Colombo's war boomerangs

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 July 2008, 09:20 GMT]
For the first time in two years, after Colombo launched its war, public and private sector employees in South have come to the open demanding higher wages from the government, despite Rajapaksa government's appeals to the public to back the military campaign. Ironically, the extreme nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which helped Mr. Rajapaksa into power and backed the military campaign, has come out openly to campaign for a salary increase of Rs. 5,000 per month and have threatened to launch a three day strike which comes in the backdrop of a one day token strike which had mixed results.

The high military expenditure requires the Rajapaksa government to spend more than one fifth of the annual budget for military and security.

The consequences have started to spill over to the south with people feeling the impact of the skyrocketing cost of living.

The Annual consumer price inflation rose to 28.2 percent in June and is further rising while prices of fuel, gas, electricity, water and essential food items are on the rise and milk food importers are demanding permission for a further increase.

The Sri Lankan government has blamed the increasing international oil prices as one of the main causes for the increase in prices, but the JVP says that one of the main reasons has been the jumbo size cabinet of ministers with nearly 110 members holding ministerial positions.

The impact of the cost of living has already been showing in the south with people trying various means to cut down on their expenditure.

A director of a multi-business establishment in South told TamilNet that the people living in their housing scheme do not travel in individual vehicles to work to Colombo anymore. "They pool up and travel one vehicle so they cut down on their monthly fuel expenditure."

With the people gradually feeling the effects of the rising cost of living the government is expected to face more protests in the future as the annual budget is due to be brought up in parliament in four months time and trade unionist are trying to bring more pressure.