'Govt should make Budget victory more meaningful'

by Ananda Kannangara

A bank executive, Sellahewa Shanmuganathan of Wellawatta said this Government has been fighting the war in the proper manner when compared to other governments in the past.

"I feel the LTTE can be defeated before long; therefore, I appeal to the public to bear the high cost of living with patience until the war is ended."

Public sector employee, Arundathi Liyanage urged the Government MPs to make the Budget victory more meaningful by initiating more agricultural and tourism development projects.

"The unemployment problem is becoming worse and worse rapidly, and the Government has yet to start large scale development projects to provide jobs to the youth".

An employee of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, K. Sriyanga said the prices of essential commodity items had skyrocketed.

"Therefore, I will make a fervent request to the Government to bring some measures to reduce the cost of living, considering the pathetic situation of the downtrodden people who voted for this Government to office.

A Management Assistant in a state department, Kamalika Gunatunga said: "I must tell you that I have not seen any concrete proposal to solve the unemployment problem".

A State sector bank cashier, Gayan Katugampola of Ingiriya the situation clearly indicates that the Government has to commit more to improve the living conditions of the people and therefore I urge the authorities not to impose more and more taxes for the sake of at least 60 per cent of the very poor sector in society".

Schoolteacher, Gunatunga Jayasinghe of Panadura said, "I will request the members of Parliament not to be overjoyed regarding a budget victory".

He said first of all the MPs must see what sort of development programs they initiated in their own areas to upgrade the living conditions of the people.

"We are happy over the commitment, made by the Government in her war effort but feel sorry to tell that the prices of essential commodity items have gone up. Therefore I urge the Government to increase the salaries of public servants".

A Postal Department worker, P. Solangaarachchi was happy over the budget victory and asked the Government to initiate more programs to develop the economy with foreign collaborations.

"Although the Government has taken some viable steps to stop the war, still it has not focused much attention towards economic development," he said.

Attorney-at-Law Dakshina Nanayakkara of Moratuwa said, "the real victory could be achieved only if the Government takes steps to reduce the prices of essential food items."

A retired Police Inspector Nihal Gunadasa asked why the Government does not focus due attention over the cultivating of large number of uncultivated lands as well as home fertiliser manufacturing projects.

Undergraduate, Sulochana Adihetti of Maharagama said, "my personal opinion is that we cannot be satisfied over certain budget proposals. Actually the downtrodden sector in the country has been overlooked and I ask the authorities to uplift the tourism industry, since many people depend on tourism for their livelihood".

She also said the Budget has not focused any attention on people engaged in the construction industry and many of them had stopped house and building construction due to the escalating prices of building materials. "Therefor, I appeal to the Government not to increase taxes on building materials, such as cement, iron and asbestos".

An Advanced Level student, A.R.M. Mujahith of Ampara said, fisher families living in his area have faced immense problems due to the high cost of living.

He also requested the Government to look into the matters of tsunami victims as several of them have been rendered homeless and they have not been provided with housing.

A Secretary of a mercantile establishment, Kumudinee Hewawasam said, "True, the Government won the Budget due to the indirect support given by the JVP". She therefore, urged the Ministers to start job oriented programs in their villages for the sake of the unemployed youth. He said like the people in the country, the parliamentarians too must voluntarily help the Government by curtailing their unnecessary spending.

"We are aware that we do not want such a large Cabinet and hundreds of deputy Ministers for this small country, therefore I request the ministers and deputy ministers to resign from their portfolios and give a firm assurance to the President that they will never desert him if he reduces the Cabinet to thirty as in France and Australia.

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