One year ago on a day like this our current President Gotabaya Rajapaksa took oaths as the Seventh Executive President of Sri Lanka. Today or during the past few days did we see any of the following things in social media?
The social media will never tell these things to the people. But the innocent poor people of Sri Lanka who do not have time and access to social media will experience the real positive change of their own lives that had taken place during the past year. What matters for the people are not the `stories' told by these talking heads but concrete physical evidence available to feel, touch and see.
After 12 long years, the bank interest rate in Sri Lanka has come down to a single digit now. Did we see this in social media ? No. It is because the mud slingers in social media wanted to hide this very important factor. Twelve long years passed with very high bank interest rates in double digits and the innocent poor people suffered a lot. No one talked about it. Now it is just a single digit after 12 long years which is one decade and two years.
During the past five years the previous Yahapalana Government failed to give employment to educated Sri Lankan graduates. There is no point in talking about uneducated youths. Unemployed graduates were chased away from Colombo using expired tear gas. Some became permanently disabled. Some suffered with various injuries.
But President Gotabaya Rajapaksa gave employment to nearly 75,000 graduates and 100,000 individuals with lower educational qualifications who come from needy families. Out of this total number, around 57,000 jobs have already been given to graduates and around 34,000 jobs given to unqualified individuals from needy families. It was in the middle of COVID-19 crisis which severely affected the entire country's economy.
The COVID-19 did not generate any new employment but terminated a large number of existing jobs. But it did not stop the President from employing Sri Lankans. He did not stop there. He granted Rs. 5000 each for all eligible needy families during COVID-19 curfew and lockdown periods.
The vast service done for the Sri Lankan people did not stop there. He made arrangements to repay money taken by certain closed down Financial Companies from the innocent poor people. Those Financial Companies snatched innocent poor people's money and closed down. The affected people started to gather on roads and stage protests during the previous regime. Some of them committed suicide because they could not face life without money to spend for their medical requirements etc. The President solved the issues. In some instances, 80 percent of people's money was paid back. During the previous regime, the people made hundreds of appeals and staged hundreds of protests but no one eased their pain.
Arrangements were made to commence a new oil refinery complex in Sri Lanka. The intake for state universities was increased by another 10,000 students who passed G.C.E. Advanced level Examination. Certain fraudulent private universities were promoted during the past five years under Yahapalana in order cater to unqualified rich students in the middle of hundreds of protests staged by state university students.
The Minimum Standards for Medical education were passed in Parliament after 19 long years ignoring the pressures put on the Government and Cabinet Ministers by racketeers who earned billions of rupees by sending unqualified Sri Lankan students to foreign universities for money. During the past five years the previous regime made arrangements to appoint MBBS doctors with three `F's.
Several new drug manufacturing factories commenced in several areas in the country. Some new drugs manufactured in those factories and at State Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Corporation (SPMC) are now available at a very low price at all Osu Sala outlets and other pharmacies in the country. During the past five years, the previous regime imported low quality unregistered cancer drugs rejected by Sri Lankan oncologists. Even the countries which produced them did not use them.
Arrangements were made to accelerate the construction of the Port City, expressways, etc. During the past five years, the previous regime completely stopped the majority of the major development projects while delaying all the other development projects which were in progress by the end of 2014. The President commenced constructing 100,000 kilometres of rural roads. A project to build 100,000 housing units for needy families commenced.
Supplying paddy to produce animal food stopped and paddy cultivated with various difficulties by farmers was saved to feed the population. Supplying paddy to produce beer was stopped. A sum of Rs. 50 was given to farmers for one kilogram of paddy. A fixed stable price was granted for 16 crops cultivated during Yala season. The President completely stopped cultivating Palm, which are used to produce cancerous palm oil mixed with pure coconut oil. The palm and pine cultivations destroyed Sri Lankan lands.
All garbage containers imported to Sri Lanka by the previous Yahapalana regime were sent back to the relevant countries. Importing unnecessary items such as plastic Vesak lanterns, etc was completely stopped. Importing certain things such as pepper, tea etc. which affects local production was completely stopped.
Some state ministries, such as the Agricultural Ministry housed at expensive rented buildings were re-located at other suitable places. Certain high salaries of certain Heads of Institutions were reduced by Rs. 1 or 2 million. All unnecessary expenses on organizing major events were cut down. The best examples are cancelling certain items during inauguration of the Parliament, selecting the private home as the President's Official Residence, limiting the President's back-up vehicles to three (3), reducing the staff of the Presidential Secretariat from 2500 to 300, stopping purchasing vehicles for Ministers for a period of three years etc.
All types of various taxes imposed on the people by the previous Yahapalana regime were removed and tax relief given to the entire Sri Lankan population covering innocent poor people, professionals, and entrepreneurs. The Yahapalana regime totally depended on hundreds of various types of taxes imposed on the people.
The Valaichchenai Paper Production factory re-commenced and now high quality papers produced locally at Valaichchenai Factory are available now under the brand name `Sripath'. Manufacturing train compartments in Sri Lanka commenced. Nothing was manufactured locally during the previous Yahapalana regime. It closed down factories as much as possible while privatizing whatever was left.
The process of issuing a driving license made simple and more people friendly. The cost of obtaining a new water supply connection was reduced from Rs. 8000 to Rs. 2500. The Grama Niladharis' working days and working hours were increased and it is now compulsory for them to stay in office in order to offer a better service to the public.
The President took all possible steps to secure all historical places in Sri Lanka, especially all Buddhist shrines affected due to illegal activities of henchmen of the previous Yahapalana regime. A Presidential task Force was established to protect those places.
Arrangements were made to jam telecommunication signals inside prisons in order to stop operations of underworld gangs. The process of eradicating illicit drug business and the underworld accelerated with accurate leadership and guidance. Law enforcement officers connected to drug mafia traced and jailed.
War hero Sunil Ratnayake was freed from the death penalty. Sri Lanka withdrew from sponsoring the 30/1 Geneva Proposal which affected Sri Lanka severely.
Those were a very few achievements from hundreds of other major and minor positive changes and new creations done in Sri Lanka by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Cabinet and the SLPP Government during the past year.
