Find weak spots by looking for missing information

The Central Bank’s former Assistant Governor Dr. Anila Dias Bandaranaike yesterday commented that the Government had perfected the art of contradictory behaviour, especially in terms of what the Government spokespersons say and do.

“We are clearly seeing a lot of confusion, miscommunication, contradictions and inconsistency.”

She noted that the citizens could now spot the weak points of the Government on the lack of availability of information.

“The Government has restored to making no information available. You can see where the weak areas are when the information is suddenly not available.”

She mentioned the increases in reserves as an example. “Last year, when reserves going up from Rs. 3 billion to 8 billion, the Government made a huge noise about it. Then suddenly there were no reserves; that was when things didn’t go as well as expected.”

“We need to be clear, whether it is the Budget or the Road Map or the ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ for private sector-led growth. We need investors in the country and then the Government goes and brings in silly things like the Expropriation Law.”

She asserted that the right to information must be advocated. However, she added that “we must now analyse the information taking the facts into consideration, not the words of the spokespersons of the Government, because we see no consistency. By doing so they are losing their own credibility.”