By a staff reporter

The United National Party (UNP) will continually organize protest campaigns until the objective of lowering the electricity bills is achieved, UNP Spokesman Gayantha Karunatillake said today.

 Addressing the media in Colombo, he said the same people who were inclined to leave the country due to war in the past now had to leave because of government attitudes towards commodities such as electricity, emphasizing the lack of responsibility displayed by a Minister of Power and Energy, who did not comment or address the public on the matter of the new tariff plan.

“We told the people the government would increase the bill, even when newly appointed minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said otherwise. Now, she is nowhere to be found when such a pressing matter has to be addressed,” Karunatillake pointed out, saying she, together with other government ministers who ‘lived off the tax money’ of the people, were shirking their responsibilities by staying out of the spotlight, and also added former Minister of Power and Energy, Champika Ranawaka was removed from the said position as a result of ‘making waves.’

“He spoke of the problems within the power plants, the corruption in the pricing formulae utilized by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the need for a transparent formula for the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) as well. As a result of this, he was displaced as minister,” he said.

Further commenting on the matter, he said, “The government has no credible reason to give for this increase in the bills, and they must definitely retrace their steps in this regard. We have also heard they plan to shut off power to roadside lights after 8 p.m. each night. The people will have nowhere to go.”