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Question Time reveals colossal waste of public funds while masses struggle
Some interesting facts were revealed during Question Time in Parliament this week, but they also exposed the colossal amounts of public funds spent on maintaining a few individuals, as well as how projects on which billions of rupees are spent, do not reap any benefits for the country, while the masses struggle to get by.
While more than half the people in the country did not receive the minimum income needed by a family of four, for its monthly subsistence, as per Government statistics, it was revealed that the Executive Director of the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) drew a monthly salary inclusive of all allowances, of Rs 824,000, per month while in the past three years the Government has spent over Rs 37 million to maintain 23 Coordinating Secretaries for President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Senior Minister cum Deputy Finance Minister Dr Sarath Amunugma said that, as per the statistics compiled by the Census and Statistics Department, a family of four in the urban sector needed an income of Rs 59,000 for their monthly food and other basic requirements, while a family of four in the rural sector needed Rs 37,560 and a family of four in the estate sector Rs 29,000.
However, according to Government statistics, it was also revealed that 53 per cent in the urban sector, 73 per cent in the rural sector and 81 per recent in the estate sector did not receive this basic monthly income, said Hambantota District UNP MP Sajith Premadasa who raised the question.
In sharp contrast to the low income among the masses, Dr. Amunugama revealed- in response to a question from the UNP’s Matara District MP Buddhika Pathirana about the salaries and education qualifications of the Board of Directors of SLIC- that the Executive Director of SLIC receives a monthly income of over Rs 800, 000. “I cannot explain the nature of this particular salary, but it is not extraordinary for people in the Commercial and Banking sectors to receive Rs 1 million to Rs 2 million a month,” he said.
He, of course, did not say why people paid from public funds receive such massive salaries, when the majority of the people in this country are struggling on a daily basis to make ends meet. Instead, he said there were many subsidies in place to assist the poor income earners.
Chief Government Whip Minister Dinesh Gunawardena who is usually saddled with answering most of the questions on behalf of ministers absent during Question Time in Parliament on Tuesday gave details of the Coordinating Secretaries to President Rajapaksa, in response to a question from JVP MP Anura Dissanayaka.
He said each of the 23 coordinating secretaries are paid a monthly salary of Rs 30,000, given 170 litres of petrol, a transport allowance of Rs 30,000 and a telephone allowance of Rs 5,000. All this, in the past three years, has depleted the State coffers by over Rs 37 million.
The Minister also tabled their names in Parliament, but did not reveal details of their education or qualifications, even though he was pressed to do so by MP Dissanayaka. “Their educational qualifications range from GCE Ordinary Level to university Degree level. Why do you want their qualifications when they are doing a good job?” Minister Gunawardena asked.
Another embarrassing bit of information for the Government that came to light was when Minister of Civil Aviation Priyankara Jayaratna told the House that Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport’s (MRIA), whose construction cost over US$ 200 million, earned approximately Rs 16,000 in May.He said this in response to a question raised by UNP MP Dr Harsha de Silva. Minister Jayaratna said that it will take time for the airport to realise it its full potential, but plans are under way to attract more airlines to MRIA.
In the absence of Right to Information (RTI) legislation, Question Time in Parliament is one of the main sources that can be used by legislators to obtain information pertaining to the use of public funds. It’s a facility that more and more Opposition Parliamentarians should use to bring attention to the public, details of the colossal amounts of money being ill spent, which details would remain well shielded, unless revealed in this
manner.