PM's claims of stabilizing economy and settling debt questionable

COLOMBO (News 1st):- A program to construct and hand over to the public 1000 projects in Mawathagama Kurunegala commenced today (August 18) under the auspices of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Under the program, a new three-storied building at the Mawathagama National School was declared open today by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister also declared open the new divisional secretariat of Mawathagama. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also attended a meeting at the Saamodaya Mawathagama grounds. Speaking at the event, Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said that Rs. 400 million was disbursed to every electorate under the Gamperaliya program. He further said that under his leadership that the Samurdhi which was Rs. 14,000 million was increased to a sum of Rs. 45,000 million and questioned which government had ever treated the poor of the country so well or treated the state sector employees well. He continued to question the people on how they think that the government got funds for development and construction of roads in the country, and assured the people that the country is not bankrupt. The Minister added that their leader is one who has fought hard to bring in funds for projects. The Prime Minister also speaking at the event, said that he was handed over the government without a majority in parliament in August 2015 and that he was questioned if he could take forward this government. He had not left the government halfway since he was given this power and mandate. He further said that under this government they have done more things than previous governments who had a 2/3 rd majority since they brought the economy of this country to a stable state and that they were able to pay back the debt of the country. The Prime Minister added that even if a person was employed in the private sector, the public sector, a farmer, an entrepreneur or fishermen that their income was increased to a sum between 50% - 100%. One of the statements made by the Prime Minister today cannot be contested. That is the fact that he took over a government with no majority in parliament. Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as a Prime Minister when he did not command the confidence of a majority in parliament when President Maithripala Sirisena won the presidential election in 2015. However, the people of this country are privy to the fact that the statement made by Ranil Wickremesinghe regarding the general public of this country is far from the truth. Immediately after taking office Prime Minister Wickremesinghe appointed his close accomplice Arjuna Mahendran to the position of Governor of the Central Bank and set the stage for the Central Bank Bond scam, the proceeds of which would go on to benefit more members of his inner circle. He now boasts of development after allowing his associates to rob the hard-earned money of the people in the Employees Provident Fund and cause an immediate loss of Rs. 700 million to the EPF. The Prime Minister who claims he fixed the economy continued to line the pockets of his associates by setting the stage for the Central Bank to be looted for the second year in a row in 2016. While the total loss of the second bond scam has not been calculated as yet the immediate loss to the EPF which holds the money of the hard-working Sri Lankans of this country was Rs. 8500 million. Will the general public believe the Prime Minister's statement that he increased the income of the people when the money of the general public was blatantly robbed in broad daylight? It is a known fact that the Prime Minister who says he paid off all the countries debt had done so with more loans from overseas. The debt burden of the country had increased by Rs. 4164 billion during the four-year tenure of this government. The man who awarded unsound investment projects to his close friends and damaged the investor confidence is now saying that he increased the income of all Sri Lankans. The Volkswagen factory, The Hambantota oil refinery, the Horana tyre factory, the Central Expressway are a few of these tainted projects that the people still remember. What will be the Prime Minister's response when he is questioned on what job opportunities were created by these projects or how much the foreign revenue that these projects brought into the country? How can the Prime Minister who sold the Hambantota port a national asset of the country after branding it as a white elephant, be hailed as the saviour of the island's economy? A presidential commission is investigating into the damages caused due to the storage of paddy at the Mattala Airport. Should the general public of the country believe the Prime Minister who appointed his close associates to head the national airline and left it in ruins, and now is looking for buyers to sell it off? According to the people, these are not statements that could be made by a person in his proper senses.