MPS opposes fuel price hike

12 February 2012 04:34 pm

Vehemently opposing Saturday’s fuel price hike, the Movement for Peoples Struggle (MPS) today said an exercise which helps people rise up against any injustice done to them without fear had become a dire need today.
 
MPS Political Affairs Secretary Pubuddu Jayagoda told a news conference today that such an exercise should enable people to rise up amidst any false propaganda carried out by the authorities on impending conflicts and conspiracies.
 
Jayagoda explained that people had become reluctant to rise up for their rights as such an action is often attributed to terrorism by the state. He charged that false stories about an impending uprising are also spread by the authorities just to divert the attention of the people from the recent fuel hike.
 
“This is why the people remain quiet though the fuel price hike affects them to a great extent,” he said.
 
Jayagoda explained that prices of almost all essential items would also go up in price as a result of the fuel price hike.
 
He said the price hike would have been avoided if the CPC had the storage facilities which the CPC had in the past would have been available today. Jayagoda recalled that nearly 100 tanks including the storage in Trincomalee to LIOC while the Muturajawala storage is no longer usable because of sheer negligence. He said the CPC‘s storage capacity is now limited to 20 days. He said the lack of storage facilities did not permit the CPC to purchase an extra stock when the price was low in the global market.
 
Besides, Jayagoda said providing fuel to other state institutions had also taken its toll on the CPC.
 
“The Government cannot blame the price surge in the global market alone in this situation,” he said. (Yohan Perera)