‘Prosperity and Splendour’

Thursday 10th June, 2021

It is now clear that the government will import hundreds of luxury vehicles, costing billions of rupees, for the MPs while the country is struggling to procure vaccines, and medical equipment to save lives, and many people are crying out for financial assistance. How the hapless masses feel when their well-fed, contented representatives zip past them in flashy vehicles is anybody’s guess.

The government continues to contradict itself. A few weeks ago, it said it had decided against importing luxury vehicles at the instance of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is also the Minister of Finance. Previously, it said it had been left with no alternative but to impose import restrictions because foreign reserves had to be shored up. But it does not give a tinker’s cuss about the country’s foreign exchange woes when the beneficiaries of luxury imports happen to be influential politicians. It has fulfilled its prosperity-and-splendour promise, where the MPs are concerned.

Yesterday, our main news item quoted Media Minister and Government Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella, as having said in a television interview that now it was not possible to cancel the controversial vehicle imports as letters of credit had already been opened. It is doubtful whether anyone will buy into this claim. No sooner had this government been formed than it cancelled a Japanese-funded Light Rail Transit project worth USD 2.2 billion regardless of the consequences of its action. So, the argument that it is now too late to cancel the luxury vehicle purchases does not hold water. Will the government explain why it ever decided to spend about Rs. 4 billion on vehicle imports unnecessarily amidst the raging pandemic, in the first place?

Strangely, the Opposition, which picks holes in everything the government does, and demands that wasteful expenditure be curtailed and more funds allocated for the country’s fight against the pandemic, is silent on the vehicle imports. Some of its members recently claimed they were not aware of the government decision to import luxury SUVs for the MPs! But they claim to be privy to even what the government politicians do on the sly.

Now that the patriotic members of the Opposition have been informed that the cash-strapped government is wasting public funds on importing vehicles for the MPs, what will be their reaction? Will they refuse to accept the vehicles to be imported? It may be recalled that they refused to be inoculated against Covid-19, saying the people should be given the jab first. When they said so, we asked them whether they would forgo duty free vehicles as well. Let that question be repeated.

It will be interesting to see the reaction of the Opposition, especially the SJB and the JVP. Will they call upon the government to cancel luxury vehicle imports? After all, during the yahapalana government, they even cancelled an aircraft purchase agreement. So, they should be able to pressure the government to stop importing vehicles, and if their call goes unheeded, they must say no to the SUVs, etc., being imported for them. The time has come for them to prove their claim that they really feel for the public unlike the government.

Meanwhile, the political leaders who bellow patriotic rhetoric, claiming to have made a tremendous contribution to what they call the development of the country, unashamedly beg for assistance whenever they meet foreign leaders or envoys. They also puff out their chests and beam from ear to ear when they pose for pictures with the donors handing over aid.

Begging has evolved into an industry of sorts in this country. Some shameless racketeers exploit poor children and adults with various disabilities and diseases to move the public to donate money, which they use to feather their own nests. They have amassed enormous amounts of wealth at the expense of the poor. One does not see any difference between these beggar mudalalis and the politicians who exploit the suffering of the poor to raise funds.