"Govt.’s ‘Breaking news’ only served to break people’s hearts and hopes for New Year"

(January 01, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Govt. made a big din yesterday (30 Dec) , with a ‘breaking news’ broadcas and telecast every hour as though it has granted massive relief to the economically devastated people, after reducing a Rs. 2.00 on a liter of petrol, said UNP M.P. Gayantha Karunatileke addressing a special media briefing at the UNP Leader’s Office at Cambridge place today (31 Dec).

The Govt. made loud and hourly announcements that it has granted the biggest relief ever in the history of SL. What the Govt. provided was not relief , but deceit , he regretted . When the Supreme Court (SC) took so much pain to deliver the carefully thought out relief to the people fixing the price of petrol at Rs. 100.00 per liter . The Govt. on the other hand took every step possible to delay and deny this relief .

Finally , in the midst of a big din it announced its Rs. 2.00 price reduction. Probably , the Govt. which has no means or measures to truly give relief to the people is resorting to comic relief with its largest Cabinet of the World of comical Ministers, he quipped. The Govt. is only concerned about sustaining its white elephant of a Cabinet gobbling up the people’s funds. The reason why the Govt. after taxing an extortionate 180% cannot reduce the price of petrol to Rs. 100.00 even after the SC directive is because all the profits derived from this tax burden on the people are spent on the Cabinet of Ministers, their extravagant tours and covering up corruption losses, he lamented.

Even these small price reductions were considered y the Gov. only after the UNP launched massive protests and took the Govt. to Courts , he observed.

Going by the UNP ‘s past price structures when it was in power , if UNP is in power now, it would have easily sold petrol at Rs.70.00 per liter , while gas and others would have been sold at drastically low prices, he noted. Hence, the UNP as decide to stage open protests against the Govt.’s extortion pricings until reasonable prices are worked out by the Govt. , he concluded. - Sri Lanka Guardian