Bandula claims he never promised to reduce commodity prices

By Sanath Nanayakkare

Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardane said on Monday that never in his lifetime had he told the public that prices of essential commodities would be reduced.

“With my knowledge of economic theory, I would never make such a statement. In fact, I have never uttered the words, ‘essential commodities would be given at a reduced rate,” he said.

“On the contrary, I once said that even the Son of Lord Sakra wouldn’t be able to bring the prices down.

The Minister said so in a talk show hosted by Swarnawahini TV.

When the presenters asked him whether a fuel price hike would be announced shortly, the Minister said “Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila has told the Cabinet that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is incurring a loss of Rs. 10,000 million per month. So, there is no other alternative.”

Podujana Peramuna MP Tissa Kuttiarachchi admitted yesterday that people found it hard to bear the cost of living. “We know that the cost of living has soared and some people can’t afford three meals a day. But we are not making populist decisions. What we are doing currently is managing the economy,” he said.