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By Charles. S Perera

The main opposition to the President Mahinda Rajapakse's Budget comes from the UNP and JVP. UNP is already a bankrupt party holding onto popularity from its vote bank thanks to its past leaders. RanilWickramasinghe's speech at the Karawanella Bus Stand is as deplete of facts as much as the UNP is deplete of honesty of purpose.

JVP on the other hand by its opposition to the Budget hopes to influence its uncertain vote bank depending on its rhetoric. People know that what ever budget is proposed by the government these two parties, along with TNA will rise to oppose it. JVP is already behind the UNP band wagon with Anura Dissanayake having secret talks, and Lal Kantha blowing UNP trumpets.

People are tired of the continuous terrorism that has not seen its end. Many are the youths from poor Sinhala families who have made their supreme sacrifice for the cause of eradication of terrorism from Sri Lanka. Despite that the heroic soldiers had not given up their will to fight. In what way has the UNP and JVP contributed to encourage the Security Forces continue their fight against terrorism.
The Only way they could do that is by supporting the President and the Government which employ and give directions to the armed forces.

Of course, the burden of cost of living is hard for the people, but we have to go through this suffering if we are to liberate the country from the menace of its being divided by a ruthless group of terrorists. There is a saying that nothing is achieved without suffering one way or the other for it. A mother suffers in giving birth to a child. The success or happiness depends on seeing an end to the suffering. It is not winning a few Parliamentary Seats, or forming the next government at stake. What is at stake is greater, which is the effort to sustain Sri Lanka as a Unitary Sovereign State for the future generations.

Ranil Wickramasinghe uses words without knowing their meaning as he does some time to describe the teachings of the Buddha. What Ranil had said at the Bus Stand is:

"Rajapakse Co. has no concern for the people burdening them with all the hardships, while being preoccupied with corrupt aims and earning commissions compromising the country and the people who voted them into power.

If a Govt. is unable to feed the people and look after their welfare for which they were elected, the Govt. must honourably go home before they are forced out with the G R O B R (Good riddance of bad rubbish) tag, he added."

He says that the Rajapakse government has no concern for the people.He fails to see, the goodness and the great concern of the President for the people because of his jealousy. Mahinda Rajapakse is the only President after SWRD who had shown any concern for the people, and the development of the country to make it a better place for all concerned. Even Mr.SWRD Bandaranayake had a certain amount of nationalism which was essential at the beginning to deviate Sri Lanka from the path the then UNP was taking it. But Mahinda Rajapakse on the other hand has shown by example that he is a President of all communities, without taking sides and putting one community against another. On the other hand Ranil Wickramasinghe is the greatest heap of rubbish the people of Sri Lanka had to tolerate, and which still remains stinking barring the path of progress.

The 2008 Budget has many proposals and projects that would benefit the people in the long run. The following extract shows some of the relief granted for the people, and some important propositions.
-The 15 per cent VAT and Excise Duty on petrol will be reduced to five per cent from January 2008.
- Granting upto maximum Rs.1 million to all Co-operative Societies to be setup modern outlets to distribute essential commodities.
- Co-Operative Societies and associated Rural Banks will become tax free enterprises.
- Distributing a welfare pack containing essential commodities at tax free prices to low income groups through the Laksathosa, Co-operatives and budget shops.
- Number of year five scholarships to be increased from 10,000 to 15,000 to facilitate the education of low income groups.
-15,000 graduates to be recruited in 2008.
-Introducing an Environment Conservation Levy Act ensuring environment conservation.
- VAT exemption for milk and diary products.
-VAT on local sugar and rice based products removed.
- A Rs.15,000 million allocation to continue the fertiliser subsidy.
-Increase of the Social Responsibility Levy from 1 percent to 1.5 percent in support of further strengthening the National Action Plan for children.
- Extension of tax concessions on the importation of essential equipment required for the production of films and tele-dramas.

- Public servants to receive a cost-of-living allowance of Rs.2,500 from January 2008 and Rs.2875 from July 2008 in addition to their monthly salary The Government has not only to feed the people but also to take into his hand the responsibility for protecting the people, and defending the country against its enemies. Ranil Wickramasinghe could not during his short period as the Prime Minister safeguard the interest of the country and was on his way to divide the country handing over part of it to the ruthless terrorist Prabhakaran. Mahinda Rajapakse closed the path opened for the terrorists by Raniu Wickramasinghe for the establishment of the Tamil Eelam. The people have not forgotten this treachery to the country perpetrated by Ranil Wickramasinghe for the only reason of his getting elected as the President.

People must thank themselves for not having elected Ranil Wickramasinghe as the President of Sri Lanka as he would have been the worst person for the post. It was the good karma of the people that he was defeated at the Presidential election. That was really a GROBDR.

Now Wimal Weerawansa of the thus far failed JVP, says, :"There is a big conflict between people's aspirations and the content of the budget. Also, we don't see any new beginning that the government had promised and the people anticipated. Hence, this budget too maintains the existing economic pattern."

Weerawansa says nothing different from Ranil Wickramasinghe, what ever JVP says about the UNP, both fall within the same bracket. It is undoubtedly clever of the present government of the President Mahinda Rajapakse at least maintain the existing economic pattern despite a war against the terrorist, which costs so much in personss, money and material. No government will be able to do as much as he has done so far.

Mahinda Rajapaksa as the President has shown that he had been able to distribute responsibility to the various Ministers of the government despite their different political affiliations. He does not interfere to score points of popularity and leaves things trustfully in the hands of the Ministers, Department Heads and the Commanders of Security Forces. That could not be said of lot of Presidents in the World to-day.

UNP led by Ranil Wickramasinghe is already a decomposed heap of rubbish, and the JVP is beginning its decomposition process.

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