UNP vows to punish racketeers

By Kelum Bandara and Yohan Perera

The main opposition UNP said yesterday that under a UNP regime those found guilty of misappropriating public funds would be punished.

Chief Opposition Whip Joseph Michael Perera told parliament that more than 3.5 billion rupees had been wasted by establishing the now grounded ‘Mihin Lanka’ set up by presidential coordinating secretary Sajin Vas Gunawardane.

“We will punish such officials who robbed public money in this manner,” he said and added that the 30 per cent inflation rate in Sri Lanka was second only to that of Zimbabwe.

He said it was urgently necessary for the government to control the prices of essential commodities while considering concessionary rates for milk powder, sugar, dried fish, dhal, fresh fish and other items.

Mr. Perera said the government should also remove taxes imposed on crude oil purchased from Iran at a concessionary rate and bring down the fuel prices in the local market.

He proposed that as a cost cutting measure during this economically and politically crisis-ridden time the jumbo Cabinet should be reduced to 20.

“If you are unable to implement these proposals, it will be better for the government to quit office so that somebody capable can run this country,” Mr. Perera demanded.

House leader and senior Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said the UNP had painted a distorted picture of the economy and country was not in such a bad shape economically and the people were not forgoing their meals as the UNP alleged.

Responding to the UNP demand to quit office, he said the government was in office only on the given by the people.

“We will leave office when the people want us to do so,” the Minister said.