Monday Sep 23, 2024
Monday Sep 23, 2024
Monday, 15 November 2021 02:41 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Dr. Harsha de Silva
Main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Dr. Harsha de Silva on Saturday described the 2022 Budget as “useless and empty” as it failed to address serious economic issues.
He also alleged that Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa via Budget 2022 also showed the world the bankruptcy and failure of the Medamulana even though the Finance Minister paid flowing tributes in his speech.
Opening the debate on the Budget 2022, de Silva exposed what he described as doctoring of the data by the Government. The Government, in the 2020 Budget, promised an income of Rs. 1.58 trillion and an expenditure of Rs. 2.85 trillion, resulting in a deficit of Rs. 1.26 trillion whereas as per the Auditor General, income was Rs. 1.37 trillion, expenses Rs. 3.49 trillion, and the deficit was Rs. 2.1 trillion, reflecting the actual deficit being higher by Rs. 849 billion.
This is because the Government was showcasing unrealistic income measures as reflected by a loss of revenue amounting to over Rs. 210 billion. On the expenditure side, this Government did something unprecedented by parking some in the previous year’s Budget. “What we follow is a cash accounting basis, not accrual accounting,” SJB MP said, adding, “what you send in a particular year must be accounted for in the same year and not in the previous or future year.”
Based on his findings as well as the Auditor General’s, Dr. de Silva said the actual 2020 Budget deficit was 14% of GDP as against the 7.9% claimed by the Government. For 2021, the deficit was originally stated as 8.9% whereas on Friday via Budget 2022, it was restated as 11%. Dr. de Silva said when actual data is out, the 2021 Budget deficit will be much higher. “This clearly shows that the Government is full of lies by doctoring data, apart from misleading the people,” he added.
He also alleged that for the first time in history, people were being fooled daily and the 2022 Budget made no difference.
According to Dr. de Silva, to usher in prosperity and defeat poverty, Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he needs a two-thirds majority; thereafter he wanted his elder brother to be Prime Minister and the younger US citizen brother as the Finance Minister, and to do so, the 20th Amendment must be scrapped. Now the President says he could not and blamed the Opposition for not being supportive.
He also said that the import substitution strategy is not feasible but has dangerous consequences. What is locally produced is not globally competitive, hence the Government is promoting an inefficient manufacturing economy, he said.
“This Government has no vision, plan or policy. Gazettes continue to be reversed. Like when Rome is on fire Nero fiddled, Government Ministers are singing baila. For example, we saw this as Ministers Namal Rajapaksa and Prasanna Ranatunga enjoying dune ride on the Port City when the country is on reserve gear,” Harsha said.
He alleged that the entirety of Sri Lanka has today become a black market and every essential item is being sold at a higher price daily with unscrupulous traders profiteering. “Whilst one family is feasting, ordinary people can’t bear the soaring cost of living,” the SJB MP said, alleging the Government has turned out to be the people’s blood-sucking monster. Dr. de Silva also blamed the Finance Minister for calling Maximum Retail Price “old-fashioned”, whereas it is a tool to offer relief to the people.
He told Parliament that since the election of the Government, as per Central Bank data, nadu rice has increased by 50%, samba rice by 65%, dried chilies by 36%, dhal by 127%, sugar by 50%, milk powder by 22%, LPG by 79%, and tin fish by 65%. Sri Lanka has been a country with self-sufficiency in rice but there is an acute shortage, Dr. de Silva said, adding that this was a curse.
