GMOA says Ravi K must resign

Government doctors yesterday claimed that Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake must resign before President Maithripala Sirisena, reportedly saying that the 2016 Budget proposals had placed the government in a difficult position.

The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) said Minister Karunanayake must tender his resignation immediately as he was not fit to hold that portfolio after committing all these blunders, and added that the changes and amendments made to the budget were too numerous to count.

GMOA Dr. Naveen De Soyza told the media that when they met President Sirisena he had said the 2016 Budget had created unnecessary problems for the government.

 “Citing one instance of arbitrary budget decisions by Karunanayake, the President said he was not consulted when the emission test fee for motor vehicles was increased to Rs.5,000 or the tax on electric cars was increased to Rs. 25,000 despite being the Environment Minister,” Soyza said.

 “If the GMOA was compelled to resort to trade union action by ignoring our demands, it will be decisive and indefinite. We will not step back as long as the government refuses to meet all our demands,” he added.

He said it appeared that the entire budget had been prepared only by Minister Karunanayake who had not consulted even Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and that was why the President and Prime Minister had to intervene to change a majority of the proposals to minimise the damage and the public anger.