President Mahinda Rajapaka recently said people should be on the alert, as various elements were attempting to shut down industries and cripple the economy. After declaring open the auditorium of the Rubber Research Institute at Agalawatta, he said such attempts were intended to buckle the country’s development. At the same time he praised the people of this country for their ability to identify the sincere servants of the masses. He added that therefore the people were ever ready to stand up for such genuine public representatives.

It is not clear what industries he was referring to; but the mass uprising at Weliweriya has created a problem for the regime, as military repression with several murders could not stop the mass agitation. The regime was forced to agree to shift the factory away from the area. But factory managers say it is near impossible, and the alternative is to close down the factory. This whole thing exposed the tomfoolery and the corruption of the regime. The latter is unable to explain how such a dangerous pollution-ridden industry was allowed to operate in an intensely populated area. Secondly, how the military was used against protesting unarmed poor villagers in the area.

Then in the Kalutara district there was a leak of ammonia gas which affected a whole village. At least temporarily, this industry was also closed. The only conspiracy we could see in these incidences is the callous disregard the government has shown to the poor masses in this country.
 The attitude of the government could be seen in the development programme of the government. Apparently Rs.1.8 billion was spent on building one kilometre of the Katunayake-Colombo Expressway. Unbelievably that was more than the entire 2014 budgetary allocation for Child Development and Women’s Affairs which was Rs.1.24 billion. Also, we could compare this with allocations for several other ministries and departments:

For Culture and Arts = Rs.1.48 billion, Telecommunications and Industrialisation Technology = Rs.0.957 billion, Wildlife Resources and Conservation = Rs.1.31 billion, National Heritage = Rs.1.26 billion and Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare = Rs.0.58 billion. The total cost of the new expressway was reported as Rs. 45.7 billion. Thus the money spent on this one short expressway is higher than the entire 2014 budgetary allocation for education which is Rs.38.84 billion. Several other allocations including the allocation for higher education were much less. However the government has promised the FUTA that it would try to reach the 6% GNP to be allocated for education, but that has already become a broken promise.

 As expected by many, the largest chunk in the 2014 Budget is set aside for Defence and Urban Development. It is inevitable that a fascist style of government will increase the defence budget. The military is already involved in the massive construction programme that is going on. While the armed forces are heavily involved in the construction industry, they will naturally expand their fire power. If they are given the power to decide, any army will do that. The country is now tied to the donors who supported the regime in the war. In addition to western powers, both India and China are now guiding the Rajapaksa regime in a direction that will satisfy their needs. 

"The total cost of the new expressway was reported as Rs. 45.7 billion. Thus the money spent on this one short expressway is higher than the entire 2014 budgetary allocation for education which is Rs.38.84 billion. The government has promised the FUTA that it would try to reach the 6% GNP to be allocated for education, but that has already become a broken promise"

The regime will spend increasing amounts incurring more foreign debt – to purchase pieces of exorbitantly-priced military hardware to satisfy the military agency. The present regime is beggaring the country and burdening future generations with a colossal debt to appease their masters and to continue with their development programme. It is a programme that makes them rich! Though the national security costs are increasing heavily, the security of ordinary people continues to erode.

The recent Supreme Court ruling relating to the residents of Slave Island has opened the door to mass-eviction of people from their homes and habitats in the name of development. In spite of oppositional lawyers and others that came forward to protect Colombo’s poor, the regime was able to get the upper hand and is likely to intensify its land-grabbing. What happens in the north is at a lower scale happening in the south. From north to south, the supporters of the regime will use the political  judiciary to provide legal cover for acts of pillage by the regime. Ordinary people, of all communities, will be left with no protection, recourse or rescue.  If policymakers do not place human welfare at the centre of development or include human welfare in planning and implementing economic programmes, development will remain an oppression as far as the majority is concerned.