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| Thursday, 22 January 2004 |
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| Nimal slams Ranil, nails canards by Anura Maitipe Senior PA Parliamentarian and former Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday slammed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for spreading canards and trying to create panic among the public and the business community claiming that donor countries were not releasing funds following the President taking over three key Ministries. "This is merely a ruse to spread panic among the business community and the people for political gain," de Silva told the Daily News. Addressing a meeting at Naula, the Prime Minister charged that the President's action had caused a severe blow to the economy running into billions. The Prime Minister said the Rs. 20 billion IMF loan was being held back, economic growth stifled and the stock market plummeted as a result of the President's take over of the Ministries. Nailing the Prime Ministerial lie, the senior SLFPer cited the Central Bank report which showed that the economic performance had been in line with targets set in 2003. The projections for 2004, too, were favourable, he said. In addition, it was only a few days ago that the Asian Development Bank entered into an agreement with the Road Development Authority to fund Rs. 4.5 billion worth of road development work in the North-East. "The World Bank has also provided Rs. 995 million to continue its development programs for 2004," de Silva said. Donor agencies like the German Technical Corporation provided Rs. 480 million, Japanese International Corporation for Aid Rs. 228 million and AFDA provided Rs. 1343 million to continue on going projects in Sri Lanka, he said. "This alone is ample evidence that goes to show that the flow of foreign aid stands uninterrupted," the former minister claimed. In addition de Silva said tourism had recorded a 27.3 per cent growth over 2002 and arrivals from October to December last year helped boost the target of half a million tourist arrivals. Criticising the last UNP budget, the former Minister said the UNF prior to the budget, promised the masses milk and honey but with the implementation of the budget the cost of living has sky rocketed. The price of fertiliser shot up by 30 per cent leaving farmers in the lurch. Other essential food items have also risen by 20 per cent and Railway fares have been increased by 100 per cent, de Silva said. "This is the milk and honey the UNF has given the common people after lavishing all comforts and tax benefits on giant bookies and affluent classes who wine, dine and dance in five star hotels," de Silva said, adding in a lighter vein that the melody and music of Finance Minister K. N. Choksy's budget have driven the tempo up in inflation, unemployment, malnutrition and instability. |
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