By Dilrukshi Handunnetti
Our Lobby Correspondent  

The government these days wages a losing battle in parliament in trying to convince the legislature and the people that the 2009 budget is indeed one aimed at resuscitating local industries and shunning the begging bowl. Unconvinced remain the opposition parties that accuse the government of not offering relief even where it is possible while slamming new taxes on the unsuspecting public.

Throwing a spanner in the works, the opposition has raised the issue as to why parliament should debate an Appropriation Bill the Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional and required amendment in order to be duly passed.

"Why do we debate something that is quite unconstitutional in its present form? We have not heard the government response," prodded UNP legislator Ravi Karunanayake on Thursday morning, irritating Leader of the House Nimal Siripala de Silva to waspishly respond that the draft amendments have been submitted and would reach the opposition on November 17, only if they could discipline themselves to wait as required by parliamentary procedure.

Adhering to ruling

"What's the indecent hurry?" demanded de Silva claiming that the government was adhering to the court ruling. But the government did not carry the day as the second reading of the budget debate wove on with the cost of living issue casting a huge shadow and opposition legislators ridiculing the government for failing to give relief.

It was UNP frontliner Lakshman Kiriella who first contested the fact that though the UPFA claimed granting a VAT reduction of 3%, in fact through other taxation, the government was imposing more taxes than before.

"What is worse, this budget has the same disastrous flavour of the United Front government of 1970, that snuffed the life out of people," noted he.

Aiding this argument on Friday was UNP's Sagala Ratnayaka who argued that there was a great deception in progress from the fertiliser subsidy to fuel price reductions. "For example, despite a policy of Mathata Thitha, the number of wine stores in the sacred city of Anuradhapura alone has increased from 42 to 46 last year while holiday homes with foreign liquor permits increased from 29 to 31. "If that's what Anuradhapura is like, I hate to imagine what others would be like."

Deceptions

He added, there were massive deceptions and instead of relief, were pick pocketing people. "The common tax, VAT, is now reduced but by hammering various others taxes such as PAL and Nation Building, the government will make more. In fact, there is a Rs.30 billion increase in revenue through basic tax increases," he explained.

Sniping openly, he said a war hero who entered mainstream politics to serve the nation was allowed to die through sheer denial of security and despite repeated requests and a court order, while the government bent backwards to secure the life of a former terrorist turned legislator with a massive security contingent and the road from Kollupitiya to parliament being closed daily to facilitate him.

But Sacred Area Development Minister Dinesh Gunawardena was livid that the government's efforts to reduce the people's burdens were belittled by the opposition. He accused the opposition of derailing the economy and making it donor dependent and unable to fend for itself. "This budget looks at a national economy, one that is proud and self reliant," he breathed, only to receive derisive laughter from the JVP rankers.

 Speaking during the early stages of the debate was SLFP defector Mangala Samaraweera who took on the government for record breaking bombing of the Wanni, another aspect that so burdened the country's economy.

Bombing spree

Speaking on Monday, Samaraweera derided that Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse has gone on record stating that 14.4 million kilogrammes of explosives have been dropped in the Wanni.

"The Defence Secretary has made a fantastic story. As for the LTTE's air capabilities, the Defence Secretary has claimed "they have come six times, we have bombed them 6,000 times," evoking scoffs and laughter.

The pioneer of White Lotus and Brick And Book programmes, Samaraweera charged that the government was "responding to terrorism with terrorism" and openly scoffed that if Rajapakse's fantastic claims were true, "government forces have made more air strikes than in Vietnam." Importantly, he noted that for the first time in contemporary political history, racism has become government policy and took broad swipes at Rajapakse.

"This is every Sri Lankan's homeland. There are no outsiders. When we label people like that, we can only quarrel and kill," he noted.

Further, he said that following the launch of Defence Watch, his life has come under serious threat but pledged to continue his work to restore democracy.

Discrepancies

 Showing statistical discrepancies, he said while the Prime Minister said 155 soldiers were killed and 983 seriously wounded in August, Gotabaya Rajapakse's defence.lk claimed only 15 killings and 308 injured. Pleading for rational thinking, Samaraweera warned that when scores are killed in the north, there was no reason to be happy about it. "Why should we be pleased with statistical wars? We are not fighting another country but within our own. These are all Sri Lankans."

As for the Rajapakses, Samaraweera alleged that they have given up their Sri Lankan citizenship to live in the US, but have now returned, "to set up a police state in Mugabe style."

Declaring war on Samaraweera instantaneously was Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa who hailed Army Commander Sarath Fonseka as one of Asia's top 'warlords.'

Yapa urged MPs not to criticise the President and those involved in prosecuting the war against terrorism in the north claiming it was their effort that was making the war a winnable one.

"President Rajapakse gives the leadership, Gotabaya Rajapakse does the coordination, and Sarath Fonseka, one of the best warlords in Asia is prosecuting it," noted Yapa.

Emphasising that the government will "never let an Eelam happen" he recalled how the incumbent administration had "tried negotiating with the LTTE" several times.

"Well over 200 soldiers were killed during the ceasefire. The last three to four years bear testimony to the fact that our army can prosecute war without harassing civilians," noted he. Not the closest ally of the government these days, the JVP, nevertheless sought to fall in line with the government on the prosecution of the war when frontliner K.D. Lalkantha spoke.

A man who has fuelled recent speculation over a crossover, Lalkantha alleged that the UNP, LTTE, and TNA formed a 'single group,' claiming that Mangala Samaraweera was also a member of the same group. The Anuradhapura MP accused Mangala Samaraweera of wanting to stop the military activities and create problems amongst the leadership and the soldiers.

"Tamil Nadu, the UNP and Samaraweera are all shouting against military activities," he said, sniffing the typical conspiracy the JVP often speaks of.

"The TNA, the UNP and the LTTE are all in one group, and Samaraweera is also in it."

Moving to his favourite topic - the cost of living, he alleged the government's introduction of taxes on the import of essential items in the 2009 budget proposals will heap additional burdens on the people.

"This is absurd. While the government was introducing a tax on sugar imports, it is selling sugar machines in Kantale for scrap metal," he sniped.

"When you impose taxes on essential foods, these essential items get more expensive and people have to reduce consumption in order to cope," he claimed. Lalkantha also accused the government of continually forcing people to endure greater hardship, whilst the state has not taken any measures to cut down on waste.

"Instead of wasting Rs.6 billion on the failed state budget airline Mihin Lanka, the government should invest that money in the existing national carrier, SriLankan Airlines. This government doesn't know its priorities," he charged.

Doing an about turn and making a brief departure from the JHU's regular stance of beating the war drums, Environment Minister Champika Ranawaka conceded that the country could not resolve problems through violence and strongly advocated a dialogue process to overcome the present difficulties.

Strangely enough, he said his Buddhist credentials are not "by birth certificate" but was based on "principles of equality."

"Buddhist philosophy says others' opinions should be respected and allowed," Ranawaka said.

"We have seen religious and racist ideas flowering to be terrorist organisations," Ranawaka observed. "We cannot resolve problems through violence. We have to seek a dialogue."

Nevertheless, he quickly fell in line with Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and the arch defenders of the Rajapakse administration claiming it was useless to "try to win battles in parliament" and noted that they were "directly or indirectly supportive of the LTTE."

Sticking to the regular government rhetoric, Ranawaka said: "If you do not join us, you will be remembered in history as betrayers."

"The government is trying to rescue helpless Tamil people from the clutches of the LTTE, so we must pass this budget to defeat terrorism," called he.

Contesting this position on Friday, TNA Parliamentary Group Leader R. Sampanthan said there was no question of innocent Tamils being 'liberated' from the LTTE.

It a historical struggle that was first peaceful, promoted through sathyagrahas and debates, only to be crushed through state violence. It was decades later that the political struggle assumed the role of a liberation struggle to which the LTTE provides leadership through reactionary and defensive terror.

"The Sri Lankan state is committing genocide by the extermination of Tamil people and the destruction of the Tamil habitation. The President promotes a military solution to a political question, and if anyone wishes to learn from the past, then it should be understood that the LTTE is not purely a terrorist organisation and there exists justifiable reasons for its emergence."

Sampanthan added that the Sri Lankan state had strived to break the will of the Tamil people by unleashing violence only to be countered by a resilient people, unwilling to compromise on their political ideals.

The senior politician noted that often times, the Sri Lankan state was the offender. There had been no political answer brought into the equation. "That is so absent because the Sri Lankan state does not want to compromise on the Sinhala supremacy," he noted. He added that the real reason for the government's military agenda was not to annihilate the LTTE, as claimed. "The real objective is to crush the will of the Tamil people, to subjugate them and subdue the community. That will never happen," he breathed.

And so the second reading of the budget, contested for its validity and its obvious attempt to slap severe taxes on the already burden public ended on Saturday, with the government calling it a people friendly national budget and the opposition calling it a burdensome one.