Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is advising the government to handover the responsibility of waging war to the military and focus its attention on resolving people's problems.
The government should take the lead given by late presidents J.R. Jayewardene and R. Premadasa on how to carry on with both, without hiding public issues with war, he said.
Mr. Wickremesinghe was speaking at a seminar for UNP councilors and organizers of Western, Southern, Uva and Eastern provinces today (Oct. 20th).
He accused the present regime of denying the people of relief that can be granted, and instead keeping on asking them 'to tighten their belts.'
It does not reduce local fuel prices and covers up its corrupt acts through the profits earned, the UNP leader alleged.
People are now forced to carry the burden of the world's biggest cabinet, holders of state positions as well as losses of Mihin Air that had no approval of parliament.
Mahinda Rajapaksa vowed to get oil at very low prices from his friends of Middle East and supply it at minimum rates.
Since he came to power, crude prices had risen to 147 dollars per barrel, but he never got his Middle Eastern friends to supply at low rates, the UNP leader said.
Now, the price has come down to 60 dollars, but still consumers are not given the benefit of the big reduction, unlike countries like the US, India and Singapore, said Mr. Wickremesinghe.
The UNP strongly opposes this practice of passing on the burden to the people, he said, adding that his party would do its duty by raising public awareness about this.
UNP general secretary Tissa Attanayake and MPs Palitha Range Bandara and Kabir Hashim also attended the seminar.
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