“Ranil Wickramasinghe says in the budget speech that our country has never fallen into such an abyss in recent history. People know that. Ranil Wickramasinghe, who served as Prime Minister five times and is also responsible for pushing the country into such an abyss, comes out with such a story. People know that they fell into this abyss because of policies followed by the likes of Ranil Wickramasingha. He also tells a wonderful story: “some people in our country still do not understand the seriousness of this crisis. They sneer at hardships and difficulties. They are like crabs that enjoy the water until the fire heats up.” Who are these crabs that pushed the country towards an economic crisis, locked the country in the snare of debt, destroyed children’s education, denied employees their jobs and pushed the people into malnutrition? Who are the crabs that destroyed this country? The people of this country are not the crabs who have stolen until the water boils, looted public wealth and deposited it in foreign accounts. The same band of thieves is now talking about the crabs enjoying themselves until the water gets hot. The public has to pay taxes to put out the fire started by those who looted the central bank and bonds and gave them to their friends. The people had to pay a large fine to extinguish the fire. Children have to starve to put out those fires. It was not the people but the crabs who ruled the country happily in the water until the heat got hot that destroyed the country. It has always been the people who had to pay the compensation,” says Sunil Handunneththi, Politburo Member of the JVP and former Chairman of COPE.
He said this at a press conference held at the JVP head office at Pelawatta yesterday (2nd).
Speaking further, Mr Handuneththi said, “”Ranil Wickramasinghe has presented an interim budget for the next few months, and the International Monetary Fund has decided to provide 2.9 billion dollars in an extended schedule of 48 months according to their official level agreements. This press conference is held to explain our position regarding these two issues.
The budget has been submitted to the conditions of the IMF to get the meagre amount expected from them rather than finding answers to the crises. It is very sad and funny that most of the Pohottuwa Party (SLPP)) had to raise their hands to the budget brought by Rajapaksa’s Wickramasinghe. They had to raise their hands to the budget brought by Ranil Wickramasinghe, who had been criticized by them earlier. Interestingly, they had to raise their hands on behalf of the International Monetary Fund.
Ranil calls this budget “the agreement with the International Monetary Fund and the preparation of a specific framework for economic stabilization and revival through the 2023 budget”. It is clear that the proposals are presented according to the agreements with the IMF. It is also expected to maintain the economy beyond 2023.
How can an unstable government present a stable budget? Even the IMF has emphasized the need for a stable government mandated by the people. There is no answer to the economic crisis in this budget, and the lack of policy has been confirmed by the instability that has arisen in politics. This will be seen during the budget voting. Even those who criticized Ranil Wickramasinghe have had to raise their hands to put Ranil Wickramasinghe’s policies into action.
“Ranil Wickramasinghe says in the budget speech that our country has never fallen into such an abyss in recent history. People know that. Ranil Wickramasinghe, who served as Prime Minister five times and is also responsible for pushing the country into such an abyss, comes out with such a story. People know that they fell into this abyss because of policies followed by the likes of Ranil Wickramasingha. He also tells a wonderful story: “some people in our country still do not understand the seriousness of this crisis. They sneer at hardships and difficulties. They are like crabs that enjoy the water until the fire heats up.” Who are these crabs that pushed the country towards an economic crisis, locked the country in the snare of debt, destroyed children’s education, denied employees their jobs and pushed the people into malnutrition? Who are the crabs that destroyed this country? The people of this country are not the crabs who have stolen until the water boils, looted public wealth and deposited it in foreign accounts. The same band of thieves is now talking about the crabs enjoying themselves until the water gets hot. The public has to pay taxes to put out the fire started by those who looted the central bank and bonds and gave them to their friends. The people had to pay a large fine to extinguish the fire. Children have to starve to put out those fires. It was not the people but the crabs who ruled the country happily in the water until the heat got hot that destroyed the country. It has always been the people who had to pay the compensation.
There is a situation where political instability is revealed during the budget voting. Compliance with the financial fund is also included in the budget proposals. The previously reduced VAT has been increased again to 15%. VAT is being increased in the background of food inflation up to 90% and other goods up to 66%. When VAT is implemented from September 1st, taxes will also be added to goods released to the market before that. Due to this, the price of goods increases very much. Even though the increase in the price of cigarettes is announced, the prices of everything, including food, telephone bills, etc. of the common people are increasing. How can people bear this tax without salary increases and income sources? Also, what is the purpose of the government by opening an income tax file for every person over 18 years of age? Today unemployment has increased. 28% of 24-35-year-olds are unemployed. Why start a tax file for them too, what does the government expect? This will please the IMF.
But the leaders and rulers of the government have not given up a single privilege. Nothing of theirs has been reduced from the expenses of the President, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers. They have been increased. It is imposed on the people to maintain it at the minimum level. And who are the crabs? Even during the economic crisis, the crabs are happy and have burdened the people.
Selling loss-making state-owned enterprises has also been done. Privatization, known by various names in history, is ready to resume. It was the existing governments that bankrupted these institutions. Government institutions have been dismantled and are now being prepared to be sold to meet the conditions of the financial fund. I have been quoted in the President’s budget speech called Public Enterprise Reform. When we point out that governments have caused losses to public institutions through things like garlic tax fraud and sugar tax fraud, they use the phrase “Hundunneththi too says the government should not do business”. Have you done what Handunneththi has said? Have you worked to improve these? No. By giving political appointments to their own people and using the public property as private property, those institutions collapsed. It was not the people who made the wrong decision to buy planes and cancel the purchase agreements for the profitable Sri Lankan Airlines. The people who brought those destructions are making the people forget the past that made them bankrupt to prepare the opinion to sell them now.
If the governments made the public institutions in a loss-making situation, they should now hand them over to those who can make them profitable. In the history of this country, governments have not intervened and made public businesses free from politics. Businesses have always been politicized. Of course, the government should maintain public utility services. Those who are qualified for that should be appointed to the boards as directors. Institutions like the Electricity Board, Petroleum Corporation, etc. are essential for the sovereignty of our country. But they are to be taken by other governments or institutions of other countries. India runs institutions that the Sri Lankan government cannot run with profit. By subordinating the supervision of the to the power of the Parliament, these institutions can be run more safely than the private sector by getting them to be supervised by the Auditor General’s Department and getting them to be accountable to Parliament. But the Board of Directors, which changed every five years, brought down the institutions. Those responsible for this have got themselves free from responsibility and are also trying to sell using our words. They use our words also to sell. The 2.9 billion dollars the IMF gives is for this.
The monkey dancer gives a banana to the money only if it jumps or dances. It is said the IMF will give some dollars to name the institutions that should be sold. It is not given at once. It is said that this amount will be paid in instalments over 48 months, like showing the banana to the monkey. Loans will only be given if taxes are increased, people’s benefits are cut, and institutions are sold. This is how the IMF handles Sri Lanka’s economy.
Conditions are set to implement their proposals Then, only the loan will be given during a period spread out for four years. Oil, milk powder, and medicines cannot be imported from these loans. Nor can it be used to give relief to people. It can only be used to increase foreign reserves. They can take loans only if there are people who want to give loans after showing the stability of reserves. In the end, the remaining economic centres and resources will have to be sold. This is why profitable Telecom and Insurance corporations are being sold. Even though they claim that the Electricity Board, and the Petroleum Corporation are running at a loss, they are also trying to sell institutions that are profitable. This undermines Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and security to carry on its political and economical journey. These actions are being carried out according to the policies of Ranil Wickramasinghe, whose move is to protect his class.
The burning issues of the fishermen have not been discussed in this budget. The price of eggs will not decrease. The fertilizer is not given to the farmer. Farmers’ crops and plantations are being destroyed. Nothing has been discussed in this budget. On the part of the working people, they are preparing to remove the Termination of Service Act. Now the rate of job loss is high. The right to fair compensation for those who lose their jobs is abolished by repealing the Termination of Service Act. If loss-making institutions are sold, the most loss-making institutions in Sri Lanka, the Treasury and the Parliament, will not be sold. They are working to sell public institutions that can be developed if the politics of the government is removed. Many proposals in this budget claim to help the unstable sections of the population. A very small amount of public money has been allocated for them. The media mostly talks about the very meagre amount that is said to be given to the affected people. Giving them is not a problem. But a method to remove the discomfort of the entire society should be prepared. The burden of VAT is imposed on the entire population. The concessions will be given to a few people according to a political agenda.
The retirement age of 60 will increase the number of retirees. Accordingly, there is no mention of the measures to be followed for creating jobs for a new group of people. Especially due to the increase in bank interest, pensioners cannot pay their house loans. The entire salary of military, police and other pensioners has to be paid as the loan instalment.
This budget is presented entirely to please the International Monetary Fund, and at the end of the budget speech, Finance Minister said that “we are the only ones spinning in the same place – we are the only ones who are left behind by the world”. But this should be changed to “we were the only ones who turned around -” because the new generation in Sri Lanka does not want to stay in one place. They need to move forward with the world. Unfortunately, no suitable rulers were appointed for such a journey.
Ranil Wickramasinghe has been in the Parliament for 40 years, became the Prime Minister for five terms, and spun Sri Lanka on the same axis. Ranil and the Rajapaksas all sucked our essence to go to the world. Our country’s money was put in other countries’ bank accounts. In the end, they and their friends went to the world. Instead of the people turning around in one place, a strong, stable and people-loving government should be established that can change it. Without that, these crises cannot be solved.”

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The post Crabs that caused the economic crisis & destroyed the country – Sunil Handunneththi reveals appeared first on LankaTruth.