returned at the end of the war in 1945 and led the General Strike of 1947 in which the Police fired at Dr. N M Perera, but comrade Kandasamy who was by his side died. The Great Hartal of 1953 was led by the LSSP against the raising of the price of rice by the UNP Government from 25 cents a measure to 72 cents. When anti-Tamil racism was at its worst and Sinhala only was made the official language the LSSP fought for Tamil also to be made official. Yhis was finally granted in 1957. Sri Lanka became a truly independent sovereign state with the passing of the Republican Constitution drafted by Dr. Colvin R de Silva in 1972.”

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ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi’ departs Colombo

Published

14 hours ago

2026/09/12

Priyan

The Italian Naval Vessel ‘ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi’ departed the Port of Colombo today, 12 September 2026, after completing a replenishment stop for logistics and services.

During the ship’s stay, the Commanding Officer of ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, Captain Marco GUERRIERO, called on the Commander Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Harsha De Silva, at the Western Naval Command Headquarters.

Members of the visiting crew also toured several tourist attractions across the Colombo area during their port call.

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Green Climate Fund (GCF) Regional Dialogue for East and South Asia will be held from 14 to 17 September 2026 at Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams Hotel, Colombo

Published

18 hours ago

2026/09/12

Priyan

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Regional Dialogue for Eastern and Southern Asia is scheduled to be held from September 14 to 17, 2026, at Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, Colombo.

The Dialogue is hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka. The Green Climate Fund is the world’s largest dedicated climate fund established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to assist developing countries in responding to the challenges of climate change.

The Green Climate Fund aims to promote a paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development
pathways by supporting developing countries in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change.

The Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka serves as the country’s National Designated Authority for the Green Climate Fund, playing a critical role in coordinating access to climate finance, nominating institutions for accreditation to the Green Climate Fund and approving funding proposals, and ensuring that activities supported by the Green Climate Fund are aligned with national development objectives.

More than 120 delegates from 10 countries are expected to participate. The participating countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, the Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, and Sri Lanka.

Participants will include representatives of National Designated Authorities of the above countries, Direct Access Entities, Accredited Entities, civil society organizations, the private sector, development partners, and technical institutions across the region.

Sri Lanka’s delegation comprises Dr. Dammika Patabendi, Minister of Environment, Anton Jayakody, Deputy Minister of Environment, K.R. Uduwawala, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, and high-level government officials.

The Dialogue will provide a platform to:

Share challenges, experiences, and lessons learned from the implementation of climate change projects and programmes.

Strengthen regional cooperation and partnerships on climate finance.

Discuss the Green Climate Fund’s evolving strategies, policies, and approaches.

Identify opportunities to accelerate climate investments across East and South Asia.

Hosting the Regional Dialogue in Colombo will provide Sri Lanka with an important opportunity to engage with senior government officials, private-sector representatives, development partners, technical experts, and international climate finance institutions.

The event is expected to support Sri Lanka’s efforts to improve access to climate finance and international grants, showcase national climate action initiatives and achievements, and strengthen the country’s engagement with the global climate community.

The Dialogue will also offer a strategic platform for Sri Lankan institutions that have applied for direct accreditation to present their project concepts and engage directly with representatives of the Green Climate Fund. These engagements are expected to support the accreditation process and contribute to the expansion of Sri Lanka’s network of Direct Access Entities through stronger regional partnerships and increased cooperation on climate finance, the Regional Dialogue will
contribute to positioning Sri Lanka as a credible and reliable partner for climate investment.

Projects that Sri Lanka has received funding from this fund are:
• The main projects that Sri Lanka has received support from the Green Climate Fund at present include the Wevu Gam Pubuduwa Project (52.1 USD Million) and the GCF Knuckles Project (49 USD Million).

7.5 USD Million has been allocated from GCF for 5 National Designated Authority Readiness Projects (NDA Readiness Projects) and for the National Adaptation Plan Readiness Project (NAP Readiness Project).

Approval has also been obtained for 3 regional projects. (Cooling Facility Programme, Global Fund for Coral Reef Investment Window, PEEB COOL Programme)

Sri Lanka has also identified 5 project concepts as priority projects for the Green Climate Fund period 2024-2027 and has taken steps to submit those project concepts (Concept Notes) for
approval by the Green Climate Fund.

The “Climate-resilient Fisheries in Sri Lanka” project concept (USD 107.5 million) submitted by DFCC Bank has already received approval.

News

Prof. Pieris says Buddha Dhamma recognised as source of law under Constitution

Published

20 hours ago

2026/09/12

Thilina Walpola

G.L. Peiris

Former Minister and People’s Joint Opposition Convener Prof. G.L. Peiris has challenged the assertion that the Supreme Court’s determination on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution would be based solely on law and not Buddhist teachings, arguing that such a position is inconsistent with Article 9 of the Constitution and established judicial precedent.

In a special statement, titled “Buddhist Doctrine as a Source of Law in Sri Lanka”, Prof. Peiris has said the issue had arisen during the 22nd Amendment determination proceedings when Ven. Balangoda Kassapa referred to the Buddha Dhamma in his submissions.

According to Prof. Peiris, the Chief Justice responded that the determination would be made on the basis of the law and not Buddhist teachings.

Describing this as a “cavalier dismissal” of the Buddha Dhamma. Prof. Peiris has said it is contrary to Article 9, which gives Buddhism the foremost place and requires the State to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana.

Full text of the statement: In the 22nd Amendment determination proceedings, Venerable Balangoda Kassapa, in his submissions, made reference to the Buddha Dhamma. His Lordship the Chief Justice, in reply, made the strong assertion that the determination would be made on the basis of the law and not Buddhist teachings. This cavalier dismissal of the Buddha Dhamma is totally inconsistent with Article 9 of the Constitution and its authoritative interpretation in judicial decisions.

I. Authoritative Sri Lankan Judicial Authority A few examples may be cited.

In the Antiquities Amendment Bill, the Supreme Court, in its determination, observed: “The expression Buddha Sasana is wider than Buddhism and includes the entire establishment, together with objects and places of religious practices and worship of Buddhists”.

In Re the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution and the Provincial Councils Bill, 1987 2 Sri Lanka LR 312, Wanasundera J, referring to the term Buddha Sasana, said that it was “a compendious term encompassing all ancient, historic and sacred objects and places which have from ancient times been associated with the religious practices and worship of Sinhala Buddhists”.

It is clear that the Buddha Sasana is not confined to matters of ritual or practice, but includes the substance of Buddhist teachings. This is borne out clearly in other judgments of the Supreme Court.

An explicit example is the determination of the Supreme Court in the Ayurveda Amendment Bill, SCSD, numbers 22-35/2023, where the Court declared: “We hold that Buddha Sasana in Article 9 of the Constitution includes the dhamma, principles and teachings of Buddhism, including in particular recognized and undisputed codifications of the teachings of Lord Buddha”.

There are several other passages in the judgment which offer strong authority on the point.

The Court declared: “We determine that the word Buddha Sasana in Article 9 is a compendious term and includes the entire establishment of Buddhism as defined above. We conclude that the Tripitaka, consisting of the Vinaya Pitaka, the Sutta Pitaka and the Abhidhamma Pitaka, falls within the word Buddha Sasana. Hence the State has a duty inter alia to protect and foster the Tripitaka”.

The Court was uncompromising in its declaration that “While retaining the word Buddhism to denote the religion to which foremost place has been accorded in the Republic, the word Buddha Sasana was used to impose a duty on the State to protect and foster the entire establishment of Buddhism”.

The Court’s approach is very clear from the following passage: “We must proceed to interpret Article 9 of the Constitution on the basis that this change was intentional on the part of the legislature. It was meant to cover an area wider than Buddhism”.

II. International Judicial Authority

There is valuable material in the jurisprudence of the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

Judge C. G. Weeramantry, in his dissenting opinion in the ICJ’s 1996 advisory opinion on the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons, said that Buddhism could provide an important humanitarian perspective when considering the legality of nuclear weapons. The judge cited as his source the work by Walpola Rahula, entitled What the Buddha Taught, 1959.

Similarly, Judge Weeramantry, in his separate opinion in the maritime delimitation in the area between Greenland and Jan Mayen case, 1993, commented on the international legal concept of equity. In this connection, he referred to “the elaborately researched concept of fairness and justice in Buddhism”.