Tamil National People’s Front MP, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, has told Sri Lanka's Parliament that he will continue voting against the budget until a fair solution for the Tamil people has been settled.
The Tamil lawmaker said he had no choice but to vote against the budget in what he sees as a continuation of old policies implemented under the guise of a new party. On the 7th day of the Budget debate, Ponnambalam pointed to a duopoly that has governed Sri Lanka over the past 77 years. He was referring to the UNP and SLPP Sinhalese parties that have dominated Sri Lankan parliamentary politics since independence in 1948.
“In this context, we expected the government to take a meaningful step forward through this budget. However, we found no provisions addressing the problems faced by the Tamil people,” he added in remark to Dissanayake’s new government touting an anti-racist campaign during the lead-up to the September 2024 elections.
Despite a change of government with a new entry from a third alternative, Dissanayake’s government has still not addressed the ethnic issue said Ponnambalam.
“As the president mentioned, we hoped for special attention to be given to the people of the North and East. However, no dedicated funds have been allocated for these provinces. The budget mentions an allocation of 5,000 million rupees for road development in the North. With five districts in the region, this translates to just 1,000 million rupees per district, whereas at least 1,300 million rupees would be required per district.
Likewise, 100 million rupees is insufficient for the development of the Jaffna Library.
When considering capital expenditure, Jaffna has been allocated 187 million rupees, Mannar 189 million, Vavuniya 100 million, Mullaitivu 126 million, and Kilinochchi 179 million. In contrast, Hambantota has been allocated over 500 million rupees, Matara over 400 million, and Gampaha over 500 million”.
Ponnambalam, and almost all other Tamil parliamentarians, voted against the budget.
