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Govt saved children from becoming cannon fodder - Tilak Marapana

from P.D.A.S. Gunasekera (Ratnapura Group Corr.)

The UNF government at the dawn of 2002, inherited a bankrupt Treasury and a totally-ruined economy, almost on the brink of collapse. The present government had within a matter of months saved the masses, their dear children from becoming cannon fodder in the ethnic war, and the people near-dying of starvation and want, said the Minister of Defence, Transport Highways and Civil Aviation Tilak Marapana at Ratnapura recently.

He said so, at a seminar-cum-workshop of party supporters including the members of the PS, SPC and other local bodies in the district, held at the New Town, Ratnapura. The Minister of Public Administration and Management Reforms Vajira Abeywardena, Deputy Finance Minister, Bandula Gunawardena, other Ministers and MPs of the district were among the participants.

Defence Minister Marapana said that the object of the seminar was to educate the members of all local government institutions, on the lines of establishing close rapport with the village and town, in rural areas, and to keep those at grassroot-level, well-informed to prevent them from being misled, by the sinister campaigns of mudslinging, and under-cover activities, to 'downplay' the efforts of the government to reduce the cost of living and improve the quality of life of the people, by the introduction of a better tax structure by the UNF, for the mere sake of opposition.

The Minister exhorted them to spare no pain, in reminding the people, how the PA government left the people to the fate of a raging ethnic-war, left the country's travel and transport in jeopardy, kept the roads blocked with barriers and ill-defended, exposed the towns, villages and cities and the government institutions to repeated bomb-blast and terrorists attack, without any positive solutions.

The Deputy Minister of Finance Bandula Gunawardena explained the value added tax. He said by the introduction of the new tax VAT, burden in the people had been lifted, sacrificing a considerable slice of revenue in terms of tax for the government.

He also explained how the prices of essential commodities like rice, rice-flour, infant food, bread and medical equipment etc. would be lowered soon, through the VAT. He said that the co-operation of the business community was necessary in that attempt. All those who failed to line-up with the government policy, in the lowering of prices would be severely dealt-with, he stressed.

Minister of Public Administration Vajira Abeywardena explained how the education of the masses, at grass roots level could prevent much of the mischief created by the opponents of the peace-process and the economic development of the UNF government. The opposition was only interested in discrediting the government for the purpose of grabbing power. They had no solutions for the ethnic-war or for economic recovery.

They belittle the government programs effected, obstructing them at every turn. It should be remembered that the mischief done by seven years of misrule and mismanagement could not be removed in matter of days, Minister Abeywardena told the gathering.

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