Thursday Jan 23, 2025
Thursday Jan 23, 2025
Thursday, 23 January 2025 05:16 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday urged the Government to give special emphasis for 35,000 to 40,000 unemployed graduates in the country.
“Unemployment remains a critical issue. Providing them with jobs should be a top priority. There are over 22,000 Development Officers, who played a major role in addressing teacher shortages, have lost the opportunity to enter the teaching service despite repeated promises. I urge the Government to fulfil its commitments to these graduates and officers,” he stressed.
Premadasa made these remarks at the Parliament yesterday joining the debate on the journey to create ‘A Rich Country, A Beautiful Life’ under Government’s policy.
Raising several grievances among the people, he requested the Government to pay special attention to the alarming increase in homicides and illegal liquor trafficking while quoting Police data in 2024, where there were 101 shooting incidents and 60 deaths reported.
Premadasa said that the passport issue had become a persistent problem despite the introduction of an online system, in which people continue to face significant delays and with online queues replacing visible long lines.
Urging the Government to implement an effective solution to issuing passports soon, he also requested the Government to intervene in the issues of coconut oil import taxes.
“In the coconut oil import sector, since January last year, importing and refining crude coconut oil has required payment of an 18% VAT and a 2.5% social security tax. However, these taxes have not been collected as they should, resulting in a loss of approximately Rs. 5 billion. This is a loss to the country, the people, and the Government,” he stressed.
The Opposition Leader highlighted the need of implementing immediate solutions to congestion in the Colombo Port to ensure smooth operations. “Due to slow container clearance and truck congestion, many ships are bypassing the Colombo Port. Over 4,000 uncleared containers are currently piled up at the port,” he said.
Premadasa also urged the Government to reinstate a fair bank interest rate for senior citizens, who lost their monthly income from pension deposits due to interest rate reductions from 15 % to 7-8% since 2022 and also due to an increase in withholding tax from 5% to 10%.
Another issue he raised at the Parliamentary debate was restrictions imposed on tourist’s jeeps. “In the tourism sector, the jeep safari industry, centred on national parks, has grown significantly. This livelihood supports many families. However, jeep drivers are concerned about potential threats to their operations, which could harm the tourism industry. I request the Government to ensure that these operators are not negatively impacted,” he pointed out.
Premadasa also touched on the issues among teachers, especially recruitment delays while there were 706 vacancies yet to be filled since 2020, delays in student nursing recruitments since 2023 and issues of Grama Niladhari officers, including their allowances, service conditions, retirement programs, and their exclusion from the census.
”The Government promised to reduce electricity bills by one-third. However, recent statements from the Minister indicate that bills may need to increase instead. Despite excessive profits reported by the Ceylon Electricity Board, the Public Utilities Commission has reduced electricity bills due to public pressure. I call on the Government to fulfil its election promise and reduce electricity bills by 33%,” he stressed, reiterating that the Opposition would support any measures that add value to the country, which positively impact the lives of its people.
