• SJB cites Govt. not walking the talk, JVP-NPP claims fantasy

The main Parliamentary Opposition Parties, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) led National People’s Power (NPP) emphasise that the national transformation plan presented to the country by President and Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies Ranil Wickremesinghe would not be successful in action.

When contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday (5), SJB Parliamentarian Kabir Hashim said that the SJB is hesitant about the success of this programme as there is a huge difference between the words and actions of the Government. Hashim also said that the Government has not yet taken a realistic approach to address the consequences of the ongoing economic crisis even though they have presented numerous programmes in the recent past. He noted that the incumbent Government neglected an economic roadmap prepared by the SJB economic team which is much similar to the roadmap presented by the President on 1 June. “In 2022, we presented a roadmap called the ‘Common Minimum Programme’ to the Government and asked them to discuss that plan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). We did it because we have understood that we need a domestic plan to deal with the IMF. But, the Government threw it away. Now, again, they have made a similar plan and presented it to the public,” he said. However, Hashim said that they have understood the importance of implementing the four major pillars of principles presented by the President, but are not sure whether the President and his Government would be able to put their words into action. He further noted that the Government has failed to address major economic issues such as the downfall of the domestic manufacturing sector, the lack of economic growth, and the closure of small and medium scale businesses. “The said national transformation plan contains many good proposals. But, we do not see any change in the Government’s direction. They are following the same old path in addressing the current issues. No financial transparency at all. No peoples’ mandate. Therefore, it is uncertain whether the country can achieve what it wants to,” he said.

Meanwhile, speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday, NPP MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said that the national transformation plan presented by President Wickremesinghe is far from reality and that it is completely based on illusionary facts which are impractical. She also said that the particular roadmap would not be able to address the burning issues of the people in Sri Lanka as it has no connection to the reality of the lives of the people. “If someone listened to the statement delivered by the President, he/she could understand that it is not a practical plan to implement. What we understood is that it has been prepared without any knowledge on the issues faced by the ordinary people in Sri Lanka. It was full of illusionary facts which are far from reality. It has no impact on the lives of the people. We have to say that this plan is an old one which is covered by new words,” she said.