The role of the Opposition in today’s gathering crisis

"If the JVP and the UNP are really concerned about the people, whose rights they both promised to safeguard at Election Time, then they would throw away their own selfish politics, and move quickly into an effective joint opposition to prevent the Government from imposing any further burdens on the people, and also making it clear to the Government that they must look after the interests of the people and grant the people the relief they are praying for today. It must be understood that if there is no strong opposition the people are doomed."

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by Maurice Lord

(June 28, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardain) In today’s gathering crisis the people and the country look to the Opposition to help in preventing further unbearable burdens being heaped on them. As it is, the Government does appear to have no hesitation in casting burden upon burden upon a suffering people. With the Government acting as it now does, the people look to the opposition to take up issues with the Government and demand from the Government that they cannot heap further burdens on the people and that they should give them relief from the unbearable cost of living, the high cost of electricity, increased costs of travelling, which our people just cannot put up with any longer.

With the Government - a virtual failure - the people have nobody to look to but the opposition to help them over come the crisis which is now getting out of control and impossible to put up with. We have the UNP on the one side - unable to sort out its own problem of a totally ineffective leadership with Ranil Wickremesinghe still refusing to go. An unstable JVP almost running around the mulberry bush, fearful that any joint opposition with the UNP will help the UNP to come into power, etc. The greatest need is to pull the people out of the gave problems now before them.

Both the UNP and the JVP must first realise that it is only a joint opposition that can seek to remove the virtually unbearable burdens that are being imposed on the people. These two opposition parties have to understand that their first duty is by the people of this country. They can take whatever measures they like - the UNP and the JVP - to safeguard their selfish Politics, but they must also believe that the greater need is for both these opposition to parties to come together for the sole purpose of saving the people from a government that seems to be unconcerned about the suffering our people are going through today.

If the JVP and the UNP are really concerned about the people, whose rights they both promised to safeguard at Election Time, then they would throw away their own selfish politics, and move quickly into an effective joint opposition to prevent the Government from imposing any further burdens on the people, and also making it clear to the Government that they must look after the interests of the people and grant the people the relief they are praying for today. It must be understood that if there is no strong opposition the people are doomed.

The opposition must make the Government realise that they just cannot impose unbearable burdens on the people, whilst at the same time committing the state into unworthy expenditure, like the Benz Cars that are now to be imported at a cost of over Rs. 2 Billion, the maintenance of a Cabinet of over 100 and the perks attached to it, the expenditure on Foreign Travel and on other unworthy exercises, whilst some of our people are experiencing a virtual starvation.

Today another grave crisis is building up. The Education of our children, which is already in a mess, is now being further threatened. Teachers are up in arms against the Government. It is time the Education Minister realised the grave situation that is now building up. It is time to get down to the task of finding a solution to the gathering crisis. If not for all the extravagant expenditure that the government is now being accused of, had not been spent unnecessarily we could well have had the funds to give at least some relief to the Teachers. A compromise must be found – stop government extravagance - and find the money required for the needs of our country. The Teachers must also realise that by their actions they are holding the children to ransom.

It is therefore for both the UNP and the JVP to understand what the country is going through. This is therefore an appeal to the main opposition parties in Sri Lanka the UNP and the JVP - to get together and demand from the Govt. that it must give immediate relief to the people.
- Sri Lanka Guardian