Due to massive criticism and pressure from various quarters against the government regarding handling the covid-19 pandemic, which was spreading throughout the island, the government had to lock down the country for ten days. Now, the government is carrying out a propaganda project to fully impose the economic impact of the lockdown on the public.
The Government Information Department and state media are being used for this campaign, and pro-government private media and government-run social media accounts are being used.
Although the country has been closed since the 20th, all essential economic activities are underway. Meanwhile, Ministers Bandula Gunawardena and Ajith Nivard Cabraal held a press conference on the 21st and presented data on the economic downturn. Minister Cabraal stated that closing down the country would result in the loss of Rs.15 billion a day in national income. According to Minister Cabraal, the national income lost in 10 days is Rs. 150 billion.
Meanwhile, Dr WA Wijewardena, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, told the Lankadeepa newspaper on Sunday the 15th that the economy would not collapse completely if the country was closed for a short period in the face of the covid epidemic. He has pointed out that the national income will fall by only a maximum of 10%.
Meanwhile, the notorious racketeers in the country have begun coming out with various views on the private media. One such entrepreneur estimates that US$ 1,100 billion was spent last year, and the government revenue was about US$ 1,300 billion. Nevertheless, the businessman had not mentioned that the government had spent more than US$ 980 billion to pay interest on loans alone. These notorious businessmen are trying to portray public service as an economic burden. Those businesses are built on a politically sponsored racketeering economy.
The government is preparing to put tremendous pressure on the people by getting to make such statements. The President, too, had warned about this in his address to the nation.
