Government has failed miserably -JVP

A matter of great concern for us today is how a President and the Government are increasingly distancing themselves from the people. Both are unconcerned about the mandate they received.

The character of this Government cannot be defined. It is not a homogenous composition. It has no policy. It is an arrangement of convenience to savour unbridled power and not to serve the people. That is why it has not been able to implement the pledges made in Mahinda Chinthanaya or any other cohesive policy to rebuild Sri Lanka.

The only positive aspect is the military action against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Praise for this campaign against terror should go to the security forces and the police. The Government and its leaders have not set any example to those brave men and women who are sacrificing their lives.

We have observed this in the past two years. An ostentatious life style continues. The Eastern Province has been liberated by the security forces. It is time for the Government to hold free and fair elections. It could begin with local bodies and later extend it to the Provincial Council.

Because of our initiatives, the merged north-east has now been de-linked. The Government has a hidden agenda. They are attempting to run the Eastern Province from Colombo ostensibly arguing that the security situation is not conducive to hold elections. That is not acceptable to us.

People are denied their rights by the LTTE. It is the duty of the Government to restore this. By doing so, they could get the people to abhor the LTTE. Even people in the Wanni will follow suit. This is something even the ‘international community’ wants. They too cannot challenge this. If the President and the Government really want to run the country, they must do this.

The burden placed on the people caused by the rising cost of living is now unbearable. Some 107 Ministers have to be maintained on public funds. This is a big burden on the people. Government leaders have not changed their lifestyle. This country is at war, but they are not making any sacrifice. We can clearly see that the people are unhappy, they are suffering because of the way the President and others are running the Government.

There are a plethora of issues. Recent statistics reveal that the difference between income of rich and poor households is 36%.
This situation has stagnated for the past 25 years. Is this not clear proof that this Government and its leaders have not done anything to change this situation? They have not stepped up production. They have not been able to stall the depreciation of the rupee to the dollar. The rupee is getting weaker against a weakened US dollar.

Our foreign reserves are dwindling. The Government has scant regard for financial or administrative regulations. Unemployment statistics have risen to over 100,000 during the two quarters of 2007. Thirty-five percent of the young men and women who studied up to GCE (AL) are unemployed. What is worse is the fact that there is no avenue for them to find employment. There are no vocational training programmes.

More than fifty per cent of the population lived below the poverty line. The law and order situation remains at its lowest ebb. There have been many incidents of lawlessness during the past two years. They relate to abductions, kidnappings, killings and other acts.

The people have lost confidence in the Government. It is not even capable of restoring law and order. Some politicians and even officials are behaving badly. They threaten and intimidate journalists who investigate and expose corruption, malpractices and other illegal activity.

It is the right and duty of journalists to perform this duty. Of course, there are also journalists, both in the State run as well as privately owned media, who report falsehoods and thus mislead the public. We have no complaints against media organisations if they want to take up positions on various issues. However, let them not allow media practitioners to write falsehoods in the name of truth and fairness. They should not slant news reports. It is important for those in the journalistic profession to remember this. Otherwise, the public will lose confidence in them too. On the other hand, if the Government is trying to threaten, frighten or intimidate journalists, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will unreservedly condemn it.

We will stand by those journalists who provide correct information to the people. We believe a Government is responsible if there are allegations made through media exposures about corruption. It is the duty of the Government to be transparent. They should reveal the relevant documents and files to explain their position so that Parliament or the Judiciary could take appropriate action.

This is for wrongdoing by anyone however powerful they may be. During the past two years, we have not seen the Government taking any meaningful action to come out with the truth regarding allegations of corruption and waste. Corruption amounts to between 9% to 10% of the GDP. It is on par with the budget deficit. If a genuine Government comes to power and curbs corruption, there is ample room for rapid economic development.

The United National Party appears to have climbed down from their previously announced position of forming a Government in April this year. They extended this deadline to June but nothing happened. No explanation was given to the public. Then the UNP sought an arrangement with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party – M faction to form a National Congress. It wants to defeat the Government at the budget. It is therefore clear the UNP has climbed down and is now demanding that the Government hold a general election immediately.

In our view the UNP is not capable of mobilising its membership or following on a programme of action. That is why their slogans are hollow. There is no meaningful action to back those slogans. They think their membership could be mobilised by merely saying they would return to power sooner than later. We have no doubt that UNP (National Congress) will fail. Sri Lanka under successive governments of the UNP and the PA (rather UNP+PA and the PA+UNP) drifted towards disaster.

Both the UNP and the PA have been taking the country along this disastrous path. This government must be repulsed not by the UNP but by a government of a true national alliance of the patriotic people belonging to all strata who are capable of rebuilding the country. The JVP has already launched a programme to form such an alliance and we urge the people of Sri Lanka to join the true national front.

We have opposed the financial bills presented in Parliament as a prelude to the budget. The measures envisaged in these bills place a heavy burden on the people. They are already suffering. The Government should find the money through other means than placing further burdens on the people.

The tax on mobile phone use should be strongly condemned. Most of the mobile phone users are not from the richer sections of society. The people who are to be taxed on mobile phones are mainly from either the state or private sector who draw monthly salaries and live moderately like good human beings. This is a move to discourage the use of mobile phones where technology is advancing. The Government will lose revenue in the long run. If corruption and wastage could be stopped, there will be sufficient funds for development. We as a political party have begun creating awareness from grassroot level upwards about the deteriorating situation in the country. We want to make people in all strata of society aware of what is going on so they can deal decisively with a corrupt Government that has ignored the promises on which people gave them a mandate.