UNP manifesto unrealistic, misleading - Mangala

SLFP Presidential campaign spokesman Ports and Aviation Minister Mangala Samaraweera observed yesterday that Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe had presented the same "Regaining Sri Lanka" Manifesto that had already been rejected by the people as his current Presidential manifesto.

"There is no doubt that the same fate that befell the earlier manifesto awaits the current document too," Minister Samaraweera said.

He said that although Ranil Wickremesinghe had hijacked all the attractive slogans and economic policies of the UPFA for his present manifesto he had failed to produce a set of proposals acceptable to the people.

The Minister made these comments at a campaign briefing to the media at the SLFI yesterday. An interesting feature at yesterday's briefing was the production of a bag of provisions by Samaraweera containing milk food, dhal and sprats which the UNP manifesto promised to supply at cheaper rates.

The SLFP campaign spokesman said although Wickremesinghe pledged to bring down the prices of essential items in his manifesto there was no inkling as to how this would be done.

"He is saying he will provide a 400 gram packet of milk at Rs.138 while a packet of Highland milk could be purchased today for Rs.119. A packet of Milgro costs Rs 138," he said.

He asked if Wickremesinghe who pledged to give a 500 gram packet of dhal at Rs.34 was aware that today the same could be purchased for between Rs.30 and Rs.33."Although Ranil is preparing to give 500 grams of sprats at Rs.94 the current market price of this is between Rs. 85 and 90m," Samaraweera said.

"Although he speaks about milk food, dhal and sprats, no mention is made of those essential items such as rice, sugar, flour, gas or kerosene," Samaraweera said noting that this proved that the Opposition Leader was out of touch with economic realities.Therefore, the people who defeated Wickremesinghe's manifestos over the last 12 years would this time too give him a fitting reply, the SLFP campaign spokesman said.

He said: "This manifesto will not be accepted by the people. This has been prepared to fool and mislead the people. Although he talks about bringing down the cost of living Wickremesinghe has no idea about the position with regard oil prices in the World Market."

Samaraweera said that during the past one year the world oil price rose by 177 per cent or 70 dollars. "During the two years when Ranil was the Prime Minister world oil prices rose by only 14%. However a kilo of dhal went up by 27% and flour by 31%".

On the other hand the UPFA Government did not burden the people with such price hikes.

He said the they increased Government sector salaries by 40 per cent while in 2006 a further Rs. 3,000 allowance would be granted.

According to Samaraweera 90 per cent of the UNP candidates' Manifesto has already been implemented by the Government.

"He has thought of family and children only after completing the Manifesto and this comes only in the form of an appendage to the real Manifesto," the Minister said.

He said the UNP candidate who has pledged to speed up reconstruction of Tsunami ravaged homes is yet to provide the Rs.10,000 relief promised to the flood victims in Deniyaya.

On the other hand the Government had already constructed 40,000 temporary shelters for the tsunami victims with permanent houses already under construction.

"We have distributed aid worth between Rs. 250,000 to 100,000 among those who lost their homes in the tsunami while steps are being taken to provide all other relief." Samaraweera recalled that the UNP candidate scrapped the Samurdhi relief of 850,000 poor people and challenged him on the UNP's claim to have provided Rs.25,000 to each Janasaviya recipient.

"I ask him to name even a single individual who had received even one rupee".He also noted that the very person who removed the Buddha statue from Sirikotha had suddenly remembered the Buddha at the present juncture while also promising to build the largest dagoba not realising that the largest dagoba, the Jethavanaramaya, already exists in Sri Lanka.

He said the Manifesto of the SLFP candidate which will be prepared with a new approach would see a formulation of policies for the advancement of the country under a strong development programme.