SL threatened by economic recession: Karu

5 October 2011 06:00 pm

The main opposition United National Party (UNP) said today Sri Lanka could suffer an economic recession similar to Greece, Ireland and other Western Countries if our economy was mismanaged.

UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya told a news conference it was the sincere hope of his party that such a thing would not happen but it was inevitable if such blatant mismanagement continued.

He said plans to build new airports was nothing but election pledges. Mr. Jayasuriya said the people’s frustrations had led to a breakdown in law and order.

“Incidents in Dompe, and Moratuwa were perfect examples,” he said. Mr. Jayasuriya said in the presence of an alarming number of election law violations the holding of a free and fair local council election would only be a dream.

He said the guidelines given by Polls Chief Mahinda Deshapriya with regard to use and abuse of state resources including the recruitment to state institutions had been ignored by the ruling party.

“Even election monitors had confirmed this,” Mr. Jayasuriya said and added that Mr. Deshapriya had told him that he had no power to stop election law violations.

UNP Galle District MP Gayantha Karunatilleke said 89 employees from the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and 300 from the Galle and Colombo Port have been released for election work on behalf of the ruling party.

“The government is doing things similar to a hotel owner who modernises the outside of the hotel and but keeps the kitchen untidy,” he said. (Yohan Perera)