Joseph blames UNP dissidents for hardships of public

By S.J. Anthony Fernando
The strength provided by the UNP dissident MPs who joined the government has helped the present government to place untold hardships on the people. They have also helped the government to indulge in waste and corruption with impunity They have thus, by their actions, betrayed the mandate of the people on which they were elected as UNP members. So said Chief Opposition Whip Joseph Michael Perera in an interview with The Nation.

Perera was commenting on the remarks made by the dissident UNP members at a press conference that it was to strengthen the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and create a stable government, that they had joined the government. They would thus stand by the government and thwart any attempts to topple it.

Q: The United National Party together with the Mangala Samaraweera wing of the SLFP are holding campaigns throughout the country vowing to topple the government. President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the recent annual convention of the SLFP said that the present government was a strong one with half the UNP members of Parliament joining it. The dissident UNP Members at a recent press conference too have pledged their continued support to solve the pressing problems faced by the people. Any comments?
A: There is no doubt that the dissident UNP Members have given the government the desired majority in Parliament. It is because of this majority that the government has been encouraged to impose burdens on the people with impunity, in order to cover up the waste of public funds, corruption and other malpractices that are rampant due to the inefficient administration. The pledges given to the people at the last Presidential elections have not been fulfilled and the slogan `Mahinda Chintana’ has become a detested word . The public will teach them a lesson if they continue to betray the trust placed in them by the people.

Q: The Government has stated that it is due to the war against terrorism which liberated the Eastern Province from LTTE control, and the rise in the world market prices of imported commodities, that has caused the rise in the cost of living.
A: The UPFA government at the last Presidential elections knew very well that they have to face these problems. They knew that the North East conflict had to be tackled. They were also aware that they had to contend with world market price fluctuations of imported commodities, when they gave those rosy promises to bring down living costs within three months. They said they would pull the world market plug out to bring down living costs. But see what has happened instead. Due to mismanagement, corruption and waste, colossal sums are being wasted in maintaining over 100 Ministers. Today there are three or four Ministers handling the same subjects. If the dissident UNP members are genuinely interested in giving stability to the government, could they have not supported the government without holding portfolios? It is obvious that they joined the government only because of portfolios and perks they were given.

Q: Didn’t the UNP leader sign an MOU with the President to support the government for two years and give stability to the government solve the North East conflict?
A: That is so. However after signing the MOU with great fanfare, the President pulled the rug from under the feet of the Leader of the Opposition by secretly negotiating with the UNP dissidents to join the government, thereby violating the spirit of the MOU. But now what are the dissident MP’s doing? How have they contributed to the development of the country? They are now being used only to attack the UNP and wash the dirty linen of the Government, while enjoying perks and privileges of their positions and wasting public funds. It is to cover up such waste that the government is imposing burdens on the people with price increases, cuts in subsidies and imposing new taxes. .
It is pertinent to note that the MOUs signed by President with other parties too have failed . The JVP left the government accusing government of violating the MOU signed with them. The MOU with JHU too has been violated, though the JHU is staying put. The agreement which Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Suriyarachchi alleges that the government has reached with LTTE, to prevent Tamil people from voting at the last Presidential election, is still a mystery with the government failing to provide a clear answer. We have asked for a Parliamentary Select Committee on the matter..

Q: The UNP has proposed bringing a motion of no-confidence against the government. When do you propose to bring it up?
Will it come before the Budget? Mr. Jeyaraj Fernandopulle has challenged bringing the motion saying that soon the government will show its real strength.
A: We will wait for the budget first and then think of the no-confidence motion.

Q: The Deputy Minister of Finance has said that the Opposition will see` stars’ when the budget comes with a package of relief.
A: Of course the people are seeing stars due to high living costs! Of what use are those relief measures when already many burdens have been imposed on the people during the past two years of the present administration? The price of diesel, petrol and keresone oil, gas, milk foods, wheat flour and other essential items have risen to dizzying heights. The working class, farmers and the poor are suffering due to their inability to meet their day to day needs. Workers are disillusioned that the promised solutions to their problems have not been granted. The economy is in ruins due to the high expenditure in maintaining over 100 Ministers. The continuation of the war has displaced several thousands of persons. The five finance bills introduced in Parliament on Thursday adds more burdens on the public , with the government arrogantly boasting about its majority and its ability to steamroll all opposition to it in Parliament.
The Government is now in the process of hoodwinking the masses by heaping untold hardships on the people before the budget, and then announcing some relief measures in the Budget to show what a good government it is. If the government is sincere why can’t they provide the relief now?

Q: The Government has launched a new Food Production drive under the slogan `Let us Cultivate and rebuild the nation’. President has declared that under the new drive the country would be able to save millions of rupees spent on import of food items.
A: The food production drive is another endeavour to fool the people and give them false hopes, after failing to honour all the promises given during the last Presidential elections. A pertinent question to ask is why the Government waited for nearly two years to launch the food production drive. . It is well known that it was the UNP governments which developed the main existing infrastructure needed for development of agricultural production from the time of late D.S.Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake and J.R.Jayawardene developing massive irrigation schemes and colonization schemes which today have become the mainstay of agricultural production. Food production drives had been carried out under successive governments. We would like to ask what has happened to the Dahasak Wewa project to construct 1000 irrigation tanks, and the gama neguma programmes. They have been confined to words only. Though the present government boasts of massive development projects, they have so far been confined to foundation stone laying ceremonies. The financial crisis faced by the government has put back many projects.

Q: The Government has blamed the UNP for attempting to block the loan of US$ 500 Million to be raised from Commercial Banks , to meet cost of important infrastructure projects, by stating that a future UNP government would not honour the loan.
A: The Government is facing an acute financial crisis. The loan entails a high interest rate and it will deepen the financial crisis. It will be a burden on the future generation. The government should go for donor aid by conforming to economic fundamentals. This loan is necessary to meet the waste, corruption and other malpractices which are eating into the country’s coffers.

Q: Can a future UNP government be able to tackle the problems faced by the present government?
A: The UNP believes in prudent economic management. It showed during the two years under the Premiership of Ranil Wickremasinghe when a minus growth rate it inherited from the previous government was raised to about six per cent. The value of the rupee appreciated resulting in prices being kept to the barest minimum despite rise in world market prices. A peaceful atmosphere prevailed in the country. True the state had to cut down on recruitment of staff but the boom in the private sector created thousands of employment opportunities. The economy grew and the country was on the verge of an accelerated development, when the government was dissolved with the government having three more years to go. That was the tragedy the country faced. One has only to compare two years of UNP rule from 2002, and two years under the present government to see which period is better.

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