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SJB MP Dr. Harsha De Silva - Pic by Ruwan Walpola
By Darshana Abayasingha
Whilst wishing people a happy and healthy New Year, SJB MP Dr. Harsha De Silva yesterday warned Sri Lankans cannot have too much hope for 2023 in the face of increased costs and falling incomes.
De Silva who is also the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance stressed that Sri Lanka’s predicament is a manufactured crisis exacerbated by the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Government, and questioned if persons responsible for the country’s downfall could be trusted to steer it out. The SJB MP said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe was expected to deliver a rabbit out of the hat due to his perceived good relations with the international community, but he has failed to deliver the goods.
“There is still no visible solution to the main problem. There was a lot of hype when Ranil Wickremasinghe took power, and some said there will be funds coming from Japan and other nations and he will deliver Sri Lankan out of this predicament. But no money has come, except for some relief aid.
“Neither China or India has agreed to restructure Sri Lanka’s debt, and nor has the Paris Club reached an agreement with us. There is no sight of the said IMF package. The Government has no plan or program with its creditors,” he said.
De Silva insists to save this country beginning 2023, the public must be afforded the democratic right to elect a Government it could trust and deliver a functional plan for the nation. However, the present Government is attempting to postpone local Government elections knowing they would lose, the Parliamentarian charged. The SJB is ready to face the local Government polls successfully, should they be held, then the President could dissolve parliament in March and call for a General Election, he added.
De Silva noted a country cannot be run with interest rates hovering at 36%, with over Rs. 2 trillion in interest payments for just domestic debt annually. “The country cannot run like this. There must be a plan and program to bring down interest rates. If you cannot do it, please give it to someone who can do it!”
With the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) billed to increase rates by much as 60% this month, alongside significant hikes in rate of income tax, De Silva said the public and especially the middle class is in for a difficult 2023 together with small, medium and large-scale businesses.
He added the CEB cannot be allowed to operate at a loss as this would add to the country’s economic woes, but stressed the public must not be made to pay for corruption and inefficiencies within the State institution. The SJB stands for a socio-market economy that will build bridges with the rest of the world, rather than look to operate in isolation, and make way for production and reforms whilst providing necessary safety nets for affected groups, De Silva stated.
SJB National List MP Imtiaz Bakeer Markar said Sri Lankans must not lose hope, but urged the public not to fall victim to extremist elements and Marxist slogans that have continuously worked towards the downfall of this country. He said Sri Lanka was a middle-income country, and the public must consider what actions caused its fall to such depths.
“We have faced these challenges before like we did in 1989, but we overcame that. We must safeguard democratic institutions. Certain groups that cannot win an election are trying to grab power through violence and other elements. No country has developed by heeding Marxist slogans, there must instead be a proper vision and plan.
“Other countries have come out of far worse situations, and Sri Lanka too can do so if it is not misled by elements amongst us,” Bakeer Markar said. The Kalutara District MP also lamented the lack of any process to recover monies lost due to corruption, and added despite facts and figures presented in parliament the Government has shown no interest in the matter.
