Harsha calls for urgent review of Govt. policies

SJB Parliamentarian Dr. Harsha de Silva and Party Chief Organiser – Dehiwala Channa Wickum addressing the press 

• Tells Govt. not to hold public at hostage to realise political ambitions
• Says Govt. must make public its alternative counter measures to current economic and health crises

By Asiri Fernando

The main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya yesterday called for an urgent review of Government policies and take corrective action to prevent the current health and economic crises from worsening further.

“The Government needs to change its stubborn stance, learn from mistakes and correct policy failures urgently,” SJB Parliamentarian Dr. Harsha de Silva told the media.

“Please don›t hold the public hostage for the purpose of achieving your political and personal ambitions. We urge the Government to please put the public first and make the necessary changes to manage this crisis better,» the SJB MP appealed.

Dr. De Silva opined that Sri Lanka was facing the worst crisis since independence; with COVID-19 surging, the health system at near breaking point, unemployment and the cost of living rising and a massive debt servicing emergency at hand.    

“As of 31 July, our national reserves have dropped to $ 2.8 billion. If you don›t count the gold reserves, national reserves drop to $ 2.35 billion. We only have reserves to trade for 1.6 months. I ask the Government, don›t make it worse for the public by being stubborn about the policies you brought in. Everyone makes mistakes. The Government must correct their mistakes», Dr. De Silva said at a press conference. He was joined by SJB Chief Organizer – Dehiwala Channa Wickum.

MP de Silva said the economic crisis was a long-term issue and that the opposition was ready to offer any assistance to remedy the situation. He pointed out that while the opposition had presented alternative solutions to the economic crisis and the COVID-19 outbreak in Parliament, the Government had rejected the assistance and not presented any alternatives of their own.

The SJB MP challenged the Government to reveal the alternatives they have to manage the debt and the COVID-19 crisis. He stated that the Government has adamantly rejected the Opposition›s proposition that a short-term solution to gain ‘breathing space’ is by restructuring debt with IMF assistance and that the Government has not indicated an alternative. Dr de Silva said the Government needs to face facts and be flexible in moving forward or risk dragging the country down into a deeper crisis.

Dr. De Silva questioned why the Government is reluctant to perform a ‘tactical retreat› from the policies that have failed to deliver.

“The Government could have revisited policies on tax reductions due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it is not accepting that the policy has failed, it is side stepping to avoid a bigger issue. It could have been a detour,» Dr. De Silva opined, pointing out that the move by the Government is causing state revenue to plummet, and has not had the desired trickle-down effect of relieving the cost of living of the public. 

He urged the Government to stand down from the view of ‘no matter what happens, we need to keep the country open for the sake of saving the economy’. The Government needs to insert a “circuit breaker” to combat the rapid spread of the deadly COVID-19 Delta variant, Dr. De Silva urged. He highlighted the strain the health sector is under with the ever-rising number of COVID-19 infected patients, adding that a number of hospitals have already declared a state of emergency. The Opposition MP commended the Government›s vaccination drive but argued that the rate of infection and the spread of the virus was faster than vaccination.  

«As an economist, I too want to take measures to protect the economy. However, people are dying in numbers. We can›t say no matter how many die, we will keep the economy alive. If we pursue that approach, we will lose both the public and the economy. What should our priority be?» the former State Minister of Economic Reforms questioned.