JVP’s private property ownership policy: NPP responds to Sajith

February 18, 2023 at 3:27 PM

Issuing a statement, the National People’s Power Party (NPP) has responded to the concern raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, on the JVP’s polices on private property ownership.

“NPP is made up of a number of parties, groups and a group of civil society members. Each of those parties and groups has their own policies and they have come together as the NPP”, the NPP statement read.

It further said that the party seeks power from the people to implement the common program agreed upon by all of the constituent members of the NPP and that those policies are stated on the NPP web page (https://www.npp.lk/policies/).

“In this situation, it appears that some opponents are making a vicious attempt to misrepresent the programs of the NPP in order to mislead the public by citing the positions presented by the JVP as a party. We hope you will be able to understand this with wisdom.” The statement further read.

Earlier today via a Twitter message, citing the JVP website, Sajith Premadasa said that the JVP’s proposal to eliminate private property ownership is deeply concerning and that he firmly believes such extreme measures would do more harm than good. (NewsWire)

NPP Full statement 

National People’s Power (NPP) is made up of a number of parties, groups and a group of civil society members. Each of those parties and groups has their own policies and they have come together as the NPP against the destruction wrought by the two main parties that have ruled this country for 75 years. The NPP seeks power from the people to implement the common program agreed upon by all of the constituent members of the NPP. These policies are clearly stated on the NPP web page (https://www.npp.lk/policies/). The contribution of the public sector, the contribution of the private sector and the contribution of the public are identified separately in the economy and how the country’s economy can be boosted in a collective policy is elaborated there.

In this situation, it appears that some opponents are making a vicious attempt to misrepresent the programs of the NPP in order to mislead the public by citing the positions presented by the JVP as a party. We hope you will be able to understand this with wisdom.

A more detailed idea about the economic program implemented by the NPP can be obtained from the speech made by the NPP leader Anura Dissanayake at the Economic Forum on 24.01.2023 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZhueJzdjtM). He states:

“Increasing the production of goods and services, involving the people in the process of production, a part of the production is distributed fairly among the people. How do we do this? If we increase the production of goods and services, several things are expected. Today, small and large-scale entrepreneurs are working instinctively. There was a time when the world was moving on instincts. That was many years ago. Today, many business people are carrying forward the businesses started by their grandfathers. The new entrepreneur is built on data, data analysis, information gathered from data analysis and predictions based on these. Yet, this is not happening in our society. For example, in the construction industry, our government will set targets for you, i.e. these are the number of houses we need in the future, this many industries are needed, this amount of raw materials are needed for this amount of industry, this amount of construction companies are needed, in 2026 we will bring the construction industry up to this level, etc. We invite the investor to collaborate in these programs.

Did any finance minister in Sri Lanka invite you to invest in that sector based on the data information forecast? Investors and businessmen are in a panic about what will happen the day after tomorrow. All investments in Sri Lanka stop about two months before a budget comes. Why? Because there is doubt about what will be done in the next budget. Even if you hope to buy a car, you do not buy a car. Do not sell too. The country’s economy stops when the budget is presented. Due to the lack of data information, it is necessary to check before making any investment. So we will give you the information, goals, and predictions you need. Invest in this. For example, in 2030, the tourism industry is expected to increase to this point; these inputs are expected from tourism. For that, we present to you the plan that requires this many five-star rooms, four-star rooms, guides, vehicles, etc. You invest accordingly. The government is not going to build hotels. A large number of our small and medium enterprises have collapsed. They try to move to other investments. The government should intervene to prevent the collapse of entrepreneurs. They should be encouraged. They should contribute to the efforts to achieve the goals. If not, the economic goal of the country will be hindered.

We should establish a strong social security fund within three to four years. When there is a disaster, it is not only for giving aid; but also if businesses collapse, to make the necessary intervention to keep that protect enterprises. The government should provide the necessary infrastructure to the business community. We are looking at those infrastructures in order to assess how much it helps our country’s economy and the production of goods and services.