SJB MP Marikkar says multiple failures by President, Govt. cause of current socio-economic crisis

Main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Colombo District Parliamentarian S.M. Marikkar this week lambasted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Government for multiple failures including sheer economic mismanagement causing serious hardships to ordinary people.

His broadside was in Parliament on Wednesday during the debate on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s policy statement on Tuesday. 

Following are excerpts from Marikkar’s statement in Parliament:

 In this debate after the presentation of the President’s policy statement, we see the collapse of the Government. There are no Government ministers or MPs. Only a few backbenchers have come because they have nothing else to do. It shows the Government’s interest in the President’s policy statement.

It has been 26 months since this President was elected. This Government does not care about the problems that ordinary people face. There was no solution in his policy statement regarding the gas queues. There was no solution to the oil queues. The method of giving milk powder to crying children is not mentioned. It did not say how to solve the problem related to cement. It did not say how to provide a solution to the power cut. It did not say how to build the economy by eliminating the queue era. Instead, an attempt has been made to show a phrase and a show.

Government officials say that our country is going bankrupt today due to the COVID pandemic. The pandemic affected the rest of the world too. Then other countries should have milk powder queues. There should be gas queues. Electricity should be cut off. Prices should go up, but that’s not happening in other countries. The reason for all these problems is poor economic management

I will explain them one by one.

Twenty-five percent of the State revenue was given to the cronies; around Rs. 800 billion tax relief. That is where this collapse began.

Simultaneous application of organic manure despite expert advice. This had to be done step by step. We need to spend $ 400 million a year in fertiliser. The loss of dollars due to tax concessions also hampered the import of fertiliser. If fertiliser had been imported, paddy cultivation, tea cultivation, minor export crops, etc. could have been done successfully today. According to the Central Bank, we generally earn about $ 2,400 million per year from agricultural exports. If this income had been obtained by listening to the opinion of experts, the money could have been used to import milk powder, fertiliser, oil and essential food items.

Income from foreign workers declined. By 2020, our income was roughly $ 600 million, but it has dropped by about 400 million now. They are the ones who bought air tickets at their own expense and came to Sri Lanka and elected this President and this Government. They are the ones who are now suspecting the sending of dollars to the country.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa should be held primarily responsible for the dollar crisis. A port was built in Hambantota where no ships come. He built an airport where planes do not land. He built a lotus tower with no income. A useless stadium was built in the Sooriyawewa area. All this was done with borrowed dollars. Like a newlywed couple in debt to the village people. These crises have arisen because loans have been taken for the projects which do not have any income and they have been paid in dollars.

When the previous Government handed over, the reserves were around $ 7,200 or 7,800 million. Today, for the first time in history, it is less than $ 1,000 million.

Apart from the Rajapaksa family in this Government, only three are happy. Only Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena and Minister Johnston Fernando are happy. Back row MPs know the reasons for that.

Even though the previous Government took loans, they did things with them. The Matara-Hambantota Expressway, the Matara-Beliatta Railway, Part 2 of the Central Expressway were constructed with loans. This Government has so far borrowed more than Rs. 3 trillion but has done nothing. They opened the expressway near Kelani Bridge which we started in 2018. They built only 4 km of the Central Expressway. They all opened like they did. The Mannar Wind Power Plant was started by the previous Government with the assistance of the Netherlands. It also opened like they did. I have spent Rs. 4,000 million to build six pumping stations in my area to control floods. Soon in the near future opening will be done by them like they have done everything. Although we started constructing the Orugodawatta-Ambatale road with OPEC assistance, these people have not been able to complete it yet.

People who are tired of the hardships of living, when the leader of their country comes and gives a speech, they expect answers for – How do we get some food? How do babies get milk powder? Will there be electricity and enough fuel?

But Rs. 1.3 trillion has been printed to increase inflation in the country and accordingly the prices of goods have also increased.

Investors will not come when black money laundering is legalised. A two-thirds majority does not create a stable state. Democracy must be established if a stable state is to be created. Human rights must be respected. There should be media freedom.

Like this criticism I would like to say the only good thing I see in this policy statement. I am happy about starting non-Governmental universities. I personally support it. This can stop money going abroad.

A Government that cannot make immigration online is trying to make the tourism industry $ 5 billion.

This Government released Duminda Silva. But MP Ranjan Ramanayake, who did not steal, did not sell drugs and revealed the truth, was imprisoned for more than a year. If you are not afraid of Ranjan, if the Government is not really afraid of what he is saying, I request that he be pardoned and released on the forthcoming Independence Day on 4 February.