The presidential candidate of ‘Sarvajana Balaya’ alliance, Dilith Jayaweera says that the promises made by certain candidates to increase the salaries of the public service are improbable.

Speaking at a press conference held today (04), Jayaweera pointed out that what he is proposing is a necessary program to uplift the public servants’ standard of living.

Furthermore, he stated: “The current president himself said two months ago that there is no way to pay the salaries. The same government that said there is no way to pay the salaries has increased the salaries by 25%. This requires more than Rs. 2 billion. How can we have confidence in this? This is an insult to the knowledgeable public servants.”

“Salaries should be increased in a logical manner,” he added.

“Mr. Anura Kumara proposes to increase the salaries every six months. How will it be possible? Where will the money come from?,” Jayaweera questioned.

Meanwhile, he also expressed that this process must be carried out following proper discussions with the public sector employees.

“It should be a more intellectual discussion; the necessary subsidies, money, incentives…they must be aimed at raising their standard of living,” he said.

“We have suggested that government employees should be given incentives for efficient public service. Someone who works well should get more incentives.”

“The statements made by these candidates are just complete promises. If you ask a child who has a rough understanding of Sri Lanka’s economy... who is studying economics for the Advanced Levels, he will say... this is not a promise that can be fulfilled.”