Champika: Pandemic has become beggar’s sore for inefficient govt.

“The government is citing the COVID-19 as the reason for all its failures today”

By Saman Indrajith

Statistical lies would not help the government hide the mega financial crisis, foreign debt and recession in the country, former Minister SJB MP Patali Champika Ranawaka said on Monday evening.

Addressing the media at the SJB Headquarters in Pitakotte, MP Ranawaka said the incumbent government soon before the advent of COVID-19 crisis, had given a neoliberal tax relief to the rich and that had boomeranged. “That tax relief yielded no positive result for the economy.

MP Ranawaka said that the incumbent government had made two main election pledges. One was to ensure national security and the other to usher in development. “Have they been able to fulfil those two promises or are there any signs that they will do so during the remaining time of their term?”

MP Ranawaka said that two main accusations that led to the end of the yahapalana government were the Bond Scams and its failure to prevent Eastern Sunday carnage. “Those allegations had some sort of base and rationale but other accusations such as MCC deal, Dr Shabdeen episode, and allowing Hizbullah to promote Islam extremism were baseless. Now, the President says that he can solve problems of national security but not so the problems pertaining to other crises such as COVID-19. What about the unfulfilled election pledges? What about Arjun Mahendran? They promised to get the former Central Bank Governor extradited to stand trial. One year has passed sine but nothing has been done to deliver those promises. They could not even bring him down but also failed even to land Arjun Aloysius and others in prison. There are reports that Zahran Hashim had the support of two powerful leaders of the incumbent government. Will the government take those politicians into custody? Dr Jayaruwan Bandara said that the government would not be able to control COVID-19 in Colombo city and he was sacked for that. The current crisis cannot be solved with the help of media circuses. There should be a scientific approach to these problems. The government blames the COVID-19 for all its failures. Reserves are fast dwindling. The government is producing contradictory reports and statistics about the economy. So, the Department of Census and Statistics is not able to present figures related to economic development in the second and third quarters of this year. While the Central Bank has predicted a minus 1.7 economic growth for this year, the Finance Ministry has submitted reports to Parliament, claiming a positive economic growth. It’s high time the government learned that these statistical gimmicks would not help solve the burning problems.”