Jathika Hela Urumaya General Secretary and former Cabinet Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka stated that the government’s mega projects are giving tangible returns to only a certain class of people. If this is called socialism, there is no bigger joke, he added.

Speaking at the ‘Satana’ Television talk show on Sirasa TV, Ranawaka said that there are five parameters to be concerned in these projects. Whether they are the priorities of the country is the first matter, he stated adding that the other issues were the quality, the benchmark cost, the impact of economy and the returns.

Ranawaka added that some of these projects were not priorities of the country. There were serious questions raised on the quality of the projects such as in the Puttalam Coal Power Plant and the expressways. The cost had far exceeded the benchmark costs. These were mostly built by foreign companies with foreign workers and therefore the economic opportunities for local people were less. Also, the returns are enjoyed by the elite of the society while the poor people pay for the cost, he stressed.

He also added that Maithripala Sirisena’s policy statement has recognized the priorities of such projects, including the economic and environmental impacts and once elected, the Sirisena government will correct what has gone wrong.