රාවය

 

      RAWAYA - According to The Daily Mail, Parameswaran Subramaniyan, 28, had eased his ordeal by eating McDonald's burgers while on a hunger-strike outside the British Parliament to highlight the plight of Tamils.The Scotland Yard surveillance teams using specialist monitoring equipment had watched in disbelief as he tucked into the clandestine deliveries.The hunger strike and demonstrations had left the police with a $7.1 million overtime bill. The Scotland Yard made no official comment but senior sources said police decided against dragging the bogus hunger striker out of his tent for fear it would start a riot. But denies these a charges Speaking through an interpreter, hunger striker said: "This is a lie to break the strength of the hunger strike and the protest itself. It is not true at all. "This has been planted by the Sri Lankan government. We have contacted police and they said they did not release a comment on this or anything about it.Mr Subramaniyan's close friend, Sivendran Nadarajah, who accompanied him during his fast, said they are considering legal action.

              RAWAYA - The Govt. is presenting a ‘vote on account’ and not a budget , because the Govt. has no income to show for the next year . In the first four months of next year , the Govt. has no money even to pay the salaries of Govt. servants. Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe revealed this in Parliament yesterday (8).Meanwhile MP Lakshman Seneviratne questioned  , as to why the Govt. needs a further Rs. 34 billion for Defence Ministry even after the war is over. Even the Ministers are mystified ,and unaware as to why the govt. is seeking additional funds by a supplementary estimate , he added.The government income in 2008 is Rs.89,000 less than the estimated amount. The income expected by the 2008 budget was Rs.794,000 million. However, only Rs.663,000 million could be earned. The situation in 2009 is more critical. The income in 2009 could be less than the estimated income as well as the income in 2008. According to the report released by Ministry of Finance regarding mid year financial situation in the country, the income during the first five months of the year was 6.7% less than the same period in the previous year. The income other than from taxes has been reduced by 27.9%. Hence, the government is confronted with losing its income.  Also, the government is confronted with the issue of rising expenditure. According to the report mentioned above while the government income reduced by 10% in the first 4 months in 2009 the expenditure rose by 28% resulting in the budget deficit going up. The deficit during the first 7 months of the year was Rs.300,000 million which is 10.3% of the GNP. However, in the last budget the government expected to reduce this to 8%. According to the conditions signed with the IMF to obtain a loan the government has promised to reduce this to 5%. However, this would not be achieved now.  

                  

                    RAWAYA - Nimal Siripala de Silva told Parliament yesterday “The Government has decided to present a Vote on Account, It is not appropriate for the present Parliament to pass the Budget for 2010 as there would soon be a General Election,” “A new Parliament, a new Cabinet of Ministers will be appointed after the upcoming election and that new Parliament must be given the opportunity to pass a new Budget,” he said.The Government was ready to present a budget for 2010 and dates were also fixed. But, economic experts and political parties have stressed the Government that presenting a Budget for next year was not practical and suitable.“Therefore, we have decided to present a Vote on Account instead of Budget”, he said.“When the PA Government came to power in 1994, it presented a Vote on Account as there wasn’t sufficient time.Thereafter in 1999 for 2000, a Vote on Account was presented in view of the Presidential election.The Government which came to power in October 2000 too had presented a Vote on Account instead of a budget.The UNP Government that came to power in 2001 also presented a Vote on Account in February 2002.Therefore, the new Government elected to power must be given the opportunity to prepare a budget on the basis of its development programs.

       RAWAYA -  Speaking to the media at the UNP media unit today (7) said , the Govt. has got so accustomed to backstreet politics and deceitful tactics that it is unable to get over those habits even when it wishes to.  The President who thinks he is  successful because he wins elections more by foul than fair means , and by making speeches which appeal only to the gallery ,had stated in public with much gesticulation that he does not care whether or not  the country gets the GSP + benefits. After making the ‘Chandi’ talk before the gullible Sri Lankans , he, like a ‘nondia’ , desperately sends his representatives , Senior Presidential advisor Basil Rajapakse , his Defense secretary Gotabaya and others  to the EU  to beg secretly and get GSP+ concessions.  The latest move when everything is failing  is to send a  multi religious group to plead for the GSP+ .,he added..The Govt. is the architect of this GSP+ muddle. Had President followed Nelsen Mendela and acted democratically and adhered to the international pacts to protect human rights, media rights and Democratic freedoms of the people ; getting the GSP + is no hurdle. But , because the President is trying to emulate Robert Mugabe riding the high horse and acting anti Democratically and despotically that he has to resort to all the deceitful tactics and measures to obtain the GSP+ benefits , he pinpointed.It is the same overriding backstreet politics trait of the Govt. which is prompting it to present a vote on account instead of  the usual  budget this year giving false excuses. The Govt. which took the IMF loan in its desperation  abjectly surrendering to all the IMF conditions is now realizing that it cannot honor those undertakings given to the IMF via the budget . Hence , it is trying to present the vote on account and circumvent the IMF terms. One of the many stringent conditions of the IMF loan  is that the Govt. in its budget should increase its revenue by 4 % . The Govt. whose revenue has dropped just within the last six months  by 10 % is hard put to meet the IMF requirement . The only solution is to cruelly  increase the tax  burdens on the already reeling people . Can the Govt . conscionably do that when the people are already reeling paying a 35 % tax on all the purchases and goods ? he asked.For the same reason , Investors are not coming to SL , because they have to pay a 64 % tax out of their earnings , he lamented.Foreign aid to the country has also dwindled –it is down by 66% this year . The Foreign donors have lost faith in the Govt., its credibility and creditworthiness, he pinpointed.