NPP News

“While Ranil is with a group of thieves, he cannot say he will put thieves in jail. Ranil’s budget statement boosts the corrupt,” says JVP leader Anura Dissanayake.
“The country cannot be saved only by punishing thieves and thugs. But we tell Ranil that he cannot even think of recovering the country without doing so,” he added.
“Ranil said in the budget speech that a country cannot be built only by punishing fraud and corruption. He cannot punish the corrupt or stop corruption because the camp where he is standing is extremely corrupt. Ranil Wickramasinghe is the leader of the team that plundered the central bank. The law was not implemented against it.
It is not surprising that such a statement came out of him because Ranil is also corrupt. But we admit that this fallen country cannot be recovered by punishing corruption and fraud alone. But a country cannot be built without stopping corruption and waste.
We propose to end these corruption scams under our rule as the first step. Economic and legal reforms will be carried out, punishing fraudsters and the corrupt. Ranil Wickramasinghe’s statement is a fraudulent statement to justify fraud and corruption. It is an excuse for corruption,” emphasized JVP Leader Anura Dissanayake.

– Lanka Truth

Members of Jananiyamu Kalakaruwo, affiliated to the JVP-led NPP has called on people not to resign themselves to living under an oppressive regime. They have said the public must fight for their rights and chase the dictatorial leaders away.

Addressing the media at the JVP Headquarters in Pelawatte on Friday (18), actor and senior lecturer at the University of the Visual and Performing Arts, Prasannajith Abeysuriya called on public not to give in to politicians who had no popular mandate to govern the country. “How long are we going to put up with this oppression? What sort of country are we going to leave for our children if we do not change this? We should not keep silent any longer. We must fight for a change.

Artiste Deepani Silva said that the 2023 Budget presented to Parliament by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as Minister of Finance had plunged the people from the frying pan into the fire. “What better can we expect from a person like him who has been a minister and prime minister from time to time? He has always been a key member of governments that ruined this country.

Lyricist Ravi Siriwardena, Drama and Theatre Lecturer of the Kelaniya University Sanjeewa Gunaratne and novelist Kamal Perera also addressed the media.
– The Island

“At one time, it was said that loss-making institutions could be sold and profits could be made. Now it is said to sell the profitable ones to increase the reserve. A government member says that he does not agree according to his conscience, but he has to vote for the budget. Their budget must be working sideways. These are the type of people in the parliament now. Ranil’s budget for next year says what happens in 2048. There is no talk about what will be done next year. They will take loans, print money or collect money from local banks. They are happy that the stomach is clean though the patient is dead,” says Sunil Handunnetthi, a member of the Economic Council of the National People’s Power.
He said this, addressing the conference “Tax to heaven – For whom is the budget?” held yesterday (17th) by the Economic Council of the National People’s Power at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute.
For this conference, representing the Economic Council of the National People’s Power, Professor Sita Bandara of the Department of Economics of the University of Kelaniya, Professor Dayananda Ambalangodage of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura, Professor Anil Jayantha Fernando of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, former Member of Parliament Sunil Hadunnetthi, Shanta Jayaratne – former Senior Consultant Lecturer of the Sri Lanka Institute of Administration, Professor Janak Kumarasinghe of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura and Chartered Accountant and Economic Analyst, Sunil Gamage were present. The comments made by NPP Parliamentarian Sunil Handunneththi are given below.
“Our topic is “Tax to heaven – Who is the budget for?” However, changing the topic to “Budget is in the sky, but the taxes are for the people would not make a difference.. This is not a people’s budget. However, the people have got a tax burden. Ranil’s story is completely up in the air. This budget does not even touch the reality and the problem on the ground. The 77th budget is a budget that has become a confession of the curse of 74 years. There is a certain political irony. Because Ranil Wickramasinghe, who is responsible for the curse of 74 years, himself presenting this budget is a kind of irony. Ranil says on the first page of the budget speech, “can we be satisfied with the situation in which our country is celebrating its 75th year after independence? Where did we go wrong, and where did we go wrong? Who says this? He was the first Minister of Youth Affairs, then Minister of Industries, he was six times Prime Minister, and now President. And he asks the people what happened. Most in his lifetime Ranil has eaten from Parliament; lived on people’s money. There are so many in the parliament like that. The majority of them in parliament is like that. They ask us who is at fault.
After that, they say that they need to make the right decisions, not popular decisions. Who said no? Wasn’t it Ranil who said to make the right decisions and not the popular decisions and promised youths bracelets? As Prime Minister, he cut down coconut trees, promising a Volkswagen factory. Now no Volkswagen, no coconut trees either. They said they would give a vehicle to those under the umbrella. Those who made those promises now say that people should make the right decisions.
They say there is no point in going into debt to others. It is said by those who dragged the country to a precipice. This is the economy that Surasena brought to the ‘Palingu Menike’. Didn’t government after government boast that they were getting more credit than the other? People who used to think of borrowing as pride are telling this story today. Ranil saying it won’t matter now. For, people have decided to throw out Ranil and Ranil’s policies. Even if Ranil says it standing on his head, it doesn’t matter. The people have made their decision and are waiting for an opportunity.
Read the budget speech from beginning to end and see what the right decisions are proposed to take without popular decisions. Is there a correct decision that solves the problems of the people of this country throughout this budget? This is the same old recipe. There is one thing that can be said from this budget. That is, there will be an election within the next 04 months. Because 20 billion have been set aside for the Samurdhi and adult allowances. However, the money will be charged back to the people themselves. 130 billion rupees has been minted the day before yesterday. Taxes are imposed. Not everyone who lives on their salaries can bear this tax burden. Now people who had high jobs have started to leave the country. This is an economy that drives away the educated in the country.
This budget has become one that has expanded expenditure to such an extent. Expenditure has been expanded to 7.5 trillion. It is indeed because the intention is to borrow. It is done to increase the credit limit. But how can the government borrow to cover the budget deficit? Because the debt is not paid now. They expect to borrow 2.3 billion dollars from abroad. Ranil should say before the end of the budget from which countries he will borrow.
Budget is an assumption. It should be realistic. People should be able to bear it. Now, what will happen if this budget deficit cannot be covered? You have to charge the people if you can’t get a loan. That means from the state banking system. In the past, they destroyed the banking system by taking loans from the local banking system for political decisions. It is going to be done now. As the Economic Council of the National People’s Power, we must say that if we continue in this way, what happened to America and Greece in 2008 will not be prevented from happening to Sri Lanka. Therefore, we need to protect our banking system. Because it is the backbone of the economy. Therefore, as our professor said, the field should be made so that the match can be played within the budget limits. But are there people to play the match even if the field is built? This match cannot be played with Ranil, Mahinda and Sajith. Therefore, we ask the people of our country to choose the best team to play the match.
When we come, we will show what we can do in 06 months. But don’t ask us to rebuild the country, which was destroyed for 74 years, in 06 months. But within those 06 months, fraud, corruption and waste will have been stopped. Did Ranil Come out with the right decisions instead of popular decisions in his budget? Did he say the expenses of the cabinet will be reduced, housing costs will be reduced, and the pension of MPs will be abolished? The budget that went to the sky would have weighed down a little if that were said. Defence spending has been increased. But we don’t know if they have money to spend.
Then Ranil says that it is a myth that corrupt people are imprisoned. Can Ranil call it a reality without saying that? What else can the person who destroyed the Central Bank say? Comrade Anura often says that one corrupt person does not punish another corrupt person. Now Ranil says don’t talk to me about corrupt people. We do not expect Ranil to punish the thieves.
After that, they talk about changing this economic system. They say they would create an open economic system of social security.
The people of this country cannot be deceived anymore. They have to accept defeat. Who is protected under this economy? Parents stay at school to protect their children. You can’t save your children from ice and drugs. Now they talk about the ‘Triloka Vijaya Patra’. If that happens, politicians will start the business. The best example is that politicians have the most bar permits in this country.
On the other hand, they are talking about selling. At one time, it was said that loss-making companies could be sold, and profits could be made. Now it is said to sell the profitable ones to increase the reserve.
A government member says that he does not agree according to his conscience, but he has to vote for the budget. These are the people who have come to the parliament. Ranil’s budget for next year talks of things to be done in 2048. There is no talk about what will be done next year. What will be done is take loans, or money will be minted. They would also take money from local banks and say even if the patient has died, his tummy is clean.
As such, this system should be changed. This corrupt political system must be changed. As the Economic Council of the National People’s Power, we are not only talking about this budget, we will also start this economic conversation with the people. Together with the people, we’ll have the power and energy to change this journey.”

– Lanka Truth

“In 1948, we claimed to be the strongest economy in Asia, we were one dollar behind Japan in per capita income, but today we have become an economy that is a problem not only for Asia but for the whole world.” Says Professor Janak Kumarasinghe, a member of the Economic Council of the National People’s Power.
He said this, addressing the conference “Tax to heaven! For whom is the budget?” held yesterday (17th) by the Economic Council of the National People’s Power at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute.
For this conference, representing the Economic Council of the National People’s Power, Professor Sita Bandara of the Department of Economics of the University of Kelaniya, Professor Dayananda Ambalangodage of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura, Professor Anil Jayantha Fernando of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, former Member of Parliament Sunil Hadunnetthi, Shanta Jayaratne – former Senior Consultant Lecturer of the Sri Lanka Institute of Administration, Professor Janak Kumarasinghe of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura and Chartered Accountant and Economic Analyst, Sunil Gamage were present. The comments made by Professor Janak Kumarasinghe are given below.
“Even if you have light food when you have a fever, you need strong food to recover. Usually, we get a lot of joy and energy when we get on this kind of stage. But today, I am sorry to say there is no such happiness or energy. Today I feel like a helpless person in my native land. It is the very reason why I got on this stage.
In 1948, we claimed to be the strongest economy in Asia; we were one dollar behind Japan’s per capita income. Today we have become an economy that is a problem not only for Asia but the whole world. If you read the budgets presented from 1948 until now, if you are someone who does not know Sri Lanka well, you will think that this is a blissful state. There were such beautiful proposals in the budget reports. So I would like to say that what we need today is not a budget booklet full of nice ideas.
This is a very crucial moment. It is also crucial for the child to be born. Today, we tell our children that this country is a developing country, which our fathers were told when they were little.
If you look at the environment in which this budget is presented, we would see, without going too far into the past, that the economic growth rate in 2019 was 2.3; the economic growth rate in 2021 was 3.7. In 2022 it is minus 7.8. But the most beautiful thing is that this budget report expects the economic growth rate next year to rise to 03 to 04 per cent. But organizations such as the World Bank and IMF believe that according to the current economic trend, the economic growth rate of next year will be minus 3.7 per cent.
The main purpose of a budget is to present an estimate of how to collect public money in countries like ours for development and poverty eradication in the next year and to develop infrastructure for production and allocate money for services. But according to the situation of our country today, we have to expect an objective beyond that from the budget document. There are two main problems in our country today. One is that production is collapsing. The other factor is the lack of dollars. Inflation is increasing through that. Several other things are happening. Our foreign reserves are depleted. Is there an answer to this in this budget? I don’t see any such attempt. If they are managed, two main things can be seen in a budget. One is fiscal policy. The other is revenue expenditure (fiscal) policy. It should be clearly stated that tax revenues are obtained and used where necessary. Such things are not in this budget. What we see is a continuation of the traditional journey. It is just a manipulation to find some money to carry on for another year. This is why they are trying to sell some government agencies using different words. In 2020 President’s expenditure is 2292 million. In 2021it was 2598 million. 2315 million in 2022. The expected expenditure in 2023 is 2610. Is there a difference? That is why we say they move along the same old path. There is no difference. This economy has not crashed but has been made to collapse. No country in the world has been built by the same people who destroyed its economy. The emperor dragged Japan into World War II. By 1948, Japan was destroyed. But it was built by a group of patriotic, educated and intelligent group of people after keeping the emperor aside. The emperor is not allowed to touch the power. Today, in our country, some still believe that those who destroyed can recover. That’s why I don’t feel happy on this stage.
We expect the central bank to prepare the necessary ground with a fixed price stable inflation which an investor can trust. Today’s interest rates are in the twenties and thirties. If you take a loan of 100 rupees from a bank, you have to pay an interest of 25 to 26 rupees. I don’t think any country has that. But some loans need a change.
The interest rate for production loans in Japan is 0.1%. But what happens if you take a loan in Sri Lanka? Therefore, central banks should make a beautiful field to play the match. Developing a country with such a vision should be done in a budget. Is there such a vision in this budget? For example, 100 million rupees is spent to develop the freshwater fishing industry. Just think how many lakes are there in our country? If you divide by the number of lakes, you will understand the extent of these proposals. No proposals exist to turn the economy around except to take taxes by squeezing people’s necks. Are they trying to chase away the one or two investors, fallen but trying to exist, in a bid to spend the next year?
“Even if you have light food when you have a fever, you need strong food to recover. When a fever develops, the patient should be given light food and then given nourishing food to recover his or her strength. There is no such thing in this budget. We are not happy; we have no chance to do anything for this country with our knowledge. But to a certain extent, it is a pleasure to share our knowledge on a platform like this.”

– Lanka Truth

JVP has called on youth to join its campaign to make Sri Lanka a better place to live in addressing the JVP-led NPP’s electorate organisation at Ambalantota recently, party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the youth had to fight for their righst instead of leaving the country.

“It could be done. You should not live as second class citizens in other countries. Instead, you must make this country a liveable place. For that purpose we must launch a struggle to change this system.

Once this political culture is changed, this country could be taken up to the level on par with other developed nations. None of those countries in the developed world had rulers similar to the thieves that we had been putting up with for the past 74 years. We must get rid of them and work to save this nation,” Dissanayake said.

He said that system changes should be introduced to all sectors to make them assets rather than liabilities on people. “One such is the state sector that should be made more efficient. Over the years, politicians have used the state sector to provide employment to their supporters. Out of every Rs. 100 coming into the treasury, Rs. 58 is spent on salaries and pensions of State sector employees. Every election application is accepted to provide employment opportunities,” he said recalling the manner the SLPP asked its supporters to fill out application forms for jobs at the Hambantota Port during the election period.

The state sector institutions are not organisations existing to merely provide employment to supporters of a particular political party. “Take the University of Sri Jayewardenepura for example. Political party supporters have been provided employment in excess of the requirement for entry-level jobs. There are 600 academic staff members at the university while it has over 4000 non-academic staff. Another example is Colombo Harbour. Five buses leave Matara daily with workers bound for the Colombo harbour after they have been employed by a politician who was from Matara while he was the Ports Minister,” Dissanayake said.

As it has been seen during the recent protests and agitations, people are demanding a system change. “However, nothing has really changed as far as the Government is concerned. The Government was still following the same old policies and corruption was rampant as before. Therefore the government should be sent home as a precursor of all other changes,” Dissanayake said.

– The Island

NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday (8) likened the Ranil Wickremesinghe Government to a group of Somali pirates who had captured a ship.

Moving a motion for debate during the adjournment of the House, Dissanayake said the Government should hold Local Authorities Elections by 20 March 2023.

“What we have today is not a government of people’s mandate. If you really care about the people’s mandate, the Government should hold elections. We hope the National Elections Commission will hold elections on time without being trapped by various snares set by the Government to postpone elections. We also tell former Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya that all know that the Government is trying to delay the elections by raising an issue of delimitation and ask him not to be complicit in this crime of depriving people of their franchise,” Dissanayake said.

He said, the statistics made available to the public by government agencies, international organisations, as well as the media showed a very dangerous situation. As per the latest UNICEF report, 5.7 million people including 2.3 million children need immediate humanitarian assistance.

He said, history shows that governments that choose suppression as their mode of governance had been consigned to the dustbin by people. “We demand the Government to tell the world for what reason they are detaining Inter University Students’ Federation Convenor Wasantha Mudalige and Inter University Bhikkhu Federation Convenor Ven. Galewela Siridhamma Thera.”

“This suppression by the Government against people will further isolate us in the international community. There is massive social unrest owing to poverty and the Government’s inability to solve the unemployment crisis. In the face of uprisings, people’s anger, and protests, the Government continues to appoint ministers and make use of suppression to hold onto power and keep on stealing. Our country being held by this makeshift government is akin to a ship held by a group of Somali pirates,” Dissanayake said.

By Gagani Weerakoon and Aloka Kasturiarachchi (Ceylon Today)