WE ARE READY – GOVT
The Government yesterday said that it was ready to meet any contingency or negative fall-out of the countrywide multiple trade union strike which is expected to cripple the nation’s health, education, transport and other sectors.
“We are a democratically elected sovereign government and we are ready to meet any contingency. We are ready to meet fire with fire,” Government Spokesman, Media and Information Minister Gayantha Karunatilleke told Ceylon Today, last night.
“We will act within the democratic powers vested in the government and in accordance with the people’s mandate that we have received. We will see that the innocent members of society are not harassed or intimated, he added.
He said the ulterior motives of the unions was that of crippling the country and grabbing political power by sabotaging the good work of the government. He also said that the government will not allow these trade unions to make scapegoats of the innocent masses.
The Minister was however tight-lipped when asked what contingency plan the Government had to deal with any bad case scenario.
Asked whether the government was planning to call out the armed forces to fill in and sustain essential services such as Railways and Health , he said: “Wait and see what will happen.”
Asked whether the employment of all State sector employees would be terminated in a manner similar to the drastic action that President J.R. Jayewardene did in 1981, he remained non-committal, but repeated ” Wait and see what will happen”.
(Source: Ceylon Today – By Ravi Ladduwahetty)
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This guy appears to suffering from a itch under his sarong.
Trade Unions have gone bonkers. Why should the Train Drivers Union be worried about SAITM? All their members became train drivers because they had no clue what higher education is all about?
“in a manner similar to the drastic action that President J.R. Jayewardene did in 1981” Well in 1981 JR sacked those who took industrial action mercilessly. Present UNP regime is ready with SF and nothing can be ruled out.
In the late 1960’s when the Sirimavo Government’s Minister for Education, Late Badiuddin Mohamed introduced the draconian standardisation system for University selection, the Government upgraded the Katubedde Technical College to Universty status overnight to satisfy the dissatisfied.
There were loud protests from the professional sector over this upgrade.
But the Government of that day had true grit and b**ls; they stood their stead unlike the Marshmallow like spineless Yahapalana.
The University of Moratuwa (formerly Katubedde Technical College) is today, miles ahead of the ageing Faculty of Engineering in Peradeniya.
Likewise, we should all join hands with the authorities and foster the growth of SAITM to make it a national institution contributing to the well being of our citizens instead of holding posters in front of the Fort Railway Station demanding the annihilation of SAITM.
Yes sack all of them. 95% over employed. In other words there are 100 people employed to do the work of 5 people from top to bottom all over the country in all over category of employment., So when this happens you may not feel any difference. In fact this could be good for the country. A country which has a population of 20 million people 1 million are tuk tuk (Three wheel drivers) . It shows how great our education system is.