by Melani Manel Perera

Yesterday parliament approved president Rajapakse’s economic plan with record defence funding. But the coalition in power splits, with JVP voting against. The cause: the head of state intends to form a National unity government, by “buying” members of the opposition.

Colombo (AsiaNews) – The Sri Lankan government has approved what analysts have defined as a “war budget” for 2008.  With 118 votes in favour, 102 against  two abstentions, yesterday Parliament gave the go ahead to the economic plan proposed by president Rajapakse, which sets out record defence funds. 

But the coalition power (UPFA) has split over the financial plan and the formation of a National unity government now seems imminent.  Voting in favour of the 2008 Budget were:  Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Ceylon Workers Congress(CWC), The United People's Front (UPF) e il Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU). Against: United National Party (UNP, main op position party), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP, member of the current coalition and artifice of Rajapkase’s election win), Tamil National Alliance (TNA), and a part of SLFP and the WPF. The two abstentions came from the JVP and the UPFA. 

Political analysts described the passage  of the budget as yet another " military victory" for the government as it has launched several offensive against Tamil rebels, in the northern and eastern part of the country. In attempts to convince parliament of the necessity for these vast funds to finance the army and thus “cancel” the tiger separatists.  Funding for the Ministry for the defence, head by the President increased by 20% compared to 2007, reaching 1.5 million dollars. 

The controversial 2008 budget, with which Colombo has virtually excluded all possible diplomatic solutions to the ethnic conflict, found op position in one of the main ruling coalition parties the Marxist JVP. The main reason for the vote against is the hypothesis muted by  Rajapakse of forming an alliance with other parliamentary groups.  “We are not interested in supporting a government which tends to buy deputies with money “, stated JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissaayake. According to sources at the Presidential Secretariat, If the opposition leader , Ranil Wickremasinghe agree to the idea of President to form a national government, it is likely that a national government will lead the country until the general election in 2010.

 

• sri
• lanka
• budget
• war
• defence
• funding
• tamil