SJB MP sees flaws in President’s policy statement

The country had been plunged into darkness with power cuts within four hours of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa vowing to allow the importation of electric vehicles, SJB Matale District MP Rohini Kumari Wijeratne said in Parliament yesterday.

“Since then, we have been experiencing intermittent power cuts daily,” MP Wijeratne said, participating in an adjournment debate on President Rajapaksa’s policy statement on Tuesday to commence a new session of parliament.

“Electricity generation is now hampered. Coals stocks are sufficient for only three months. We have to come to a situation without food, without coal, gas, sugar, coconut oil and fuel, yet there is no lack of boasting,” she said.

MP Wijeratne said that the President in his policy statement missed speaking of the problems faced by the people.

“There are three main problems; the first is the cost of living problem, the second is the collapse of

agriculture and third is the deterioration of democracy and the rule of law. None of these was addressed by the President. After shutting down parliament for more than one month, the President came here to tell us that for the past two years he gave fertilizer free of charge to farmers. Is it true? I am telling you all to go and ask from the farmers whether they received fertilizer free of charge during the past two years. Farmers are on the streets demanding fertilizer. The government decreased importing of fertilizer by May 2020. In many places of the country fertilizer was not available even at the time of the 2020 Maha Season. The President said that he gave a certified price of Rs 50 a kilo of paddy. In Tissamaharama a kilo of paddy is being sold at Rs 110. In Akkaraipattu paddy sold at Rs 95 for a kilo wet weight. These are the results of the agricultural policy of this government. Paddy is being harvested at Ampara these days. The usual experience is that prices of paddy go down when the harvest is coming. But today the prices of paddy are increasing. The President could utter those words in this Parliament complex surrounded by the Diyawanna Lake and his security. I ask him to say the same if possible, during one of his sessions at Gama Samaga Pilisandara so that he would get the right answers from the farmers.

“The President also mentioned 16 crops including green gram, Undu and Cow Pea. These crops are cultivated in lands in the Matale District which I represent. They could not be grown without agrochemicals. Farmers complain that they cannot grow those crops without agrochemicals. We cannot fathom why this government cannot understand these facts.

This government’s agriculture policy is built on three main pillars: fraud, boasting and removing secretaries. The government very soon will establish a record by removing secretaries”, she said.