Senior UNP leader and Parliamentarian Karu Jayasuriya has issued a clarion call for party unity saying that the main opposition United National Party had the best possible team to lead the country out of the doldrums.
Addressing a media briefing in his private office in Kirulapone on February 7th , the Karu Jayasuriya said that with the economy in shambles and ordinary people struggling to find ways to survive under crushing poverty, the country was beginning to look once more towards the UNP to lift the country out of grave economic turmoil.
“We have a very strong team. What we need is amity and unity and a team concept. What matters is to play as a team without getting out hit-wicket. Then we can win. And our victory will be a victory of the people,” Jayasuriya said.
The salient points stated by Karu Jayasuriya at the Press Conference were –
· Unbearable cost of living is the biggest grievance of the people at present. There are thousands of families who struggle daily to find a square meal.
· The gap between the haves and have nots is widening. This is not uncommon in a country full of corruption. We are worried about the resulting unrest.
· It was reported during the past few days of some incidents where a senior state officer was demanding 10% commission from a tenderer. An attempt by an army officer to rob a bank disguised as a Muslim woman. An incident was reported from Horana, where a girl student being taken into police custody for removing 08 coconuts from a coconut land, to find Rs.800/=, needed to paint the school building, as her poverty stricken parents could not afford to give her that money.
· It was reported about a daughter who lives in a shack under the Kelani Bridge, who finds it difficult to obtain an University education in the commerce stream due to financial difficulties, although she has 3 A passes.
· This is a good indicator of the debasement and how our society is stricken by poverty.
· It is regretted that the rulers have failed to understand this reality. When 20% of the population enjoys 54% of the gross national income, 40% get only 4.5%. The government should draw the attention to the unrest which can erupt, if action is not taken to bridge this gap.
· Balance 40% are monthly paid employees of the public sector and private sector. Most of them eke out a living through short term loans and credit cards which levy very high rates of interest.
· In this context 80% of the population suffer from deprivation. As a result we are faced with another social issue. According to the World Health Organization a person needs 2030 calories daily just to survive. Malnutrition is spreading fast. Our next generation will be very weak due to this fact. When the body is not growing, the growth of the mind is reduced. This is an adverse trend for a country. A family of 4 needs minimum of Rs.30,000/= a month just to survive.
· When things are happening in this manner instead of reducing the cost of living, waste of money by the government is increasing. The government is reluctant to give some relief through taxes levied from essential food items. Compared to many other countries in the world taxes levied from food items in our country are at a higher level. It is the people who pay through taxes when more government institutions waste public money. There is no limit to the waste of public funds due to mismanagement by the government.
· Waste of large sums of money for state functions, felicitations, birthday commemorations is a crime against the nation. Corruption in the state sector is increasing daily. Authorities have failed to prevent large scale robberies and extortions controlled by criminals within the prison premises. This is the result of a politicized society. There is a huge deterioration in the state sector due to political appointments. The time has dawned when the provincial politicians of the government take part in murders without any fear. A Deputy Mayor is the key suspect in the murder of a Buddhist monk in Moratuwa.
· We have become a nation which borrows to pay debts. We obtain loans at a higher rate of interest. According to the latest statistics at the end of the year 2012, each citizen is indebted to the tune of Rs.300,000/=, in our national debt.
· Billions of rupees have been wasted in the name of development for projects started without any initial studies. The “Lambogini” culture we witnessed recently is a part of this wasteful process of the government.
· Due to these various reasons people have come forward demanding a new management. This is a new development.
· People have started to talk about the way the United National Front Government turned the Zero economy into a positive economy in 2001, planned for a massive economic development, solved the power cuts within the fixed time limits, rehabilitated the lives of people by re- constructing 49000 houses destroyed by floods and earth slips, within six months; how the Petroleum Corporation, Sri Lankan Airlines were making profits in billions, although they make losses now and the Ceylon Electricity Board which was a huge burden on the government was nearing to turn into a profit making entity.
· It is the United National Party which provided the best management to the country. Therefore the time has arrived for the United National Party to come forward to re-build the country. We have a very strong team. What we need is amity and unity and team concept. We have enough balls to play. What matters is to play as a team without getting hit wicketted. Then we can win. That victory is the victory of the people