JVP to conduct countrywide seminars to highlight government’s failure and threats to economy

The JVP was planning to conduct a countrywide seminar series to inform the public of what it calls the looming danger to the national economy and people’s lives due to the government’s failure, JVP politburo member and former MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa told The Island yesterday.

“We are planning to conduct three series of seminars on three topics – environmental destruction, selling off of national assets to foreigners by the government and the collapse of the national economy. The first in the series concerning the destruction and damage being inflicted on the environment is scheduled to start on Dec 28 from Colombo. The second against the selling of national assets too will commence in the last week of this month and the series on collapse of the national economy is scheduled to commence in the first week of January,” Dr Jayatissa said.

Dr. Jayatissa said that the government had come to power, promising to protect the environment, but environmental degradation continues unabated. “This government has introduced a system of buffer zone encroachment by terming those areas as residual forests and placing them under the District and Divisional Secretariats to decide their future. It promised to take action against those responsible for the clearing of the Wilpattu forest, but now the government is working with the very same culprits for its political expediency. Instead of taking action against those who destroy the environment the government has started hunting down environmentalists. People should stand up now if they want to see their forests and environment preserved for the future.”

The former MP said that people should realise that the government had betrayed them and their mandate with its joint venture with India’s Adani Group on the running of the Colombo Port’s East Container Terminal. “This is a betrayal of the people’s mandate. People voted for this government because it promised to act against selling off national assets to foreign companies. Now, it is doing the exact opposite of what it promised. Our trade union front, the National Trade Union Centre, is organising a series of seminars countrywide against this deal and other plans to sell off national assets by the government.”

Dr. Jayatissa said that the national economy was in a shambles. “The damages caused by the incumbent government’s policies to the national economy are far more serious than the disasters due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this government’s handling of the economy are seen in the negative economic growth during the first four months of this year. The country is sliding down an economic precipice. Our third series of seminars will inform people of those issues.”

(Source: The Island – By Saman Indrajith)