JVP calls for a discussion on alleged distortion of economic data

 Saturday, 01 February 2014 

The JVP has called on the government to carry out a dialogue on the alleged distortion of the country’s economic data by the government.

JVP parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake has told the media that instead of taking revenge on the official who exposed the distortion of data by the government agencies, the government should carry out a dialogue on the data distortion and come out with a solution.

Dissanayake last month in parliament has questioned the integrity of Sri Lanka’s growth figures accusing the Census and Statistics Department along with the Central Bank of manipulating data on the government’s orders to get lower rates on foreign loans and attracting foreign investors.

He has explained that when considering the economy of the country, the economic growth rate and inflation ratio are two important factors and the per-capita income, debt ratio and Gross National Product (GNP) are calculated according to this data.

If data on economic growth is distorted other data calculated based on it would get distorted, he has said.

He has observed that the government started giving various explanations and hence the truth should be revealed to the masses.

The Census and Statistics Department has dismissed the accusations of data manipulation saying that it follows international standards when preparing government data on vital indicators.

Dissanayake has said the government has fallen to a low level taking revenge from the Director of the National Accounts Division by transferring him from place to place and changing his position.