"Govt. has turned the clock back on all development programs"

(November, 29, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Renuka Herath , UNP Parliamentarian addressing a Media conference at the UNP Media Unit today (29 Nov) while condemning the LTTE brutal attack on civilians, insisted that the Govt. is duty bound to give security to the people.

This Govt. has turned the clock back on all the development and progress of the country made during the UNP regimes in the past.

She said, the prices of goods skyrocketing , imposing tax burdens on the people , the economic predicament of this country are all necessitated not because of world fuel price hikes or world market prices., but because of Govt.’s corruption , colossal wastages and extravagant expenditure on its largest Cabinet in the World of 110 Ministers!

The budget proposals this year is also only aggravating the burdens of the people while easing the burdens of the President and the Ministers, she added. She mentioned a few of the many proposals which show no consideration to the people’s welfare: The funds towards the Samurdhi recipients are drastically cut down, but, President’s allocation has been increased unconscionably to over Rs.7000 million which is an increase by Rs. 4 million over the previous year 2007! She exclaimed. Only Rs 14/- has been allocated for a child for a year for their mid day meal , but the President and Ministers see it fit to increase their own fuel allowances in this critical economic period to Rs. 310, 500/- , she lamented.

Even the controversial Bond issue of Rs. 500 million dollars obtained from the HSBC too had been put to wrong uses although the Govt. said this loan was to be used for Development projects, she concluded.