Opposition Leader MP Sajith Premadasa has accused President Ranil Wickremesinghe and his government of cheating the country through its ‘Aswesuma’ welfare benefits scheme.
Issuing a statement, MP Premadasa stated the poverty level which remained at 14% has risen up to 31% now and the overall poverty level in the country has surpassed 7 million.
Opposition Leader MP Sajith Premadasa stated that the lack of essential medicines in hospitals is dragging Sri Lanka into a very grave health tragedy.
“The government, as a whole, is playing even with the lives of patients as it appears in a closer look at the overall picture of the dearth of medicine, exorbitant rise in the price of medicine and frauds and corrupt practices related to medicine.
The government, first of all, should have conducted a survey to penetrate into the actual status of the country in order to understand the actual situation the country is facing. Instead, the government, by its games of treachery, has pushed the entire country into danger.
The government has introduced a blindfold called ‘Aswesuma’ purportedly to provide relief to the general public and only 1.2 million people will benefit from that program in three years. While questioning the government about its intention in providing subsidies only to 1.2 million people when there are 7 million poor people, we would also like to know from the government about the criteria adopted in selecting those 1.2 million people,” he queried.
MP Premadasa further stated that former President Gotabaya Rajapaksha pushed the entire country into famine by arbitrarily banning the importation of fertilizer and his successor President Ranil Wickremesinghe and his government is also dragging people in the country to the deathbed by cheating the entire country.
“We in the Samagi Jana Balavega warned the country in advance about the serious tragedy into which the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is going to push it and we also warned from the beginning that the actions of the incumbent government are no better than those of its predecessor.
However, the government has a singular yearning to endanger the country and its people, or else, it would not do anything to put so much pressure on the people,” he alleged.
MP Premadasa stated that at this moment, even the negotiation with the International Monetary Fund, which is crucial for the country, has been made by the government to a deal only to achieve its own narrow goals rather than a common engagement for the good of the country. All this implies nothing but a short-sighted arbitrary process of an opportunistic government.
“We repeatedly emphasize that this situation can be changed and the country can be built with a populist vision only through a new mandate and we also emphasize that we will exert all possible pressure on the government to realize it.
‘Aswesuma’ should be implemented targeting the poor population of 7 million people in the country as per the survey conducted by the Learn Asia Institute, with an understanding of the true situation of the country.
We would like to recall that instead of the unscientifically selected people to achieve narrow goals, the people who have real needs should be selected through a scientific program, and the remedies for the serious shortage of drugs in the country should be urgently applied and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya will provide the necessary support,” he added. (NewsWire)
