Sajith faults AKD Govt. for failing to reach new deal with IMF

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa 

• Speaking in Parliament charges new Govt. has not valued people’s mandate
• Reveals farming is coming to end with no fertiliser subsidy despite promises
• Says international sovereign bondholders receive benefit but not the working people, micro, small and medium entrepreneurs
• Urges Govt. Ministers to listen to woes of ordinary people who expected fuel price reduction

Reaching a new agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through a new debt sustainability program has been completely levelled to the ground while a situation has been created, today where the people’s mandate is not valued even like the dust under your foot, the Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said.

In his speech in the Parliament today he questioned the whereabouts of the implementation of a people-centric process and claimed that the increased fertiliser subsidy, as promised by the Government, has still not been given to farmers.

“It was announced that the subsidy would be increased from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 20,000 but the subsidy increase has not yet been implemented for more than half of our country’s population and farming is largely coming to an end,” he pointed out

Premadasa accused the Government for pickpocketing the people’s hopes through the domestic debt restructuring economic policy, in which they expected a reduction of electricity bill from Rs. 9,000 to Rs. 6,000, Rs. 3,000 electricity bill to Rs. 2,000 and relief be provided to country’s working people through the Employees’ Provident Fund and Employees’ Trust,

“Under the Macro-linked Bond mechanism that the Government has agreed to, international sovereign bondholders receive the benefit of reduced debt cuts when our country’s economic growth rate increases. That benefit does not reach the working people who are the backbone of this country’s economy. When will steps be taken to correct these shortcomings?” the Opposition Leader questioned.

Premadasa stressed that although the Government talked about ‘A Rich Country – A Beautiful Life’ it had failed to provide a solution to the passport shortage.

Premadasa commended the Government for extending the implementation period of the moratorium law affecting micro, small and medium entrepreneurs saying that as the Opposition it will appreciate the good things done by the State.

“But the Government must go beyond that. Strength must be given for collapsed micro, small and medium entrepreneurs to rise again. Access to capital must be provided at an affordable cost. There must be a program for that. There must be an interest reduction program,” he said, adding that no clear response has been received so far to the requests of micro, small and medium entrepreneurs.

In his speech at the Parliament the Opposition Leader commending the service rendered by the ‘Suwa Seriya’ project, which was initiated under parliamentarian Dr. Harsha de Silva and provided an uninterrupted service especially during COVID-19 pandemic said that the Government has dissolved the Suwa Seriya board of directors, who was been a strength to the project.

Meanwhile, he urged the Government Ministers to listen to the woes of labourers, self-employed people, grassroots level people, three-wheeler drivers, farmers, and fishermen, who are under high pressure due to non-availability of fuel subsidy and reduction in fuel prices.

“The Government is talking about stability. Whose stability, is it? At what humanitarian cost has this stability been achieved? The country’s poverty, malnutrition, unemployment has increased, industries have collapsed. Does such stability really benefit the country? When poverty increases, stability that destroys people’s lives causes harm rather than benefit to the country, he queried.