The government decided to stop the sale of Thriposha Company only after the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) had raised the issue, FSP propaganda secretary Pubudu Jayagoda said on Monday in Kiribathgoda.
Jayagoda criticised the government’s handling of the Thriposha issue, stating that it was only after the Jana Aragalaya Alliance raised its voice that the Ministry of Finance announced it would not proceed with the shutdown.
However, he emphasised that the gazette that announced the privatisation of the company remained valid, leaving the future of the nutrition programme uncertain.
“Data from the World Health Organization, reveals that Sri Lanka ranks among the most critically affected nations regarding child malnutrition. Alarming figures show that one in four children across the country is malnourished, with rates in the plantation sector reaching a staggering 52%. Additionally, many pregnant mothers suffer from malnutrition, creating an environment where basic nutrition is out of reach for a significant portion of the population,” he said.
Jayagoda highlighted the long-term implications of the crisis, warning that in the next 25 years, Sri Lanka’s labour force would be made up of children currently under five, who were growing up under malnourished conditions. This, he said, threatened both their physical and mental development, posing a grave risk to the country’s future.
“This is why we insist that the government should immediately remove taxes on essential food items as a national priority. Otherwise, our children will starve to death,” Jayagoda stated, stressing the urgency of policy changes to address food insecurity.
Jayagoda also highlighted the necessity of building an opposition that genuinely represented the interests of the people, declaring that only an opposition born from the grassroots could address the nation’s pressing issues. “Your problems can only be solved by creating an opposition for the people,” he said. “This opposition must represent those who stand with the people of this country, and those people are within the Jan Aragalaya Alliance.”
(RK)
