Govt to provide another 50,000 jobs to graduates – Dr. Amunugama

“When we participate at public meetings, both unemployed graduates as well as their parents only plea they make is that the unemployed graduates be given jobs befitting their education. In the year 2005, by giving 55,000 jobs, we have complied with their request.Now at the second round of giving such jobs as advised by our President, further employment will be given to 50,000 such graduates.

“I must remind that in our entire history, there was no such era during which such a vast number of job opportunities had been given. During the UNP regime, when the graduates at Matara demanded that they be given jobs to enable them to live, the Police deployed thugs to hammer the graduates.

“The hammering severely injured the innocent agitators. We must remind ourselves of tragic incidents such as this.What a shameful situation it is when the UNP shed crocodile tears now!” said Senior Minister of International Monetary Co-operation and Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning Dr. Sarath Amunugama, on the occasion of the presentation of Letters of Appointments to Graduates of Galagedera.

“The type of politics we are engaged in is quite evident when we provide employment to the educated strata. Being a person engaged in politics, providing jobs to the unemployed has been a great satisfaction.

“I too read for a degree at the University and obtained a First Class after which I received an appointment as a Lecturer at the University and thereafter, passed the Ceylon Civil Service Examination, where I received my first appointment to the Ministry of Finance. On this occasion too, I am equally happy to see these young graduates receiving their appointments.

“I must point out that these graduates have been able to reach this position through dedication and efforts. I must further state that these appointments have been given through a method of transparency, thereby setting a magnificient example to our entire country. Our policy has been to employ graduates after an intensive period of one years’ training and deploy them to ministries where vacancies exist.

“Within a short period of time these graduates will receive employment in various Ministries, Departments, Corporations and Statutory Bodies. Presently, a larger number of such appointments have been provided to ministries involved in projects on development activities. Graduates who have received appointments would be placed on appropriate salary scales.

“It has been with a sense of deep dedication that the government had given these appointments. Expenditure that would otherwise have been ear-marked for other activities had been diverted towards the Graduate Employment Programme.

“It would be in the interest of our country to take forthright decisions that would be beneficial to us without going on a quest for cheap popularity. Taking hasty decisions on problems of this nature, would have disastrous consequences.

“As persons involved in decision making, it is imperative that we take such decisions which would not hamper our efforts to develop our country. Our endeavour should be to perform our duties and obligations as loyal citizens. I must state before this educated forum that our President thinks of the future of the country before taking decisions on matters that impinge on the lives of our people.

“If productivity is not increased, our country could not progress. At the time we gained Independence, there was a total population of 8 million.

“Today it has risen to 2.2 million. At the time we came into power, only about 8% of the people had electricity.

“By now we have supplied electricity to 90% of the people, by incurring a vast sum of money in subsidizing electricity. The government is further incurring heavy expenditure on education, health, fertilizer subsidy, salaries, infrastructural facilities, etc. Although people think that these be provided free, or if people demonstrate, yet the revenue of the Government does not by any means increase.

“The only means by which Government’s revenue would increase is by a concerted effort to increase productivity. Hence, we should make every effort to ensure that the income that the Government receives is spent carefully, very prudently and fruitfully. In the absence of such an approach, we cannot conceive of a prosperous Sri Lanka emerging in the future.

“If we are to take useful decisions as responsible citizens, we should invariably be prompted to act wisely in taking correct decisions. I wish to sincerely state that the President takes decisions on important matters by looking to the future of our country,” said Senior Minister “Dr. Amunugama.