USD 3.8 bn in six months
Sri Lanka would be in a far more difficult situation if not for financial assistance provided by the government of India, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake told ‘Hiru’ on Monday (17) night.
Dissanayake compared the assistance provided to the tune of USD 3.8 bn, within 6 months, with USD 2.9 bn promised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over a period of four years.
The JVPer appreciated Indian taxpayers’ coming to Sri Lanka’s rescue, at a time when the government was unable to meet even the basic needs of the population.
Lawmaker Dissanayake faulted the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government for failing to consult Parliament, before announcing bankruptcy status on April 12.
Acknowledging that the then Finance Minister, Ali Sabry, PC, accepted the responsibility for the announcement made by Central Bank Governor, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, MP Dissanayake questioned whether the government created an environment conducive for IMF’s intervention.
Sri Lanka has received IMF facilities on 16 occasions before in the face of balance of payments issues.
Asserting that the situation continued to deteriorate, in spite of the government announcements to the contrary, lawmaker Dissanayake warned of a fresh round of public protests against the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government. The JVP leader urged the public to desist from violence. In case, the public resorted to violence, the government would exploit the situation, to unleash the police and the military.
MP Dissanayake said that the public shouldn’t expect the Rajapaksas and Wickremesinghe to be sensitive to their woes. Condemning the violence directed at politicians, in May, MP Dissanayake pointed out that of Rs 204 mn damages caused by protesters at the then Premier Wickremesinghe’s Kollupitiya residence, damages caused to his official car was estimated at Rs 195 mn. “Do you expect such a person to be sensitive to public woes?” the JVPer Leader asked. (SF)