The Island Editorial

VAT and nuts

08 October 2016

 

The government is apparently tempting its providence to boost its revenue! One wonders whether it is becoming suicidal. Else, it would never have antagonised the public in this manner by heaping unbearable economic burdens on them in the form of tax hikes. It is hell bent on jacking up VAT at the behest of international lending institutions.

This is what happens to politicians masquerading as messiahs when power goes to their heads! They take leave of their senses, become impervious to public opinion and try to bulldoze their way through only to get booted out in the end. What befell the Rajapaksa government intoxicated with power is a case in point. All signs are that its successor is also headed in the same direction. The unconscionable VAT increase as well as its political fallout is sure to be its undoing.

The government ought to bear in mind that even with unprecedented economic relief it granted the public following the last presidential election did not help it secure a working majority in Parliament in August 2015. At that time its popularity was at the zenith. The anti-incumbency factor has begun to kick in. So, it is not difficult to guess how people will react to the government’s callous disregard for their grievances and its failure to make good on most of its pre-election pledges.

Allegations of corruption against government politicians and their lackeys have gone uninvestigated and the theft of public funds continues. The present dispensation which sought and obtained a popular mandate by promising to be different from its predecessor is also characterised by rampant corruption, abuse of power, cronyism, interference with state institutions, especially the police. So, if the government grandees think their popularity ratings have either increased or remain at the same level today they are living in cloud cuckoo land. The VAT will prove to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. They had better brace for a rude shock at the next local government polls which they cannot go on postponing till the cows come home.

Meanwhile, the Joint Opposition (JO) has, in a bid to make the most of the situation, called for housewives to dash coconuts in protest against the cost of living which has gone into the stratosphere. Their consternation is such that they may take to the streets seeking relief, but whether smashing coconuts will help knock any sense into the ruling politicians is the question. It is believed that people can invoke the intervention of deities to punish wrongdoers by smashing coconuts. But, no god will approve of the waste of coconuts at a time people are struggling to make the ends meet.

The harebrained coconut smashing project may help the JO gain some political traction by creating a media event. But, the poor people will be left without precious nuts for cooking. They will face a double whammy. The JO can gain more political mileage if it collects coconuts brought to the venue of protest and distribute them among the needy instead of smashing them.

When the arrogance of power sets in and a government begins to act like an ageing minister on an overdose of a potent aphrodisiac there is absolutely no need for the poor people to smash coconuts in a bid to seek divine intervention to engineer its downfall. Towards the latter stages of its rule the Rajapaksa regime was like a juggernaut careening downhill with a tippler at the wheel. A government in a lemming-like rush to destroy itself does not care two hoots about the economic woes of the people or public opinion.

Let it be repeated that people must not engage in wasteful pursuits such as breaking coconuts in public so that crafty opposition activists doing political cold turkey can gain some traction. The irate public can have the pleasure of watching the incumbent government commit hara-kiri like its predecessor.