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SJB agrees tough economic reforms a must but insists on cash handouts to poor people

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Party stance to be revealed in parliament on Monday

By Akitha Perera

Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) would reveal on 29 August its stance on the recent price increases , SJB MP Harsha de Silva told the media in Colombo yesterday.

“We are trying to reach a staff level agreement with the IMF and we need to carry out economic reforms. The government is implementing certain reforms. These include the electricity tariff hikes and huge increase in the price of kerosene. How do we view these as an opposition political party and what is our view on the economic reforms? Are we going to criticise the government for everything, or should we start a discussion with the people? We have had a lengthy discussion in the party, and we will reveal our stance at the Parliamentary debate on Monday. We are of the view that economic reforms are a must,” he said.

MP de Silva said there were many problems with the way the government were carrying out the reform process. The burden of reforms was not felt by every alike and the government must give cash handouts to the vulnerable sections of society.

“We are opposed to the price hikes without the cash handouts to the poor. While we support reforms, we insist that the concerns of the poor must be addressed. Reforms can’t be done in a high-handed manner”, he said.

The SJB MP said that an IMF delegation was in Sri Lanka and that the government believed that there would be a staff level agreement by the end of the month. However, the country had not started discussions with the creditors.

“The Central Bank Governor said that these discussions would be held after an IMF agreement. This is problematic. Before we reach a staff level agreement with the IMF, we have to present a plan on how to reduce our debt to sustainable levels. So, I don’t know how we can present such a plan to the IMF without talking to the creditors. I won’t criticise the Central Bank Governor, but, I think if the government is transparent in what is going on, everyone will be happy and there will be more buy-in from the people”, he said.

Meanwhile, MP Eran Wickramaratne said that even the members of the middle class were reeling from high food inflation. He said that Sri Lanka was among the top five countries with the highest food inflation in the world.

“Some reports say six million Sri Lankans have only a single meal a day. The price of food increases on a weekly or even on a daily basis. People are not taking protein, which is vital for our development. Fish and meat are unaffordable”, he said.

MP Wickramaratne said that most people had shifted to kerosene to cook food due to the cooking gas shortage.This was especially seen in urban areas, he said. “Now the price of kerosene, which was 87 rupees is 340 rupees. This has affected the fisheries sector and now the price of fish has increased even more,” he said.



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President and representatives of IMF discuss progress of EFF

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A comprehensive discussion regarding the progress of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took place on Thursday (06) at the Presidential Secretariat, between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and the IMF delegation.

The current government has already reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on the third review regarding the extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of USD3 billion.

The details of this review are expected to be presented to the International Monetary Fund’s Board of Directors by the end of this month. In this regard, discussions were held regarding the progress and the government’s involvement in continuing the program moving forward.

Once the approval is granted by the IMF Executive Board, Sri Lanka is expected to release the fourth tranche of the extended loan, amounting to 333 million dollars.

The discussion was also attended by IMF Executive Director Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Alternate Executive Director Dr. P. K. G. Harischandra, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwadana, and Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe.

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New Commanders of the Tri-Forces meet the President

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The newly appointed Commander of the Tri-Forces met with Commander-in-Chief, President Anura Kumara Disanayake on Thursday (6th)  afternoon  at the Presidential Secretariat.

The meeting was attended by Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo, the new Army Commander; Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, the new Navy Commander and Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe, the new Air Force Commander.

Following tradition, the new commanders formally met with the President after assuming their duties. During the meeting, they also presented the President with a commemorative token.

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Musk reveals ‘crazy waste’ of USAID funds in Sri Lanka

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Elon Musk

USD 7.9 mn spent on teaching Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”

USAID has spent $7.9 million to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”, Elon Musk who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said in a post on X on Thursday.

Musk called it a “Crazy waste of your tax money!”

Musk’s criticism came with a detailed breakdown of USAID’s spending across various countries, which he argued reflects misguided priorities. According to a document Musk shared, USAID has funded a range of projects globally, including $20 million for a new Sesame Street show in Iraq, $4.5 million to “combat disinformation” in Kazakhstan, and $6 million to transform digital spaces to reflect feminist democratic principles.

The list also included $1.5 million for art projects promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities and $2 million for sex changes and LGBT activism in Guatemala. $10 million worth of USAID-funded meals, allegedly ended up in the hands of an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, the document states.

Other USAID programmes include $25 million for Deloitte to promote green transportation in Georgia, $6 million for tourism development in Egypt, and $2.5 million to foster inclusion in Vietnam. The documents also pointed to $5 million awarded to EcoHealth Alliance, a group linked to bat virus research at the Wuhan lab, and $20 million for an organisation tied to what Musk described as a “key player” in the Russiagate impeachment inquiry.

Further funds were allocated for various LGBT-related initiatives worldwide, including $5.5 million for LGBT activism in Uganda, $6.3 million for men who have sex with men in South Africa, $3.9 million for LGBT causes in the western Balkans, and $6 million for advancing LGBT issues globally. Additionally, $2 million was allocated to promote LGBT equality through entrepreneurship in Latin America, while $1.5 million was designated for LGBT advocacy in Jamaica.

The data also highlighted spending closer to home, with $1.2 million going to help the African Methodist Episcopal Church Service and Development Agency in Washington, D.C., build a 440-seat auditorium. A further $1.3 million was provided to Arab and Jewish photographers, while $1.1 million supported an Armenian LGBT group.

Musk criticised other expenditures as well, including $3.9 million for artisanal gold mining in the Amazon and $500,000 aimed at solving sectarian violence in Israel just days before the October 7 Hamas attack.

Attention was also drawn to USAID’s $150 billion “whole-of-agency” climate strategy, which outlines efforts to build an “equitable world” while pursuing net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

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