Budget 2012 offers relief to all, encourages development - S B

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

Budget 2012 offers relief to all social groups and the entire public. It also encourages the country's development, said Higher Education Minister

S.B. Dissanayake during an interview with the Daily News.

Q: How will the Sri Lankan public receive benefits from the 2012 budget?

A: Budget 2012 offered relief to all social groups and the entire public. At the same time it encourages the country's development. Funds have been allocated for de-mining and resettlement of IDPs as well as to restore electricity, water supply, railway and all other facilities which were destroyed by the LTTE.

Funds have been allocated to carpet roads in the North and to build schools, hospitals, etc as well as for disabled soldiers and their families. The budget has not forgotten the elderly as funds have been allocated for the welfare of elders over the age of 70. Pregnant mothers, Samurdhi recipients, media personnel etc have been covered by the budget.

The fisheries industry, small-scale industries, minor export crops etc will receive benefits from this budget. Rs.40 billion is allocated for the fertilizer subsidiary. Tax on agricultural equipment has been removed.

Q: What do you think about the behaviour of the Opposition during the budget speech?

A: The main Opposition of the country has a responsibility to behave in a more disciplined manner when the leader of the country visits Parliament with the budget proposals. The TNA, JVP and other political parties did not behave badly like the UNP did. They invited trouble and started to shout stating that they had been attacked.

The UNP displayed placards with the word ‘Shame’ during the budget speech. Why is that? The Opposition is free to criticize the budget in Parliament but they tried to provoke the members of the government party.

Q: Comment on the role of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) in finding a solution for the ethnic issue.

A: Leading political parties, politicians belonging to all ethnicities, religious leaders, various movements etc are responsible for this issue. Giving step-motherly treatment for the development of the North and East, using the ethnic issue to come to power etc are some of the offences. But now that past era is over. President Mahinda Rajapaksa did what all other leaders failed to do and ended the war.

The benefit goes to the people in the North and East because they do not need to run into the jungle at night to protect their children and do not need to pay ransom.

Today the country's growth rate is over eight per cent while the growth rate of the North is 23 percent.

The PSC is to be appointed to allow all political parties in the country to get together, discuss and find a practical and permanent solution for the ethnic issue.

The LTTE caused destruction to the country, killed thousands of people and destroyed billions of rupees worth property. It is a joke if anyone is still forwarding LTTE demands.

The government will never give into LTTE demands. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the TNA and the UNP to assist the government to find a justifiable solution through the PSC.

Q: The split of the JVP is now clear. What will be their future in Sri Lankan politics?

A: Not only the JVP but all extremist leftist elements have already been destroyed worldwide. All socialist movements opted to a new path but the JVP is clearly with ‘Das Capital’ mentality.

They have no base in society and cannot win the people's consent without changing themselves according to the present world.

Today the JVP faces this destruction because they just pretended that they learned lessons from 1988 – 1989 violence but they always wanted violence, weapons and an armed struggle.

The JVP completely destroyed the democratic system of electing student representatives in state universities and kept some of their top leaders in secret places after pretending that they died in 1988 – 1989 era. The JVP is still hiding the weapons they used in 1988 – 1989 insurgency.

Some popular leaders such as Wimal Weerawansa walked out of the party because of this situation. The downfall of the party was something unbearable for the rebels who always wish for an armed struggle. But they cannot change.

They are now attacking the party. They are the group which tries to establish links with pro-LTTE elements. The objective of such elements is to break countries such as India to pieces and generate another war in Sri Lanka.

The special attention of the Sri Lankan government needs to be paid to this issue.

The pro-LTTE shadows are still there. The danger has not yet faded away completely.

The duty of all democratic elements in the North is to support the massive development process launched by the Sri Lankan government to develop the North.

They should not give in to pro-LTTE elements in the world.

Q: As one of the former sports ministers, what do you think about losing the bid to hold 2018 Commonwealth games?

A: Fighting to win the bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games itself is the best example that Sri Lanka can provide to the world to prove its honesty. It provides the best reply to fabricated accusations pointed at Sri Lanka in connection with the Humanitarian Operation. MP Namal Rajapaksa led this fight and did the best he can. This fight is a pride to Sri Lanka and showed the whole world the honesty, accuracy, courage and power of our motherland.

The pro-LTTE INGOs and NGO which were chased away from the country during the humanitarian operation are still struggling to launch a conspiracy against Sri Lanka with the assistance of world super powers. Some countries such as Canada openly admitted this and some other countries such as Australia had similar elements worked with the same objective. It is President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the only Sri Lankan President who focuses on sports economy.

When President Premadasa built the Sugathadasa Stadium our per capita income was less than US $ 500.

But today we produced world class sportsmen and Olympic level sportswomen because of those stadiums. We climbed up the ladder of world sports because of such stadiums. Such stadiums helped us to climb to the top of world cricket and produce world class cricketers such as Muralitharan.

Malaysia held the Commonwealth Games when its per capita income was just US $ 600. The development drive was accelerated after the event.

Today our per capita income is over US $ 2,000. We need to march forward with globalization and reach to the top.

Q: There is a huge protest against the Malambe Private Medical Faculty. Comment.

A: In 1987 late President J.R. Jayewardena gazetted the Ragama Private Medical Faculty and it was displayed on a small piece of board.

He had the power to do so according the University Act. But I did not do that. I handed over all recommendations to the University Grant Commission (UGC).

After 18 sessions of long meetings and lengthy discussions they carefully examined it and granted permission to accept the Malabe Private Medical Faculty and offer Medical Degrees.

The professors and doctors attached to state medical faculties work there and now in the process of building a Teaching Hospital.

They expect to complete it by March next year. The JVP is behind all those protests. They are against everything including producing a nurse with a science degree. They are against paramedics taking MBBS and becoming as qualified as them. They are selfish and jealous.

Q: Bombs were found on the roof of the Sri Jayewardanapura University. How will you ensure the safety of undergraduates?

A: The bombs found on the rooftop of the university were old ones. They could belong to 1988 – 1989 insurgency period.

But this JVP ‘Anthare’ (Inter University Students Federation belonging to the JVP) is now with the JVP rebels and not with the main party.

This group believes in violence, weapons and especially an armed struggle. We are very concerned and vigilant about this situation.