Don't diversify state resources: DEW tells Govt.

The top priority for socialist parties should be to harness their strength to fight government plans to diversify the ownership of the Bank of Ceylon, Peoples Bank and the National Savings Bank, the EPF and the ETF, Sri Lanka Communist Party General Secretary D.E.W. Gunasekara said.

He said if the shares of those vital state assets were sold the entire state sector would be in jeopardy because they were the government's main sources of revenue.

Addressing the opening session of yesterday's 21st Congress of the CPSL Mr. Gunasekara said he could not understand why certain political parties including the socialist parties are campaign against the government's tax reform to increase direct tax and reduce indirect tax.

"Since the 20th National Congress in 2014, we have observed a new trend of increasing internal contradictions in the Imperialist camp. In our view, this new trend is attributable to the change in the economic balance of power and the new world order of multi polarity," he said.

Mr. Gunasekera highlighted the emergence of new hot-spots in the Korean Peninsula, South China Sea and Ukrainian border, the rise of the Asian economy with China being the world’s second economic power and the US entering a phase of uncertainty and unpredictability in its foreign and defence policies with Donald Trump as President. "As pledged to the people both a the presidential election and the general election, the Government is called upon to speed up the Constitutional Reforms. However, new contradictions between the UNP and the SLFP have emerged particularly with regard to question of the abolition of the executive presidency," he said. "Unresolved national question, electoral reforms and the question of economic policy remains high priority areas that need immediate government attention."

Delegates from the Communist Parties of China, Vietnam and Cuba also participated in the Congress. (Sandun A Jayasekera)