The Samagi Jana Balawegaya requests the government to put an end to political spectacles and grant concessions to the public. Addressing a media briefing in Colombo today, Parliamentarian SM Marikkar said the government should focus on a programme to provide relief to the public who have been heavily affected by the prevailing economic crisis.
He said the current debt restructuring proposed by the International Monetary Fund will not provide immediate results adding it will take six to seven months before results will be visible. The MP charged the government of having an inefficient primary management and attributed the depreciation of the rupee and increase in fuel prices to the current manner of governance.
MP Marikkar said the SJB requested the government at the beginning of the crisis to hold discussions with parties with whom Sri Lanka entered into loan agreements and adopt a floating exchange rate policy. He claimed if such action was taken the value of the USD would not have exceeded Rs.230-235.
The MP claimed if the rupee was floated and the value of the dollar stabilised, Sri Lanka would have received its usual USD 650 million in monthly remittances from expatriates and received sufficient foreign earnings to meet its import demand. MP Marikkar said the current price hikes could have been avoided if such steps were taken.
On a separate note, MP Marikkar commenting on the official visit of the Indian Minister of External affairs S. Jaishankar said Dr. Jaishankar’s visit followed the Chinese Foreign Ministers visit to India. The MP questioned the motives of the Indian Foreign Minister’s visit.
He also condemned Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa’s recent visit to India claiming that the Finance Minister signed three agreements in secret under conditions that were not presented to Parliament. The MP claimed more agreements between Sri Lanka and India have been drawn up and are prepared to be signed adding the public is not made aware of the terms of the agreements.
MP Marikkar charged the government of compromising national security adding that sensitive information may be passed on to foreign parties. The MP said the government is betraying the country through such agreements.
