Budget Debate: Committee Stage – 3rd Day

Votes of the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs and Plantation Industries
"Appointments of political faithfuls to higher posts have deteriorated the public service"

Parliament met at 9.30 a.m. on November 23, 1998 with Speaker K. B. Ratnayake in the chair.

When reports and petitions were presented House in Committee commenced discussions on the Budget proposals.

Amara Piyaseeli Ratnayake (UNP-Kurunegala district) Proposed a cut of Rs. 10 from the votes of Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs and Plantation Industries.

She said: Government servants will be able to serve the country more efficiently if the party in power cease to look at them from a political angle. You must not look at the political leanings of a public servant if he is efficient in discharging his duties.

The independence of the public service was lost when the 1972 constitution brought the PSC under political influence.

Today several top posts such as Secretary to the President are being held by political appointees. These high positions were held by Administrative Service officers in the past.

The appointment of political faithfuls to higher government posts have in my view deteriorated the public service.

Increasing numbers of public officials are now being transferred to the reserve. The reason in most cases is the indendent disposition of such officers. This is regrettable. Certain officials holding high positions have joined private sector at high salaries after they were unfairly transferred to the reserve.

You gave an undertaking in your election manifesto of 1994 to free public officials from political interference. But there is no evidence that you have taken steps to implement the proposal. You implemented the B. C. Perera Salary Report in two stages. Your promise was to give 80 percent of the recommended salary scales. But when you implemented the B. C. Perera Committee report you gave a 40 percent increase with effect from January 1997.

The second eight percent was given in July 1997. Administrative Grade officers received their salary increases in July 1997. I propose that the administrative officers too be given their salary increases with effect from January 1997.

Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs and Plantation Industries): We have recruited 7521 for public administration service according to the district quota system.

From March next year we will train officials who don’t have degrees to obtain post graduate diplomas from the Colombo university for executive posts after training. We will also give a selected number an opportunity to undergo foreign training.

We have placed before this house bills for the benefit of widows, widowers and orphans, (Armed Force). A bill to set up a pension fund will be placed before this house soon for the welfare of Government pensioners.

We have not reduced the responsibilities of the district administration. We will devolve more power to Pradeshiya offices.

Grama Niladaris were made peace officers and we created a supra grade to promote officers on metit basis. I have received Cabinet approval to recruit English and Tamil translators and stenographers on a contract basis without an age limit to fill the severe shortages in the cadre. This is not only in my ministry. This is the shortest cut I took to fill in the immediate vacancies. The examinations we have held so far have not been able to reccruit people we need.

A special trainee programme under SLIDA will attempt to find a long term solution. We have embarked on a programme to provide separate houses to plantation workers living in line rooms. This is one of the basic policies of my ministry.

Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena (UNP-Galle district): A country’s development depends on the strength of its public administration. This crucial ministry functions under an experienced minister.

Public administration in this country which was an example to the world in the 1950s is now totally inefficient. Even the President has admitted this. A Public Service Commission is a timely need to strengthen the public administration set up in this country. Such a commission would prevent political interference. The capital expenditure for public service is being reduced year by year. How can we even talk about a efficient public service in such a situation.

To get permission to cut a jak tree a man has to seek permission from the GA. Is this what you call decentralization? Work in public offices go on at a snails pace. We will seek justice to unfair conditions set out to extend the services of public servants.

The pensioners are insecure as a result of this governments mentality. A national policy should be formed for the pensioners. A Commission to look into the grievances of the pensioners should be formed.

Dixon J. Perera (PA-Colombo district) said: The lack of a national policy was the reason for the problems in the administrative machinery. The political parties that come into power are bound to a political agenda. The bureaucracy is the machinery which put this political agenda into action.

The rat race for promotion, the tendency to clear one’s way for promotion at the expense of others, and many more such actions on the part of the bureaucrats has deteriorated the public service.

We must do justice to pensioners.

Action must be taken to revive our tea industry in the face of the Russian crisis.

Protection of wildlife should receive more attention than what is at present.

S. Sathasivam (CWC-Nuwara Eliya district) said: The government allocated Rs. 204 million in 1997, Rs. 283 million in 1998 and Rs. 389 in 1999.

It is said tea production has increased by four percent. According to an official report the increased production is due to privatisation. The report has forgotten the human factor. The increase in the production is my view is due to the workers whose labour has contributed to it.

The privatisation of plantation has added to the plight of the plantation workers. Some companies are reluctant to give facilities to plantation workers to educate their children.

There is an uncultivated land at Agrapathana. But the plantation company is reluctant to give a piece of land to construct a school building.

If our workers downed tools our economy would collapse. But we would not resort to such things.

The Minister spoke of providing houses to plantation workers. But how many houses have been constructed during the last four years. Forty houses were built in Labukelle Estate in the 1970s. For 20 years after that no house has been constructed.

After retirement the estate staffs have no place to go due to the lack of housing facilities.

Jagath Pushpakumara (Deputy Minister of Livestock Development and Estate Infrastructure): Although the UNP accused us of not providing funds, if we consider statistics we can see that areas like Moneragala that were sometimes forgotten by the UNP have received more and more funds during the time of our government.

Officials serving in difficult areas have not been left out of scholarships. The public administration system in this country have been strengthened to support the development efforts of this country.

P. Selvarasa (TULF-Batticaloa district) said: Government must establish a separate administrative service for North East. Such an arrangement was in operation in 1990 during President Premadasa’s time.

Please fill the forty Grama Niladhari posts in Batticaloa. All Tamil officers appointed recently should be confirmed in their posts.

Dr. Vishwa Warnapala, Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education said: The administrative bureaucracy need professionalism.

Presently the bureaucracy is preoccupied in routine. New concepts technique and the new roll that they should play, have not been injected to them.

Changes were made in an ad-hoc manner.

There are four levels of bureaucracy in the country, the Central, Regional, Provincial and Divisional Sabha administrators.

The Regional Secretaries are running their affairs without any regard to rules and regulations.

Lakshman Kiriella, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs said: The Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs and Plantation has taken laudable steps to solve the problems of landlessness in the Kandy district. We have already handed over 5000 acres of land in the Kandy district to the district Secretaries for distribution among the landless in the district.

Opposition speakers displayed their lack of knowledge of history when they criticized some activities of the Ministry.

You must know that it was the United National Party government in 1979 that created the "Pool" of the Public Administration Ministry.

Then Secretary to the Ministry D. B. I. P. S. Siriwardane sent a circular to all the departments setting out guide lines for classification of officers into certain grade. Under this classification officers who are redundant are listed under the "A" list. Officers who are inefficient are listed under "B-1" and officers who are regarded as anti-government are listed under "B-2". This is the doings of the UNP.

Some monitoring of the activities of public officers is required to ensure efficiency. During the UNP time there was no one to complain against a divisional secretary. We have remedied the position by bringing the Divisional Secretaries under District Secretaries.

Bennet Cooray (PA-Colombo district) said: A public relations officer should be appointed to every Pradeshiya Sabha and these posts could be created from the graduates.

The BIO Tea now in circulation in the world will become a threat to our tea. The suggestion I make to circumvent this situation is to able our teas as "Natural Tea of Sri Lanka". This was suggested to me by a Japanese gentleman whom I had the privilege of talking to recently.

Mano Wijeratna (UNP-Kegalle district) said public administration service was decentralised during late President Premadasa’s regime. Public officers are subject to political pressure now. We must look into ways of optimising the services of public officials who are appointed to serve the people at provincial levels.

The public service officials would be able to carry out their work without undue pressures if an independent public service commission is formed.

The Tea Small Holdings Development Authority (TSHDA) should step up its activities on development and rehabilitation in the sector. The government should also give consideration to those affected by the loss of the tea market in Russia.

D. Siddharthan (DPLF-Wanni district) said grama sewaka niladharis of the North and East undergo great difficulties to travel to perform their duties. The allowance given to them is hardly sufficient. The vacancies in the North-East administration service have to be filled without delay.

Noel Padmasiri Kariyawasam (PA-Galle district) said the volume of tea production recorded a high increase last year.

The import of tea should be checked by imposing some kind of restriction as traders will take undue advantage of these benefits. Rubber Small Holders Authority is a welcome proposal.

The benefit schemes for families of soldiers who die in battle should benefit the helpless parents and not only the widows and widowers.

R. A. D. Sirisena (UNP-Kegalle district) said we are pleased with the endeavors of the minister and the deputy minister. But we have to state rather reluctantly that public administration has broken down. Even the President has pointed out the shortcomings, of the public sector. During President Premadasa’s tenure the public officials were on their feet from 4 O’clock in the morning as the President wakes up at 4 in the morning to read the papers and find out any shortcomings and he would deal with his officials over the phone immediately.

The minister is helpless in the face of powerful forces. Today the officials of public administration service is transferred by fax messages. Establish an independent commission to stop this.

You must pay more for the tea small holders. They should be given fertilizer subsidies too.

Maheepala Herath (PA-Kegalle district) said the members of the opposition who bring up proposals forgot them when they had the power to implement them.

The previous member said during President Premadasa’s time the public officers were up by 4 O’clock because their President was awake by 4 in the morning. Were these officials afraid. Didn’t they have their rights.

The tea small holders are reaping the benefits from the endeavors of a minister who visits remote areas. A bill to form a Rubber Small Holders Authority is in the pipeline. We thank the minister and the officials for this proposal which stands to benefit rubber small holders.

The minister is respected by the public officials for his work although he will not make them get up at 4 O’clock. We wish the minister success in his endeavors to make the public administration service efficient.

Rauff Hakeem (Deputy Chairman of Committees) said the number of Tamils and Muslims recruited to the public sector is decreasing. This is disturbing in a multi-ethnic society that relies on its public sector to take the government to the people.

Steps to appoint Tamil-speaking Grama Niladharis is a welcome measure. The minister should ensure that these officials are appointed according to the predominant community in the area.

The abolition of holidays on Haj and Mahasivaratri is an injustice to the minority communities.

I urge the minister to take some steps to alter some marriage laws. We must find ways of liberalising divorce laws without bringing personal laws to disrepute. I hope the minister will appoint a committee to look into these matters.

Ediriweera Premaratne (PA-Kalutara district) said we commend the endeavor of the minister to improve the conditions of the pensioners. A fund for the pensioners should be set up. The minister should also look into the anomalies in the payment of pensions.

The plight of coconut production should not go unnoticed after we might face a situation when we will have to import coconuts.

S. Sivathasan (EPDP-Jaffna district) said concern was expressed during the discussions of the budgetary provisions of this ministry, about the appointment of persons who could work in Tamil.

Cadres should be determined for all sectors of the public service and provincial public service.

We suggest that the District Secretaries, Divisional Secretaries and Grama Niladharis should be brought under the provincial administration.

LTTE did not allow Tamils, who secured highest marks at recruitment examinations, to take up the appointments because the LTTE wanted these posts to be given to their war heroes.

Services of members of the technical service, engineering services etc. are required if the rehabilitation work in the North is to be carried out meaningfully.

The Deputy Chairman of Committees mentioned about the diminishing size of the minorities in the public services. During the colonial times Tamil speaking persons held a comparatively larger number of posts in those sectors. But this scenario has changed vastly during the last decade.

I hope the minister would remedy these grievances.

Reference was made to blocking out of large coconut estates. As far as the North-East is concerned the coconut trees are being used by security forces and other organisations to build bunkers.

Asoka Weerasinghe de Silva (PA-Galle district) said: The public service was politicised during the last UNP government. Those in power could not control officers who resorted to unlawful activities, because those in power had used public officers to do illegal things. Some officers transferred LRC land to their relations, without being interfered by the political leadership.

The Samurdhi animators should be given permanent positions in the Public Service. They should not be taken in as Samurdhi animators. They could be recruited under various titles according to the demands of the economic programme and let them make their contribution to the economy.

You may not expect the private sector to give employment to graduates because they were products of a incomplete system of education. Therefore the responsibility of employing them must be taken by the government. They should be given employment not as trainees but as permanent employees of a suitable set up.

The government must do something to arrest the fragmentation of coconut estates which has a serious impact on our coconut productions. You can encourage small land owners to grow coconuts and some Samurdhi animators could be employed as cultivation monitors in order to monitor the progress of a coconut development programme.

Action should be taken to re-take land unethically taken by various persons and I hope the opposition would help such a course of action.

Yasindra Bakmeewewa UNP-Digamadulla district) said: The take over of the sugar plantation in 1996 proved to be a beautiful dream. There was spirited celebration of the take over of the sugar mill from Weeraratne under whose tenure the employees received better salaries and other benefits. But employees were not satisfied with these financial benefits. Their only dream was the reverting of the sugar industry to state hands.

Two thousand hectares of sugar cane with an estimated yield of 150,000 tons, Rs. 90 million worth of spirits and Rs. 20 million worth molasses were available when the undertaking was taken over.

Today the industry is a complete mess. A chaotic condition prevails. Production has come to a halt. There is large scale pilfering with no one to stop.

Ariya B. Rekawa (UNP-Kurunegala district) said: The non-function of the Bribery Commission has given a free hand to public servants with a relish for money. Today the poor man has to wait in the queue to get his job done while the rich could walk straight to the boss of the place and walk out having his job got done. This is a serious situation and should be remedied.

I don’t blame the minister for this situation. The problem has been aggravated by the non-operation of the Bribery Commission.

You must introduce a fool proof tender procedure with regard to projects implemented by the Divisional Secretaries.

The present procedure is grossly unsatisfactory because the supervising officers, who inspect the works recommends payment for them act according to the wishes of the Samurdhi animators.

Samurdhi animators also have trespassed into the areas of authority of the Grama Niladharis. Samurdhi animators are government’s own men and they think they have a stronger say in any matter than the Grama Niladharis.

This anomalous situation should be remedied.

Sunil Shantha Ranaweera (PA-Trincomalee district) said: I propose that members of Provincial Councils which have ceased to function and no dates are fixed for fresh elections be paid their salaries until fresh elections are held.

Renuka Herath (UNP-Nuwara Eliya district) said: It was the UNP which eliminated most of the anomalies complained of various sectors of the public service.

It is utter dishonesty to say the UNP broke the back of the public servant.

If such a thing has happened it happened during the PA regime. Even the public servants have forgotten what the UNP has done for them.

You cannot expect a good administrative service by appointing party "henchmen" to the service. You should not repeat wrongs.

Dinesh Dodangoda (UNP-National list) said: The Small Tea Holdings Authority was one of the most efficient institutions in the plantations sector.

I request the Minister to protect the tea small holders from exploitation by tea factory owners. An acre of tea can give employment to a minimum of five. Therefore the Tea Small Holdings Authority should explore possibilities of expanding this sector as a potential source of employment.

There is allegations of corruption in the purchase of a bus by the Hantana Tea Board office.

One of the most inefficient departments under your ministry is the Wildlife Conservation Department. Officials do not investigate into complaints. Nothing has been done about reports about the killing of leopards for their flesh.

Piyasena Upali (UNP-Kurunegala district) said: It would be pertinent if the government tells us how they intend to systematise the public administration, as the Minister of Finance promised in his budget.

Why are you delaying the setting up of a independent public service commission? Although your ministry is rid of political interference there are many other ministries that are affected by such undue interference.

The concessions given to coconut cultivators have decreased greatly during the past few years.

Kumara Welgama (PA-Kalutara district) said: One of the biggest factories in Asia will be built when the tea factory at Bogawantalawa is completed next month.

We have given concessions to rubber based industries to help the ailing local producers of rubber who cannot get a good price for their rubber. Rubber based industries have increased as a result. The governments intention is to help rubber producers affected by flagging rubber prices.

Mahinda Amaraweera (PA-Hambantota district) said: I request to instal a complaint box in every office of the Divisional Secretaries. The keys of these boxes shall be kept by the District Secretary who shall inquire into such complaints.

The non-operation of the Bribery Commission must not be a problem to make complaints of bribery against officers of Pradeshiya Sabhas and Divisional Secretary’s offices.

Some Grama Niladharis and Samurdhi animators are engaged in corrupt practices in the issue of various certificates.

A. H. M. Azwer (UNP-National List) said: The government must appoint a commission to study the question of excess holidays if it is felt there are already an excess of holidays.

Haji festival of the Muslims and the Maha Siva Rathri are still religious holidays confined to Muslims and Tamils. These festivals should be made national holidays. I don’t know why the SLMC is not speaking about this.

Monty Gopallawa (Deputy Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs and Plantation Industries): All our 41 plantations are running at a profit. We have distributed the profits among the employees. We have also proposed to pay a relief of Rs. 200 for every day of a workers stay in a hospital in the case of illness. We have also started an insurance scheme for plantation workers.

The Hingurana and Kantalai Sugar Plantations do not belong to this Minsitry. It is a subject of the Board of Investment (BOI). However we would inform the BOI about the concerns expressed by an MP on the developments of the two sugar plantation industires.

We will look into the alleged corruption in the purchase of a bus by the Hantana Tea Research Institute and the allegation of telling of a valauble tree.

These votes were passed.

‘Budget – a tragedy for the country and its people’
Full text of Ronnie de Mel’s Budget speech

The Budget of 1999 introduced by my good friend, Prof. G. L. Peiris, with this customary eloquence began as a comedy. A comedy of errors in fact, became a farce and ended as tragedy for the country and its people. It commenced with a tussle, an internal tussle, a home-and-home match as to who was responsible for preparing the Budget.

First, we had a very charming informal picture of the permanent Minister of Finance, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, in shirt sleeves, with a non-working computer by her side, burning the midnight oil, completing the Budget. I presume it was in the early hours of the morning. I thought so because even the coffee mug was there in place to emphasize the fact that it was well past midnight and there she was, poor girl, still hard at work on the Budget. The next day, lo and behold! we had a different picture on the same theme of the Deputy Minister of Finance in his office putting the finishing touches to the selfsame Budget and we were treated to this picture. So, two sets of finishing touches by two separate people to the same Budget! It was all very comic, even hilarious. This is the first time where two people in the same Cabinet were unable to share a Budget. You have had long experience of Budgets because you came here even before us, in 1956. This is the first time in the history of Budget making, not only in Sri Lanka but in the whole world, where two people were unable to share the same Budget, making a claim for its authorship, like two children fighting for an ice cream or for a bun. This was the first piece of comedy in this Budget. Now, Sir, after Her Excellency’s television interview it seems that she has snatched the bun from Prof. G. L. Peiris. So, the race is over.

This Budget next became a farce when one important proposal bringing Rs. 300 million of revenue was dropped, but the proposal with the revenue and other Budget figures resulting from this proposal still continued to feature in the Budget. The proposal itself was not read by my good friend, the Deputy Minister of Finance. He committed it quite rightly. But he continued to read — that is where the mistake came, Sir — the final budgetary figures regarding the deficit as if the proposal was still there. The whole thing was too comic, too ridiculous and displayed once again for the whole country and the whole world to see the utter incompetence, the crass stupidity and the supreme folly of this Government, which has ruined this country for the last four years. If they cannot get such a simple thing right, Sir, what do you except from this Government?

It is just a simple thing of substituting one page. We have done this. Dr. N. M. Perera has done this, Mr. Felix Dias Bandaranaike has done this and Mr. J. R. Jayewardene has done this. I have done this. It is just a simple thing of substituting a page and adding and subtracting Rs. 300 million. They could not do even this simple thing before 5 p.m. on the day of the Budget Speech, Sir.

The Budget as a whole resembles the last gasp of a dying Government and only heaps further burdens all round on the long suffering people of this land while extending a whole series of concessions to the super capitalists, the of this country. Sir, as you know, the colour of the SLFP, the predominant partner of this Government, is blue. I have nothing against this colour. In fact, I like it, but in keeping with their blue colour, this Government in its last two or three Budgets have flattened the bluest of blue chips in this country while heaping all the burdens possible on the ordinary people of this land — the farmer, the worker, the fisherman, the fixed salary earner, the pensioner, the student, the graduate and even the middle class. This is the tragic part of the Budget and that is why I say that this Budget began as a comedy, a comedy of errors, became a farce and ended as a tragedy. So much for the concept and composition of the Budget.

As you know, Sir, it has heaped a host of burdens on the people of this country. The National Security Levy is raised by one per cent. That is a big amount when it flows down to the things that the ordinary man has to buy and when it flows down to the services that he has to enjoy. The National Security Levy is raised by one per cent. There are no amendments to the universally hated GST. Increasing the prices of cigarettes, arrack, beer, postal charges, letters, postcards, registered letters, telegrams and increasing administrative charges from the womb to the tomb. I say from the womb to the tomb. Everything has been increased. The charges on birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, TV and radio licences, three-wheeler licences, bicycle licences, bus licences, car licences, van licences and everything will go up. The charges on all certificates, licences, permits, everything from the cradle to the grave, from the womb to the tomb, as I said earlier, will be increased. Duties on Mercedes cars, BMWs, Volvo cars, Pajeros, Prados et cetera are reduced and reduced by millions of rupees not by a few thousands of rupees. Duties on the poor man’s vans are raised.

So, Sir, nothing in this Budget for the poor man, nothing in this Budget for the unemployed Graduates, A Levels and O Levels, nothing for the pensioners, nothing for the fixed salary earners — nothing for anybody except the super rich. Sir people expected a reduction of prices of petrol of diesel of kerosene as crude oil prices, as you know, have come down to an all time low. It has never been so low for the last 20 years. Brent Crude, Brent Light Crude, the Bench Mark Crude is today selling at US$ 11.90 to US$ 12 per barrel. In my time, after the second oil price shock, it was sold at US$ 35 per barrel and now it is selling at US$ 11.90 to US$ 12 a barrel. So a reduction could easily have been given on petrol, on diesel, on kerosene bringing transport costs and the entire Cost of Living down. Cost of vegetables, fish-everything-all is due to high transport costs in this country and they could have been brought down. We all expected it. Why? Why was it not done? Only for one reason-because of a loss caused by 7,500 new and thoroughly unnecessary appointments in the Petroleum Corporation. The World Bank in its last Report has made some scathing remarks about this. Sir, 7,500 discretionary appointments of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation has led to the losses in the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and as a result of these losses they are unable to bring down the price of petrol, of the poor man’s kerosene, of the poor man’s diesel when the price of oil has come down from US$ 35 a barrel in my time to US$ 11 to US$ 12 a barrel. I will give you, Sir, some of the prices — very revealing — which shows the difference between our Government and their Government. I will tell you. I will show you some of these things. Very revealing! I have brought the whole thing. In my time, in 1980, 1981, 1982. I do not want to give the whole thing when Brent Crude was US$ 35 a barrel I gave petrol at Rs. 8.50. Now with Brent Crude at US$ 11 to US$ 12 a barrel it is Rs. 50 and they will not bring it down. In my time diesel with Brent Crude at US$ 35 a barrel was sold at Rs. 4.62 and Rs. 5.94. Now it is Rs. 13.20. Super Diesel is Rs. 18.50. In my time kerosene, with Brent Crude at US$ 34 a barrel was Rs. 3.34. Now it is Rs. 10.45. You call yourself a people’s government, a People’s Alliance. So I am only asking you why cannot you bring down the price of petrol, diesel and kerosene for the poor people of this land? It will bring down the Cost of Living. It will bring down the price of fish. It will bring down Sir, the price of vegetables. It will bring down all prices in this country.

Sir, now I will come to another matter — the price of wheat. They promised bread at Rs. 3.50. Now the worst bread is at 8.50. Some bread is at Rs. 10, or Rs. 12 and even Rs. 15. The price of wheat in the world market has recently dropped from US$ 5.20 a bushel to US$ 2.24 a bushel.

It is half the price. Why can they not reduce the price of bread and flour at least to keep the promise which they gave the people of this land? It is the same with sugar. I do not want to go into all these details. The super-rich, the blue chip companies are not interested in flour or bread, but in Mercedes Benz cars, Volvos, BMWs and so on. This is why I say, this is a Budget for the super-rich and the super-rich alone. You have sacrificed the ordinary man on the alter of supra capitalism. This is a Budget of the blue chips, for the blue chips, by the blue chips and their cronies and supporters. But please remember that there are only about ten blue chip companies in Sri Lanka and you are sacrificing all the people of Sri Lanka for this ten super-rich capitalist companies.

Sir, I have had the privilege, over the last many years, of listening to more than 40 budgets in this country, even before I came into this house. I have personally participated in 27 budget debates and introduced several budgets myself. I had the privilege of even listening to Mr. J. R. Jayewardene’s first Budget Speech in 1947, as a student. I have also carefully studied all the Budgets introduced in Sri Lanka since Independence. I have also had the privilege of listening to several budget speeches abroad. The last being, when I was invited two years ago to listen to Chancellor Gorden Brown’s Budget of 1997 after lunching with the Speaker, the Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England and some others, in the Speaker’s House in Parliament. Earlier, I have had the great privilege of listening to Chancellors like Geoffrey Howe, Dennis Healey, Nigel Lawson and Tony Barber when they presented their Budgets. I have even listened to Budgets in the French Assembly, because I know a little French and even in the German Bundestag, because I was interested. I have also made it a point to read and study budgets in as many countries as possible in all parts of the world. In fact, reading and studying budget speeches has been one of my several pet hobbies, like Dr. N. M. Perera. A long time ago, as a student, I studied the famous Budgets of William Gladstone who set the tone for budget making and budget speeches in his time and set standards for all budgets of all time. But, Sir, I have never seen a Budget like this. It is words, words and words only. There is no substance at all.

Therefore, Mr. Deputy Speaker, budget speeches, with their pious forecasts, good intentions, moth-eaten cliches and the stale economic jargon contained in them are not new things to me. I judge budgets by one thing and one thing alone. It is not by the fine turn of phrase, not by the concatenation of words, words and words falling thick and fast like Autumn leaves in Valhambrosa, not by quotations from literature and history, both from the quotations from the classics and economics from the Dhammapada, Bhagavad Geetha, Quran or Bible, I judge a budget by one thing and one thing alone. That is, how far will it be implemented and above all, will it be implemented for the good for the country and the welfare of its people.

I am sure, the House and you Sir will agree with me that this is the sole criterion of a good Budget, not words or statistics. .

That is the ultimate litmus test by which a Budget will stand or fall. Then, Sir, how far will it be implemented? That is the first question. Because implementation, sound implementation, proper implementation, above all, timely implementation for the welfare of the country and its people, quick implementation is the very crux of the problem, the very essence of a good Budget and good Budget making.

Now, Mr. Deputy Speaker, how can you judge or assess this question of quick and sound implementation of a Budget? It is only possible by past experience, by the past record of a Government. If a Government has lasted for four years and introduced four Budgets then by one criterion and one criterion alone. How far has this Government implemented, one, its election promises, and, how far has this Government implemented the policies and programmes and kept to the targets enunciated in its first four Budgets? That is the litmus test, the sole criterion available to us to judge this Budget. By this test, Sir, this Government fails and fails completely. Let us pause, Sir, for a moment and consider this matter dispassionately, free from partisan politics as far as possible. This Government, Sir, is now going into its fifth year, one but the last year if it lasts its full term. This is the fifth Budget for the fifth year of a Government whose term is six years. This is why I called this Budget, "The Budget of a Dying Government" because the Government has now exhausted the major portion of its life span, it is now close to its end.