Economy on sound footing - Minister Anura Yapa

Lakshmi DE SILVA

Sri Lanka's inflation rate declined last month from 6.6 percent to 5.9 percent and the economy is now on a sound footing heading towards a development path with five new ports, and an investment 10 times the Mahaweli River Diversion Scheme, Mass Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said.

The other development schemes include Uthuru Vasanthaya, Negenahira Udanaya rehabilitation and development programs of the North with Norochcholai coal power plant and Deduru Oya irrigation scheme, started by the present Government, Minister Yapa told the Cabinet press briefing yesterday.

"But it is not clear to us what Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had not seen any of the current development projects, is saying.

"I would like to invite him to my office at World Trade Centre to see for himself the reports and information on development work that are in progress," he said.

"It was during his [Wickremesinghe's] regime that all government assets were sold to private sector and he did not recruit a single employee.

"But President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government has allocated millions on road development, flyovers like the one in Dehiwala, infrastructure development in the North, rail road development and locomotives and other projects like irrigation schemes with assistance from Japan, China, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and aid from friendly nations," the Minister said.

Ranil Wickremesinghe is trying to lead the public down the garden path by using the words deshapremi (patriot) but it is difficult to go by his logic as he was the person who signed a traitorous pact with Prabhakaran, providing the terrorists with high-powered communication and broadcasting equipment. Probably the word deshadrohi (traitor) would fit him as it was his government that betrayed the Millennium City long range army unit to the terrorists, the Minister said.

Was it the person who safeguarded members of the Armed Forces and liberated the Tamil people being herded like cattle by the LTTE terrorists that was the patriot or a traitor?, he queried.